Viterbo (Part 1) - Places to visit near to Rome, Italy

If you are visiting Rome and spending a few nights in the Italian capital, and you want to get off the beaten track, it is worth spending a couple of days exploring Rome’s neighbour cities and villages.

The region around Rome, Lazio, has a lot to offer to all those tourists who love art, nature and good food and there are a lot of jewels waiting to be discovered. One of such jewels is the medieval city of Viterbo, in the area called ‘La Tuscia’, where the old civilisation of ‘Etruschi’ (older than the Romans) used to be based when the Romans took over.

Viterbo is a picturesque town on the hills, just 80 km north of Rome. It can be reached in about 2 hours by local trains, 1 and half hours by bus or just 1 hour by car. Viterbo used to be the summer residence of the popes, and it still boasts the lovely ‘Palazzo dei Papi’ (Palace of the Popes), with its characteristic Romanic arches, located in the heart of the Medieval centre of the city. The Medieval architecture of the city centre in Viterbo is perfectly preserved, together with its ancient walls. All the old buildings are made with the local volcanic stone, and walking through Viterbo’s picturesque alleys will take you back in time.

The great thing about Viterbo is that you can visit it on a day trip, i.e. you can continue rentng a vacation apartment in Rome. Great Venice apartments available include Tintoretto Rome apartment and Margherita Rome apartment.