"Abbazia La Badia, more than only a hotel" Top 5 Page for this destination Orvieto Things to Do Tip by Trekki

Already on my first day after I drove along the road south of Orvieto in search of a place to stay, I noticed this abbey. The belltower is something hardly to miss. I saw the sign, leading to the hotel, but this was out of reach for my pocket. I liked the romantic and picturesque setting – the hotel advertises as An isle of stone in a sea of green – and decided to have a look one of these days if it would be open to the public. And yes, it is and it is indeed well worth to drive or walk up to the premises. The monastery is rather old, it was built around the primitive church of San Silvestro (6th century) by Benedictine monks in 12th century and became a residence for nobles and priests later. But after 16th century it fell into decay. The huge chapter hall for example collapsed and now only an arch is left, which gives a very nice “frame” for photos of Orvieto. But consider the sun and come in early mornings or late afternoons, my noon photo (photo 2) isn’t that good in the background. Sice more than 100 years the abbey and premises belong to the counts Fiumi di Sterpeto and they have carefully restored the buildings and have opened the hotel since some years. I loved the twelve-sided belltower which is said to have inspired building the one of Sant’Andrea in Orvieto. It is possible to go on top, but on weekdays only (I was here on a Sunday). Next to the tower is the church and this is a real gem! It is small but has beautiful frescoes and a cosmanti pavement! I couldn’t take photos of the chapel because they were preparing it for a wedding but at least I could take photos of the frescoes in the small entrance hall (photo 4). But on their website, if you click on “services” you can look at more photos of the chapel. Overall, I liked the concept of La Badia, because everything outside is open to visitors, no one will give you looks when you are not a hotel guest. And it is all very beautifully decorated and restored with flower pots everywhere. I would have had a caffè at the terrace, but due to the wedding this was not possible.
The full name of the abbey is Abbazia dei Santi Severo e Martirio.

I have more photos in a travelogue below, for those who are interested.

Address: Orvieto, La Badia Hotel
Directions: On SS71, the road south of Orvieto, take the turn to the south at the sign "La Badia" (it is a hotel sign, with bed icon).
Website: http://www.labadiahotel.it/