Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of Popes)
Gothic style, widely used in Lazio in the 13th century by the Cistercian Monks, is found in both religious and civil architecture within the city as well as in the Palazzo dei Papi (Pope's Palace) on whose loggia one can read see the emblem which reads: created in Piazza San Lorenzo by the will of Raniero Gatti between 1255 and 1266, during a period in which the pontiffs made the city their permanent dwelling (1257-1281) holding elements tied to both religious and military architecture; a severe façade with squared embattlements is made less evident by 6 finely decorated twin lancet windows, and the aspect of the fortress, more evident on the façade facing the Faul Valley, decorated with powerful buttresses, is completely transformed in the loggia connected to the palace, suspended above by a large vault which presents a precious motif and braided arches that were at one time repeated on both sides but, even though never completed, it is one of the most admired pieces of architecture in the city.
In the center of the loggia, antiquely covered, one can admire a fountain with a shield of arms and fragments from different époques which touches the water of the well which passes the vault underneath.
Inside the palace, one can admire a large salon where five conclaves were held, including that if Pope Gregory X which lasted 3 months.
Throughout the years the palace has seen many modifications, most of them in the XVI century when Cardinal De Gambara obliterated part of the façade and stairway. In 1904, further reconstruction restored the palace to its original aspect.
Today, the rooms in the palace are used by the Curia and host a diocesan archive, a capitulary library, and the Museum of the Duomo where one can also enter the Loggia and the Conclave Hall.
Thermal Spring of the Popes
Viterbo has been famous for its hypo-thermal waters from the time of the Etruscans.
Popes like Gregory IX and Pope Boniface IX came to Viterbo to treat various ailments. The restructuring and enlargement of the thermal installation by various popes throughout the years is the reason that the thermal springs are called “Thermal Spring of the Popes”.
The benefits of the sulphuric springs were also appreciated by other known figures including Dante who described the most popular spring, Bullicame, in a poem of his celebrated Inferno, and Michelangelo Buonarroti who also did two designs of the spring Bacucco.
The modern structure holds a pool designed for vascular gymnastics as well as another indoor pool which includes hydro-massage mechanisms. Rooms for inhalation treatments, mud therapy, saunas, massages, magnet therapy, and lymphatic- drainage are also found. Specialty visits including analyses, electrocardiograms, and others can also be reserved.
The center of the springs is the famous spring of Bullicame ( 58° C) feeding an enormous pool of over 2,000 square meters. Treatments are aimed at the respiratory tract and osteo-articulation, but also skin illnesses, kidney stones, digestive tract. Qualified specialists and staff from the University of Viterbo are part of the team who execute the therapies and treatments.
San Pellegrino area
One of the most antique quarters of the city, surely that which has best conserved the Medieval aspect of the 1200's with narrow streets that open up into small squares encircled with old buildings, towers, arched porticos, etc...
An architectural complex entirely realized in the typical local stone called "peperino" a grey volcanic stone, creating a uniformly chromatic environment.
The hub of this area is Piazza San Pellegrino where the Roman époque church of the same name is found where, sadly to say, only a few fragments of frescoes remind us of the beauty lost. The church, in fact, seems unnatural due to the continuous restructuring, the last was followed by bombing from WWII.
Also in the Piazza, Palazzo of the Alessandri, built in the first half of the 13th century and saved by destruction after the exile of the Guelf family Alessandri by Pope Innocanzo IV. The building has three floors and an ample balcony with an expressive low arch.
The parapet of the stairway is decorated with a star motif repeated on the shelving above it. An addition to the building that passes over the street was added later in order to connect the building with another on the other side of the square. This type of construction, called "bridge" housing, can be found in other parts of the quarter of San Pellegrino contributing to the characteristic outline of the landscape. On the opposite side of the Palace of the Alessandri we can find the Scaciaricci tower, a house tower with four floors
Golf Club “Le Querce” of Sutri
The Golf Club "Le Querce" is found in Lazio's country side, 40 kilometers from Rome. The structure is property of the Italian Federation of Golf who initiated in 1989. The project was created by the American architects George and Jim Fazio together with David Mezzacane.
The course includes 18 holes, an extra 3 holes for practice and a driving range. It ws inaugurated in 1990 by the president of the federation Giuseppe Silvia and was immediately appreciated for its design on the terrain that it is found utilizing the natural trench that runs through it in the form of a horseshoe and for the beauty of the oak (quercia) trees that characterize the more than 60 hectors of the course.
The 1991 World Cup (Campionato del Mondo) was held here as well as the Amateur European Championship in 1992, and other Italian Pro and Amateur Team Championships and Medal and Match Play.
The course was also voted as one of the best 10 Italian Courses in the 2006/2007Peugeot Golf Guide.
A very modern sleeping quarters, consisting of 25 rooms, is also available on the premises along with a club house, pro-shop, Golf Academy, billiards room, TV room, card room, and the National School of Golf.
Santa Rosa and the “Macchina di Santa Rosa”
Long ago Sanctuary of Saint Rosa was a little church dedicated to Saint Maria of the Rose, built in 1215 along with the adjacent convent. Rosa was born in 1233 in the area of the monastery and legend narrates that at the age of only 10 years old she helped to organize the people's resistance against the imperial army of Federico II; she was exiled from the city and died at the very young age of 18. Seven years later her mummified body was found and her body was brought to the monastery named after her.
Today her corpse is conserved on the church in a precious metal urn, a work of art designed by the goldsmith G. Giardini (1699), found on the second altar on the right of the church.
The church and convent of Saint Rosa were completely redone in 1453, following a fire, with frescoes of the episodes of the life of the saint by B.Gozzoli, unfortunately lost years later when other restorations were done in 1849.
The present church has a neoclassic façade and a square floor plan with a large cupola surrounded by four smaller cupolas and contains works from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Going past the cloister, 1600's, you enter the antique monastery which holds works from the 16th and 17th centuries and nearby one can also visit the house of the Saint.
Every year, on the third of September, a commemoration, involving the entire city and many tourists, is held. The celebration includes the transport of a structure called "la Macchina of Saint Rosa" - 30 meters high and weighing 5 tons, on the shoulders of 100 attendants along a route through Viterbo, concluding at the church of Saint Rose.
Tuscia Opera Festival
Viterbo, the setting for the Tuscia Opera Festival, deserves an unhurried visit from art lovers, gastronomes and historians. Whatever the season, or the visitor's nationality, this medieval/modern town and its surroundings offers interesting sites to explore.
This city was an important stop on the Pilgrims' route to Rome and was often described by visitors as "the city of beautiful fountains and beautiful women".
Also this year, the Tuscia Opera Festival will be running in this medieval town from July 10 to August 10. It's a perfect excursion to enjoy opera, ballet and visits to medieval towns.
More than 300 artists can be heard in the lovely Papal Palace piazza in Viterbo, where the first conclave was held in 1261.
The Tuscia Opera Festival is a great chance to experience opera in a historic city without paying a huge price.
A unique occasion for students and emerging artists is the International Lyric Academy. During an intensive month, they receive professional coachings, voice lessons and partecipate in a full range of classes, Master Classes, Concerts, recitals and rehearsals culminating in eight fully staged Orchestra performances of "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi with the Festival's Symphony Orchestra.
There will be also a special session dedicated to the Italian Operas (in Concert with full Orchestra), Rigoletto, L'Elisir d'Amore (with Orchestra Ensemble) with the opportunity to study throughly the role with Italian coaches and Maestros and, at the end, to perform in several Concerts in the next Tuscia Opera Festival.
Civita di Bagnoregio
The small medieval borough of Civita in Bagnoregio (443 meters below sea level) rises from above a tuffaceous spur and can be reached only be an impressive bridge. From the town one can admire splendid views of the valley below where the cliff, slowing eroding due to atmospheric agents, takes on a typical form of the Calanchi (basins lined by crests and pinnacles).
History
The origins of the town are archaic; the first findings that proved traces of human life in the territory date back to the Neolithic (6000-3000 B.C.), but archaeological testimony; the remains of an antique necropolis, go back to the Etruscan époque; at that time the town was found in a strategic position for commerce and easily defended, and furthermore, to react to the problem of erosion of the tufa, the Etruscans attempted to canalize rain water and water from the two torrents found in the valley
In the 3rd century A.D. the territory passes under the Roman domain leaving material testimony of numerous funerary items, sarcophagus', and various columbary tombs.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. the first to settle in the area were the Goths who created both a military and economic benchmark; the Byzantines followed up until Civita didn't take part in the conquest of the Lombards with Agilulfo in command, who in 605 controlled a large part of the territory; Tuscia Lombard.
It was the king Carlo Magno who concluded the Lombard domination by donating the territory to the Pontiff in 774 A.D.
In the 12th century the town constituted a free municipal but the power held over the town by the Monaldeschi family of Orvieto transformed itself into a lordship that ruled Civita up until the revolt of the population in 1457, during which the Castle of Cervera of the Monaldeschi was destroyed.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the power of the church on the land was consolidated with the so-called "government of the Cardinals", which was confused with that of the Papal State. In 1695, a devastating earthquake shook the borough; many buildings and roads collapsed leaving many dead and injured. Other tremors followed which accelerated the progressive erosion of the tufa cliff making Civita di Bagnoregio unreachable, leaving the majority of its citizens no choice but to transfer to the neighboring Bagnoregio.
Main Monuments
Porta Santa Maria
Just to the other side of the bridge, that leads to the borough, we encounter the historic entrance; Porta Santa Maria, the only remaining of the five original doors.
Its construction, dug out of tufa, dates back to the Etruscan period but its external finish is from the medieval époque and presents sculptural elements from later periods, as well, like that of two lions with two human heads in their claws; symbol of the victory of Civita in the revolt of 1457 against the Monaldeschi family of Orvieto, and the Bald Eagle that dominates the arch of the door; symbol of Cardinal Reginald Polo (1547-1558).
Church of San Donato
Situated in the point where Cardo crosses Decumano in the antique Roman urban plan, in an area where a pagan temple once stood, the church saw its first constructive stage in the 7th century, but its present aspect, in Roman style with a basilica and three naves, dates back to the 12th century; it has undergone numerous re-facings among which include the resetting of the church in Renaissance style done in 1511 by the architect Cola di Matteuccio of Caprarola, when the presbytery was covered with crossed vaults and the three portals were added to the façade.
The earthquake of 1695 did a lot of damage to the church which lost the title of Cathedral in 1699 in favor of the present Duomo of San Nicola in Bagnoregio. Nonetheless, thanks to the intervention of Pope Innocence XII, San Donato was quickly renovated and consecrated again in 1724.
The church holds precious historic and religious mementos like the relic of Santa Vittoria, martyred under Emperor Decio in 251, and the body of Saint Ildebrando, bishop of the city in the 11th century, both found near the altars of the lateral naves.
The main altar presents an antique fresco fro the 15th century done by the school of Antoniazzo Romano showing the La Vergine in trono col Bambino, (Virgin Mary on the throne with baby Jesus), also referred to as Holy Mary Liberatrice, by the devoted when after a violent earthquake in 1695, the plaster that hid the fresco fell off the wall bringing it to light.
In the niche of the altar in the right nave another masterpiece is found; a wooden polychrome cross from the 1400's done in Donatello style - perhaps done by one of his pupils- intense piece for its strong emotional expression, it is adored and carried in the procession of Good Friday.
In the tympanum we find the terracotta statue of San Donato, bishop of Arezzo who lived and was martyred in the 4th century.
Native House of San Bonaventure
San Bonaventure was born in Civita (1217-1274), but unfortunately, in the house where this important figure was born, little remains; some stones, transferred to the new convent of San Francesco, contributing to the building of a small temple which can be visited even today.
Grotto of San Bonaventure
Near the borough Civita di Bagnoregio, this grotto, excavated from the tufa is what remains of the old Franciscan convent where, according to legend, the young Giovanni Fidanza (Saint Bonaventure) was healed of a grave illness by the hand of San Francesco.
The grotto, according to the studies, was a tomb dating back to the Etruscan period, successively transformed into a chapel for prayer.
We don't know much about the childhood of the saint but at a young age he began to study in order to enter the Franciscan order, going to the seminary of Sorbona in Paris where he met Tommaso of Aquino; later he became a teacher at the university of Paris and in 1257, he became the Minister General of the Franciscan order.
Philosopher and writer, his word became that of San Francesco, preaching a doctrine based on love for all creatures. He was canonized on April 14th 1482 by Pope Sisto IV; in 1643 Bagnoregio proclaimed him the patron saint of the city along with Saint Ilderbrando.
Touristic Activities
Because of the abandoned state of the town of Civita of Bagnoregio, it is called "the city that died", but in reality tourism lives.
One can find artisan boutiques specializing in marble (in particular basaltic tephrite rock) ceramic and iron. In the taverns one can taste typical local products that include; wine, extra virgin olive oil, biological cereal, and selected Chianina beef.
The promoting of the area is carried out during the year through the organization of various cultural events.
Festivals
Good Friday Procession
Good Friday is celebrated with a procession and a re-enactment of the historical and religious Passion of Christ in costume. The main focus of this procession is the carrying of the Hoy Cross, an event which dates back to 1400.
Palio della Tonna (Tonna Horserace)
The roads of Civita host a race with jockeys on jack-asses celebrated on the first Sunday of June and September.
A Live Nativity Setting takes place in the medieval streets of Civita on the 26th of December and the 1st and 6th of January when the events leading up to the birth of Jesus are portrayed.
Bomarzo and its park: il Parco dei Mostri
Bosco Sacro di Bomarzo was created between 1552 and 1580 by the will of Prince Vicino Orsini, cultured and adventurous leader, relative of one of the most powerful families of the time, the Farnese.
The original idea was to create a monumental park on the slopes of a natural amphitheater with fountains and large sculptures in grey granite by using the masses already found on the site; somewhat like one would call today an "environmental opera" where the manmade creation is studied to share the surrounding space.
Prince Orsini called the architect Pirro Ligorio, who was already presently working on the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, to execute the complicated project.
The park reflects the just spirit and cultural climate of the time, all done to exalt the scenic effects destined to " leave you breathless", and it is exactly this that you get when visiting the park.
Once passing the entrance, with the coat of arms of Orsini surmounted above, you find yourself in front of two Sphinxes with inscriptions that invite you to reflect upon the site you are visiting.
During your entire journey, these inscriptions reappear, incised in the rock, with the explicate and moralising aim to communicate with the visitor and to make the park not only a place where one can get away, but a real path to meditation and knowledge.
Let's have a look at some of the representative operas: the colossal group of Giganti Ercole and Caco (Hercules the giant and Caco) the stately Tartaruga (Turtle), with a Vittoria Alata (Winged Victory) above it facing towards the torrent where an open mouthed Orca symbolizes the Porta degli Inferi; the Casa Pendente (Leaning House), strongly leaning to one side, was built on purpose to give the visitor a sense of instability of ground; the same intent is followed with the Panca Estrusca (Etruscan Bench), built on unlevelled terrain, asymmetric and ingenious, it clearly expresses the spirit of the place granting all that is imaginative and out of the ordinary.
The Orco is the true symbol of the park, an enormous mask whose mouth is the entrance that leads to you into the park where you find a stone table and benches; in the surrounding area you can see and enormous Dragon being assailed by three wild beasts that should be a representation of time attacked by the past, present and future and the combat Elephant surmounted by a turret, holding a warrior in its trunk; before arriving to the Tempietto (Little Temple), in a sort of symbolic point of passage, we find Cerbero, guardian of the Inferi; the Doric Temple is done in an octagonal plan ending with the cupola and enriched by an impressive portico composed of four lines of columns, dedicated by Vicino Orsini to his wife Giulia Farnese, who died at a young age.
There are many visual references to mythology, but the symbolic themes are inspired by literal sources; the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, l'Eneide by Virgilio, l'Orlando Furioso by Ariosto, and Il Sogno di Polifio by Francesco Colonna. Besides these, there are many celebrated references to the Orsini and Farnese families like, for example, the mask representing Proteo o Glauco with open jaws, two statues with heraldic Orsi (bears) carrying the noble coat of arms and the Roman rose or the Fontana di Pegaso (heraldic symbol and tribute to the Farnese house).
The park, abandoned and forgotten for centuries, was rediscovered in the last century and restored by its new owner Giovanni Bettini beginning in 1953; works by many artists have contributed to its public revitalization, the most important being the ingenious exponent of surrealism, Salvador Dali (see the piece Le tentazioni di Sant'Antonio, 1946, inspired point of interest in the Sacro Bosco), also the Dutch painter Carel Willink (1900-1983), etc.
In conclusion, the park has an aura of mystery that contributes to its charm, deriving also from the culture of its creator who crowded it with symbolic, literal, alchemic and hermetic attractions giving it multiple perceptive possibilities and making it not only a place to get away and relax but a spiritual nutrient as well.
Sutri
Situated along Via Cassia on a tuffaceous plain between the valleys of torrente Promonte and Rotoli, Sutri held an exceptional strategic importance in its antique era due to the geographic connections between Etruria meridional, the Faliscan territory and Latium.
The sources remind us, together with Nepi, at the beginning of the 4th century B.C., when, after the fall of Veio (396 B.C.) the Romans put up an outpost between Rome and Etruria and a bulwark against Tarquinia. The city became a municipal after the social war of 90-89 B.C. and was again colonized at the beginning of the 1st century B.C.
The continuity of life, that of which was the aim of the urban plain, made the original structure that hosted the settlements, unrecognizable.
During the first colonization, the construction of a protective wall belt in blocks of tufa in alternate rows by size. One can still see long tracts incorporated in the medieval fort. The so-called Porta Furia, opens up on the western side of the wall, most likely for a tie to the road which took you to Nepi. The "Porta" (door) is surmounted by a double metal ringed arch dating back to the 2nd century B.C.
In the same urban area one can find the ruins of a small thermal installation and underground passages of an undetermined date. The Etruscan period is documented by various tombs with dates from the 6th to 4th centuries B.C., found in the immediate area of the land occupied by the city. The oldest can be confronted with similarities to tombs in Blera and S. Giovenale, characterized by Cerite ascendants.
On the head of the tuffaceous ridge that faces Sutri to the south, next to the road Via Cassia, one can see the most impressive nucleus of the urban Necropoli, constituted by about sixty tombs covering two or three rows dating back to the 1st century B.C. and to the 3rd and 4th century A.D.
Not far away we find the main monument of the city, the amphitheatre measuring at 49.6 x 40.8 meters, entirely excavated from the tufa from between the 1st century B.C. and the beginning of the 1st century A.D. The area also conserves a very old church dating back to the 3rd century A.D. later transformed into a Christian church dedicated to the Madonna of Parto. Carved completely into the rock, it consists of a rectangular form covered by a vault and entirely divided into three naves by pilasters.
The cult of the god Mitra is witnessed in Sutri also by the findings of a Roman époque slab with the figuration of the divinity. The territory results particularly rich in antique settlements; Roman époque buildings are documented in Casale Mezzaroma Nuova, in Castellaccio and in Salfatara where, besides the findings of a tract of road, underground passages and pavements of a Roman Villa were brought to light.
Instead, in Monte della Guardia, archaeological excavations done at the end of the 1950's by the British Academy of Rome, discovered the remains of a furnace for ceramics active between the years 60 and 70 A.D.
Shore of Tarquinia
The main beach establishment of Tarquinia Lido is found about 5 kilometers from the city and is characterized by a large sandy beach with a touristic infrastructure. It includes the coast that runs from River Marta to the shore of Port Clementino, a focal point of commerce for local grain going to Rome and other Mediterranean ports. The center offers different accommodation choices which campsites, apartment rentals, and hotels.
Other points of touristic interest are Riva dei Tarquini, an ample pine grove with some of the most well equipped campsites in Europe, Manna Velca, residential area with golf course, swimming pools, etc..., Saline dating back to 1800 constituted by a land spread of 90 hectors, 10 of which were dedicated to salt basins where marine water was collected, and 80 dedicated to evaporative basins where the salt was obtained. These basins provided salt to the city of Rome for centuries. A territory to discover on foot, horseback or by bicycle, that from 1980 has also become the Natural Reserve of Animal Population where visitors can practice bird watching and admire pink flamingos, who stop there during the year, as well as other protected species.
Another touristic spot is Sant'Agostino, situated between Tarquinia and Civitavecchia, a grove under a rock mass lined by an unpolluted pine forest.
Info: http://www.tarquinia.net/
How to get there: From Rome take the Autostrada up to Civitavecchia and then on the state highway SS1 Aurelia (approx 90 km total). From Viterbo get on the SP Tuscanese up to either the intersection of Tarquinia or Via Vetralla - Monte Romano - Tarquinia (approx. 45 kilometers)
Local gastronomy
Two fundamental ingredients are essential to Viterbo gastronomy: simplicity and authenticity. Health addicts will certainly love "soups" (zuppe) with all kinds of vegetables.
Pasta
For those who prefer richer fare, we recommend the typical fettuccine (homemade egg pasta), or lombrichelli (large spaghetti made with water and flour) which change name depending on the area: cavatelli, bighi, culitonni, brigoli and piciarelli; and the traditional and unbeatable fieno from Canepina (very thin, light pasta).
Meat
Among the meat dishes worthy of note is abbacchio (lamb) roasted in the oven or "alla cacciatora" (stewed in a tomato, wine and herb sauce), and mixed fried brains, liver, artichokes and mushrooms; not to mention the mouth-watering game.
Fish
Fish is cooked in all its variation, both along the coast and near the lakes; the traditional "zuppa di pesce" (fish soup) is a common feature.
Vegetables
Vegetables are also popular dishes. Let us not forget the beans stew with pork rind and fresh chicory dressed with garlic and anchovies.
Cheese
Among the cheese products, simple but tasty, are pecorino (made from sheep's milk), caciotta, ricotta and mozzarella.
Wines and sweets
Good local wine is also abundant at this feast. Grape-growing is widespread in the whole region thanks to favourable climatic conditions and both red and white dry wines are produced (Est! Est!! Est!!!, Colli Etruschi, Colli Cimini, Valle del Tevere) as well as sweet wines (Cannaiola di Marta, Aleatico di Gradoli) which are an excellent accompaniment to the traditional homemade desserts prepared with hazelnuts and chestnuts from the Mounts Cimini.
