Make a short trip north from Rome’s ancient ruins to a quiet city filled with medieval architecture and papal history.
Viterbo, the famous City of the Popes, is renowned for its thermal waters and as Italy’s first real wellness centre for the body, mind and soul. A city of ancient origins and great historical traditions, Viterbo played a key role as the papal seat and presents monuments and works of art of great interest, almost all concentrated in the old town - the San Pellegrino district - which still has its original medieval appearance. Here you’ll find hotels, agriturismos, B&Bs and many other places to stay to suit all tastes and budgets, making it very easy to organise your holiday in Viterbo.
Viterbo’s old town is known as one of the most beautiful and best preserved in Italy. The most ancient monuments have even older foundations. One of the main attractions is definitely the Papal Palace, a thirteenth century building surrounded by a beautiful landscape. The palace was the second residence of the Popes after Rome, and was built specifically in order to attract the Papacy out of the walls of Rome.
Wherever you want to start your journey, discovering Viterbo must include a visit to its extraordinary palaces. The first is of course is the Town Hall, a building dating from the fifteenth century and built by Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. The original structure included a large portico, but a later seventeenth century project changed its appearance and doubled the volume. Also not to be missed are the Palazzo Farnese and Palazzo del Podestà, the first, dating back to the fifteenth century, is still one of the most impressive structures in the city centre, while the second is older but still perfectly preserved. Following on from these is the Palazzo degli Alessandri, a typical patrician palace at the heart of medieval Viterbo, and the Palace of the Prefecture, located in the centre of Piazza del Plebiscito, where you can also admire the symbols of the city: lions and palm trees. From Piazza Plebiscito, crossing Via Roma, you’ll come to Corso Italia, an avenue of shops, bars and nightclubs. Corso Italia leads directly to Via Verdi and the Shrine of Santa Rosa, the present appearance of which is the result of a nineteenth-century reconstruction of a religious building erected to preserve the sacred relic of the saint. This is also the final destination of the famous procession of the patron saint of Viterbo, which you can attend on 3rd September - a historical procession in period costume with men carrying a 30-metre light tower weighing 5 tonnes.
The architectural treasures of Viterbo certainly do not end with its palaces. On the central Piazza San Lorenzo is the eponymous Cathedral, whose Romanesque construction is a treasure trove of works by some of the greatest artists of the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. Also of interest are the Gothic Church of Santa Maria della Salute, with its rich and elegant portal, the Chiesa del Gesù, in the eleventh century Romanesque style, and the Church of Santa Maria della Verità, with some elegant frescoes from the early Renaissance by Lorenzo da Viterbo located in the Capella Mazzatosta.
Don’t waste time: check out our holiday packages to Viterbo and get ready for a brand new, unforgettable adventure!
