The journey in brief

Starting from Viterbo, the tour passes through Civita di Bagnoregio and Montefiascone, with a stop at the glass-like Lake Bolsena, before crossing the countryside to Tuscania and its natural reserve.

It's perfect for…

Anyone who loves delving into history and culture off the beaten track, exploring ancient stone hamlets and visiting monuments, and slowing down the pace to take in the stunning countryside views.

Day 1 - Viterbo and Civita di Bagnoregio

The day starts in Viterbo, a city of medieval origin built out of "peperino", a local grey stone which gives Viterbo its unique charm and elegance. The tour of the historic town begins in Piazza San Lorenzo where you’ll find a cathedral built during the Romanesque period – but with a facade reconstructed in Renaissance style - and a bell tower with Gothic lines.

Here you can also admire Palazzo Papale and its elegant loggia with embellishments so fine they look like they were embroidered! The palazzo, built between 1255 and 1266, housed visiting Popes and was chosen as the papal seat between the XII and XIII centuries. That’s why Viterbo is still known today as the “City of Popes”.

Near the cathedral be sure to visit the Romanesque Santa Maria Nuova church and the San Pellegrino quarter, where you can lose yourself among the little streets and stone facades - the most characteristic attribute of the city. Via San Lorenzo takes you to the fifteenth-century Palazzo Chigi Farnese, where Alessandro Farnese and his sister, Giulia, once stayed. Also of note is the Ponte del Duomo bridge with its eight rows of Etruscan blocks, Piazza della Morte and Piazza del Plebiscito in the heart of the city.

Simple and irregular, this urban space brings together key monuments from political and administrative life: Palazzo dei Priori, Viterbo’s town hall; Palazzo del Podestà with its 44-meter clock tower piercing the sky; and Palazzo della Prefettura with its ochre facade and majestic lion - the symbol of Viterbo. Past the arch at the side of the town hall, you’ll find yourself in front of the tiny Santa Maria della Salute chapel. Note its unusual shape and facade with bas-relief embellishments and checkerboard detailing.

If the long stroll has given you an appetite, be sure to take a break in one of Viterbo’s typical trattorias. Here you can dine on fresh local produce and traditional rural dishes like lamb soup or acquacotta, a Tuscan vegetable soup made from stale bread and wild vegetables cooked in extra virgin olive oil. In the noble version of this soup, salt cod was added.

In the afternoon, head to the stunning Civita di Bagnoregio, the ancient heart of Bagnoregio, which is only accessible via a 250-meter-high footbridge. Built on a “panettone-shaped” outcrop layered with tuff rock, this place is as unique and enchanting as it is delicate - the rock on which the town resides is being constantly eroded, so much so that Civita di Bagnoregio is known as the "dying city". 

Passing through Porta del Cassero (or Porta di Santa Maria), you’ll enter the small Etruscan stone center, which is bathed in pink each evening at sunset. Be sure to visit San Donato church, the Episcope, and Palazzo Mazzocchi-Alemanni which is home to the “Museo Geologico e delle Frane”, the town’s museum of geology. Despite its miniscule size, Civita di Bagnoregio still offers an array of typical restaurants where you can relax over an evening meal.

Day 2 – Montefiascone and Lake Bolsena

The next day begins in Montefiascone, where at 600 meters in altitude you can admire unparalleled views of Lake Bolsena. A stroll around the historic center starts from Corso Cavour, which climbs gently to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and on to Piazza Santa Margherita and the Duomo. The stately cathedral dates back to 1519 and has two bell towers and a magnificent dome. Inside, visitors can explore right down to the crypt, which was discovered during renovation work on the cathedral.

To reach the fortress of Montefiascone, take Via della Rocca which is just a short distance from the cathedral. In centuries past, the Rocca dei Papi fortress was a refuge for country folk as well as a favourite destination of pontiffs escaping from Rome. The large structure, erected at the highest point of the town, houses the Antonio da Sangallo Museum of Architecture.  

For those who love wine, don’t forget that Montefiascone is the home of Est! Est!! Est!!!. The internationally-lauded white wine has been famous since 1111 when Henry V of Germany supposedly fell in love with it!

Just a few kilometers down the road takes you to the banks of Lake Bolsena, one of the cleanest lakes in all of Europe. Surrounded by woodlands of oak and chestnut, vineyards and olive trees, the volcanic crater lake offers a spectacular reflection of the sun at sunset and enchanting autumn mists. For a poetic view of the lake, take a walk at sundown to the little beach in Capodimonte where the lights of the tiny peninsula are reflected in the water, or stroll to the small Bolsena marina… bellissimo! 

Lake Bolsena offers a wealth of watersport facilities, but if you prefer a more tranquil option the whole family can enjoy, then why not take a boat tour? Tours start from Capodimonte and stop off at the islands of Martana and Bisentina.

There are many interesting routes for mountain bikers around Lake Bolsena, too. Starting from the lakeshore, they wind towards the Selva del Lamone nature reserve bordering Tuscany, or up to the Mount Rufeno reserve to the north of the lake after Acquapendente.

Day 3 – Tuscania, the city and the reserve

Built on a tuffaceous hill with views of the surrounding plains from the Volsini Mountains, Tuscania is an unexpected surprise. The city contains remnants of the Etruscan period from when it was a key cultural point in the valley, as well as traces of Roman and Medieval eras.

Before you reach the center of town, there are two precious monuments to visit. First, the elegant San Pietro church, which was built in Romanesque/Lombard style and decorated with a huge rosette on its facade. It features a crypt with nine naves and 28 columns. Next, the Santa Maria Maggiore church, a Romanesque masterpiece with Gothic influences, which houses a fourteenth-century fresco of the Last Judgement in its apse

As you explore the village streets, look out for the sixteenth-century cathedral, Palazzo Baronale, the elegant Piazza Basile and Palazzo Comunale, the theatre, and church of Santi Martiri. The streets behind the church lead to the Sette Cannelle fountain, the oldest in the city.

The historically rich Tuscania valley has much more to offer, including a range of archaeological sites to explore, from walls to necropolises and Etruscan dwellings that date back to the III-II millennium. The most well-known is Madonna dell'Olivo which contains the Grotta della Regina, a chamber tomb with an underground network of tunnels.

The city is nestled in the Tuscania nature reserve, a protected area of more than a thousand hectares. The reserve spreads across hills and volcanic terrain traversed by the Marta River, and is home to poplars, alders, willows and reed beds. In the northeast section of the park you can explore one of the region’s oldest cork oak forests.

Alternatively, further north in San Savino, you’ll find the sulphur springs of Acquaforte - typical of the entire Viterbo region - a very popular place for hiking.