Do you want to come on holiday to the city of Viterbo, in Tuscia in Italy?

With our service "Get The Best Offer" with a single click you can contact dozens of tourist facilities hotel, B & Bs, spas, Hostels, wellness-centers, residences near Viterbo.

So if you are looking for a hotel to stay near the city of Viterbo in Tuscia, near Rome for a summer vacation or a last minute holiday in one of the most beautiful and fascinating locations and in Italy...

Fill out the form below!

That way you send your request to all the hotels, B & B, Hostels, guesthouses etc. with conventions, and then you can choose the best offer!

Viterbo, an ancient city and comune in the region of Lazio in central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. Located jus about 80 kilometers north of Rome on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and Monti Volsini. The historic center of the city is surrounded by medieval walls, still intact, built during the 11th and 12th centuries. Entrance to the walled center of the city is through ancient gates.

Apart from agriculture, the main resources of Viterbo's area are pottery, marble, and wood. The town also hosts the Italian gold reserves, an important Academy of Fine Arts, and the University of Tuscia, and is located in a wide thermal area, attracting many tourist from the whole central Italy.

Probably what is the first report of the new city of Viterbo dates to the eighth century, when it is identified as Castrum Viterbii. Viterbo was fortified in 773 by Desiderius, the Lombard king, in a vain attempt to conquer Rome. When the Popes switched to the Frankish support, Viterbo became part of the Papal States, but this status was to be highly contested by the Emperors in the following centuries, until in 1095 it is known it was a free comune, even today Viterbo is known as the City of Popes.

Viterbo's ancient historic center is very well preserved, in fact it is one of the better preserved medieval towns of Italy. Many of the older buildings, especially churches, are built on top of ancient ruins, recognizable by their large stones, 50 cm from side to side.

The main attraction of Viterbo is probably the Papal Palace (Palazzo dei Papi), that served as a country residence and a repair in time of trouble in Rome. The columns of the palace are spolia from a Roman temple.

 
The second most important monument of the city is the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo. It was erected in Romanesque style by Lombard architects over a temple of Hercules. It was variously rebuilt from the sixteenth century on, and was heavily damaged in 1944 by Allied bombs. The notable Gothic belfry is from the first half of the fourteenth century, and shows influence of Senese artists. The church houses the sarcophagus of Pope John XXI and the picture Christ Blessing by Gerolamo da Cremona (1472).

The City Saint
Santa Rosa is the patron saint of Viterbo. The legend of Santa Rosa is that she helped to eradicate those few who supported the emperors instead of the Popes, around 1250. San Lorenzo is the male patron saint. A native of Viterbo, Blessed Dominic Barberi, was born on 22 June 1792 and would later minister in England.

Every year the the celebration of the city saint takes place with the transport of the Macchina di Santa Rosa, on September 3, at 9 o'clock in the evening. The Macchina is an artistic illuminated bell-tower with an imposing height of 30 m. It really is quite heavy and weighs between 3.5 and 5 tonnes and is made of iron, wood and papier-mâché, very impressive!
At the top of the tower, the statue of the Patron Saint is enthusiastically acclaimed by the people in the streets of the town centre, where lights are turned off for the occasion. One hundred Viterbesi men carry the Macchina from Porta Romana through the each of the major streets of Viterbo to seven churches to be blessed, concluding with a strenuous ascension up to the square of Santa Rosa, its final destination. Each Macchina's lifespan differs, but contests are held every few years in order for a new design.