Necropolis

Orvieto played a leading role in the Etruscan confederation from the sixth to the middle of the third century B.C. when it fell victim to the inexorable advance of Roman power.
Orvieto was the seat of Fanum Voltumnae, the most important shrine of the Etruscan federation, and various elements are still extant which tell us something about the structure of the ancient city, whose name seems to have been Velzna.
What remains of the Temple of Belvedere, near the well of San Patrizio, comes closer than any other to the canonic Tuscan temple as described by Vitruvius.
The podium of another building has recently come to light under the Palazzo del Popolo. It is comprised of large blocks of tuff and was probably of a religious nature. The base of the altar in the church of S Lorenzo was once a circular Etruscan altar. The Pozzo della Cava, an ingenious well, is the work of Etruscan engineers.
The most important collections of Etruscan finds from the city as well as the surrounding territory are on view in the museums. Of particular interest are the architectural temple terracotta's The Sanctuary of Cannicella (excavation is still in progress) and the Necropolis of Crocefisso del Tufo, both at the base of the cliff of Orvieto, complete our picture of the last of the Etruscan cities to be destroyed by the Romans.