Viterbo: dal quartiere medioevale alle fontane della città dei Papi

The historic center of Viterbo is a succession of aristocratic palaces, intriguing medieval neighborhoods, churches and cloisters from various eras, slender towers and elegant peperino fountains, the typical local stone. Ancient walls, built between 1095 and 1268, surround the city center of Viterbo, accessible from several points through seven gates, many of which still retain their medieval shape, including Porta Fiorita, the oldest one.

Viterbo places of interest

1 Medieval district of San Pellegrino

Characteristic, it is the medieval district of San Pellegrino, a sort of gallery of thirteenth-century architectural styles: towers, small squares, narrow streets, arches and the characteristic profferli, the external stairs of the houses which were usually built directly on tuff and lacked foundations. Overlooking the square of the same name are the Palazzo degli Alessandri (13th century), the Torre Scacciaricci, and the Church of San Pellegrino from 1045. The medieval district of San Pellegrino, characterized by ancient peperino stone buildings, with the typical profferlo staircase running along the facades, the narrow cobblestone streets and red flowers on the windowsills, transports the visitor into a timeless atmosphere and enchants the eye with unexpected glimpses of the city.

2 Piazza del Plebiscito

Piazza del Plebiscito, dominated by the Clock Tower and the Palazzo dei Priori, has been the center of the municipal administration of Viterbo since 1270. Until then, the town hall was in Piazza del Gesù, mentioned by Dante for the murder of Enrico di Cornovaglia at the hands of the brothers Guido and Simone di Monfort, which occurred on March 13, 1271, inside the church of the same name.

3 Palazzo dei Priori

The magnificent Palazzo dei Priori, in Piazza del Plebiscito, the original seat of the municipality, built from the 13th century and completed in the post-Renaissance era, with a beautiful inner courtyard adorned with an elegant loggia and the Fountain of the Lions, and the stunning frescoed interiors: the Royal Hall, the Madonna Hall with a famous cycle of paintings, the Council Hall, and the Municipal Chapel.

4 Cathedral or Duomo of San Lorenzo

Among other wonders of Viterbo, there is the Cathedral or Duomo of San Lorenzo, built in Romanesque style starting from the 12th century. From the mid-thirteenth century, with the presence of the popes, it gained significant importance, becoming the stage for religious and political events of great impact, such as the excommunication of Corradino di Svevia and the coronation of as many as 7 popes.

Viterbo to see

5 Santuario Madonna della Quercia

Il Santuario di Santa Maria della Quercia sorse intorno ad una tegola dipinta, raffigurante la Vergine con il Bambino. Nella seconda metà del Quattrocento, in seguito ad un’epidemia di peste la popolazione eresse, a devozione, una capanna di legno che circondava la quercia. La chiesa, opera dei Domenicani, in stile rinascimentale, presenta sui tre portali di ingresso lunette in ceramica di Andrea della Robbia, mentre il soffitto a lacunari in oro zecchino è di Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane.

6 Museo civico di Viterbo

Il Civic Museum is housed since 1955 in the cloister and the premises of the convent annexed to the church of Santa Maria della Verità, founded in the 12th century by the Premonstratensians, and renovated in the 14th century by the Servite Fathers, from whom it derived the name Convent of the Servites. On December 13, 1994, thanks to the efforts made by the Municipality of Viterbo and the Lazio Region, it was presented to the public renewed in all its structures. The Civic Museum displays its heritage on three exhibition levels, variously articulated within two large chronological sections: the Ancient Age on the lower floor, the Middle Ages and the Modern Age on the upper floors.

CLOISTER AND GROUND FLOOR ROOMS
The cloister houses archaeological finds coming from the Viterbo area spanning a chronological range between the 8th century BC and the 3rd century AD, through Etruscan and Roman civilization: sarcophagi, funerary stelae, fragments of slabs (mostly from Ferento). An exhibition space is dedicated to the figure of Annio da Viterbo and to the fake relics that the friar had created to support his hypotheses on the Etruscan history of the capital of Tuscia.
FIRST FLOOR
On the first floor is displayed the historical-artistic section, formed after the Unification of Italy: medieval paintings and sculptures, paintings of the Modern Age (the “Pietà”).
SECOND FLOOR
The third exhibition level is reserved for minor arts and historical memories. It includes the exhibition of a 16th-century papal treasury and a set of 18th-century pharmacy ceramics from the Ospedale Grande degli Infermi, as well as a collection of design drawings of the Macchina di Santa Rosa. The exhibition concludes with a significant gallery of 18th-century portraits in which various figures linked to the origins and the early development of the civic collections preserved in the Museum can also be recognized.

What to visit in Viterbo

7 The fountains of Viterbo

Not to be missed, a look at the fountains, numerous and mostly medieval, which, as a whole, create an architectural system that, perhaps, is unmatched in Italy. In the squares of Viterbo there appear to be 99 fountains, all with the characteristic spindle shape with a lion’s head and leaves decorating the upper part. The oldest, dated 1200, is said to be the fountain of Piazza della Morte, named after the “Religious Confraternity of Prayer and Death” that resided here. The fountain of Piazza della Rocca holds the record for its imposing size, while Fountain of Piazza Grande is recognized as the most beautiful, once called, in fact, Fontana Separi, meaning “unequaled in beauty”.

8 Palace of the Popes

Viterbo is called the “city of the Popes”, in memory of the time when the papal seat was moved here, as a refuge from the conflicts of Rome. The Palace of the Popes, built in 1255, stands on the summit of San Lorenzo hill, where the namesake Cathedral dating from 1192 and the 14th-century bell tower in Tuscan Gothic style tower above. The artistic loggia, built in 1267, is the pride of the palace: characterized by seven arches and the crescent below, it is an elegant terrace overlooking the Faul valley, from which the Popes would appear to give blessings. The facade is preceded by a wide staircase and topped by scenic battlements and leads to the palace entrance door, the access point to the Conclave Hall. Here took place the first Conclave in history, which owes its name to the people of Viterbo: in 1270, after three years had passed since the death of Pope Clement IV, the citizens, tired of waiting for the election of the new Pontiff, locked the cardinals in and uncovered the palace roof, forcing them to quickly elect Gregory X.

9 The walls of Viterbo

And a walk around the mighty walls, which surround the historic center, equipped with ancient gates, near which there often stood a noble tower (originally there were said to be more than a hundred), guarding not only the respective palace but also the city.

10 Basilica and Convent of San Francesco alla Rocca

Entering from Porta Fiorentina on the left, in the upper part of Piazza San Francesco, stands the monumental complex of the Basilica and Convent of San Francesco alla Rocca. Construction began in 1237, on land donated to the Franciscans by Gregory IX. In 1873 the church-convent complex was expropriated due to the suppression of religious orders and, only in 1886, was the temple, which had been declared a national monument, reopened for worship. The bombings of 1944 severely damaged the church, leaving only the perimeter walls standing. The reconstruction, completed in 1953 by the Superintendent, restored the building to its original lines. In the church stand out the mausoleum of Adrian V, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, the mausoleum of Clement IV, by Pietro Oderisio, and the oil painting signed by Vassalletto.

The convent premises house the interconventual library and a museum of contemporary art, featuring works by Greco, Mastroianni, Brindisi, Cesetti, De Chirico, Valery Escalar, and others. This museum is the result of the intelligent work of Father Felice Rossetti (native of Grotte), who managed over the years to collect the material now on display.

11 Herbarium Museum of Tuscia

It is one of the three university herbaria in Lazio, included in the network of Museums of the City of Viterbo and in the Network of University Museums of the CRUI (Conference of Italian University Rectors). The Herbarium Museum of Tuscia has been listed since 1996 in the Index Herbariorum (world catalog of herbaria) with the acronym ‘UTV’, and today boasts a collection of over 29,000 dried specimens of ‘spermatophytes’ and ‘pteridophytes’ in excellent condition, gathered in 360 bundles; the specimens have been provided by over 700 Italian and foreign collectors and the collection is increased by about 500-1,000 specimens annually. The Herbarium has a library with more than 150 volumes, equipment for preparing, studying, and preserving specimens, and an important computerized archive. It represents a facility primarily dedicated to the study of plant biodiversity and its documentation over time, with particular reference to the Italian territory, guaranteeing consultation and loan of samples especially to taxonomic and geobotanical specialists.

12 Museum of the House of Santa Rosa

The monastic structure of Santa Rosa was built by Pope Innocent III to host a group of devout Viterbo women who retired to San Marco hill to live according to Franciscan rules. From that moment, the structure, located on the Via Francigena, became a meeting and transit point for pilgrims heading to Rome. The sanctuary has housed the incorrupt body of Santa Rosa since 1253.

A characteristic cultural event of the city is the “Machine of Santa Rosa”: a tower 28 meters high and weighing 5 tons, carried by the Porters of Santa Rosa, the city’s patron saint, which every year on September 3rd for about 750 years has been carried on shoulders through the streets of the city.

Outside the city center is the Bullicame spring, a source of sulfurous water mentioned by Dante in the 14th canto of the Inferno, whose aesthetic and healing properties make it one of the city’s main tourist destinations. Not far from there, the Signorino road offers a suggestive route between the walls of an ancient Etruscan road carved into tuff, as well as many underground galleries that once connected buildings within the city, now used as cellars.

Villa Lante in Bagnaia, a hamlet of Viterbo, is, together with the Bomarzo Monster Park, one of the most famous Italian surprise mannerist gardens of the 16th century.

What to do in Viterbo

15  Where and what to eat in Viterbo

Viterbo is rich in taverns, inns, and typical trattorias of the Tuscia with average prices. Among the gastronomic specialties, we recommend lombrichetti, tasty pasta made from water and flour, the Viterbese acquacotta, chicory soup with potatoes and poached eggs, and tozzetti with hazelnuts replacing the almonds of the Sienese tradition.

16  Where to stay in Viterbo

The accommodations in Viterbo have prices that vary depending on the type and category. It ranges from more affordable B&Bs to luxury 5-star hotels. It all depends on how much you intend to spend.