The basement of the Cathedral of Orvieto

The vast space that crosses the Cathedral below the transept and the tribune, about 795 square meters, was renovated by Paolo Zampi, engineer of the Opera del Duomo, during the period of the great nineteenth-century restoration of the cathedral in order to obtain deposits and service warehouses. of the constantly active “Fabbrica” construction site.

Between 1887 and 1904 the recovery project was drawn up and work began on the construction of the pillars and arches inspired by the architectural features of the monument. In the rooms thus obtained were placed the tools and utensils from the centuries-old construction site. This stratification constitutes a further attraction of this evocative and reserved space which also preserves the memory of the original architectural configuration of the Duomo before the intervention of Lorenzo Maitani (active in Orvieto from 1310 to 1330), who modified the layout of the tribune and of the transept. Visible below the two large side chapels.