ITA
The Maurizio Tower
The Maurizio Tower is at the corner between Via and Piazza del Duomo, where the Duomo stands. Maurizio is the automation that struck the bell, marking the hours at the Duomo’s construction site.
- Orvieto’s ariologium de muricio was the first mechanical clock of this kind documented in Europe. Today, seven centuries later, Maurizio still does its job, marking the hours of the day.
- The name Maurizio is a mispronunciation of the word muricio, the clock that marked the working hours.
Linked to the history and the construction of the Duomo, the tower houses a clock commissioned by the Opera del Duomo between 1347 and 1348 to mark the working hours at the construction site. At the top of the tower is a bell and a bronze automation in medieval attire dubbed Maurizio. The name Maurizio is a mispronunciation of the word muricio from the expression ariologium de muricio, i.e., the clock that marked the working hours.
Fun facts:
- On Maurizio’s belt, you can read, “Da te a me campana fuoro pati / tu per gridare et io per fare i fati”, which loosely translates as, “this is the pact between us, Bell: you shout, I work.” The bell was cast by Ugolino da Bologna in the mid-14th century.
- Orvieto’s ariologium de muricio was the first mechanical clock of this kind documented in Europe. Today, seven centuries later, Maurizio still does its job, marking the hours of the day.
Image gallery
Admission method
The Maurizio Tower is open only on special occasions (e.g., the FAI Spring Days, Culture Week, or other significant circumstances), during which you can go up to the time-telling automation at the top of the tower. The clock’s mechanism and automation are also shown on a screen at the tower's entrance through a webcam.