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Viterbo – the walled Italian town that takes you back to middle

Located at about 150 miles north of the Rome, Viterbo is an ancient walled city in the region of Lazio in Central Italy.

The entire Tuscina zone is characterized by lush green undulating meadows and landscapes and a hoard of enchanting medieval hamlets that are not only treat to your eyes, but which take you back in the stream of time. Viterbo, the capital of the Tuscina zone acts like a crowning glory of this magnificent place, forming as if a fascinating oasis that offers you a plethora of some exquisite cuisines, drinks and the best relaxation, fun and frolics that you could have perhaps ever imagined. The place has grown up and has been living with a sea of legacies of the Via Francigena and the Etruscans. These legacies have gained legendary proportions with the passage of time, and have only become myths that are softly and tenderly nurtured by the rhythms of local life, which seem to flow freely from the nearby mountains and merge into the sea waters, caressed by nature and pampered by the age-old rituals and customers of the somber peasant life that the entire region comes up with.

The city of Viterbo is located between the southern fringes of Tuscan Maremma and capital Rome. Viterbo along with the upper parts of Lazo is famous for its volcanic landscape, with the lakes of Vico and Bolsena, which are born in extinct craters. The region is flatter in the north, and gets higher as it approaches the Cimini Mountains, before merging into the River Tiber.

Apart from the majestic medieval architectures and buildings, Viterbo and its adjoining areas are famous for the sandy shorelines and the Mediterranean bushes that dot the coastal area washed by the crystalline waters.

The main architectural wonders that make the city famous include Palazzo dei Papi or Papal Palace, the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo, Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo della Prefettura. The Palazzo Comunale houses an array of Baroque frescoes by Tarquinio Ligustri, Bartolomeo Cavarozzi and Ludovico Nucc that dates back to the 17th-century. Other sites include Santa Maria della Salute, Chiesa del Gesù, Palazzo Farnese, 3 Romanesque churches - Santa Maria Nuova, San Sisto and San Giovanni in Zoccoli, Palazzo degli Alessandri, Fontana Grande, San Francesco, Sanctuary, Museo Civico and the likes.

The city is also famous for a number of public baths in the form of hot springs, which are locared in the Arcione River valley, just at the western fringes of Viterbo.

Viterbo holds an annual event, which is called the trasporto della Macchina di Santa Rosa. It is a spectacular procession that is organized on every 3rd September evening, for commemorating the transfer of the body of Saint Rosa from Santa Maria del Poggio Church to San Damiano church, which is also known as the Santa Rosa Sanctuary.

Viterbo can be reached by trains from Rome to Porta Fiorentina as well as Porta Romana, which are the two main stations of Viterbo. It can also be reached by the A1 motorway that connected the city to Rome. The city is also famous for its cuisines and some exquisite drinks served by some of the best hotels, restaurants and bars in Italy.