Viterbo
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 8 January 2022
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With its mixture of medieval piazzas and Renaissance palazzi, the city of Viterbo offers its visitors a captivating mixture of elegance, charm and history.
The capital of Viterbo Province, it's one of the most important and populous cities in the Lazio region with just under 70,000 permanent residents. Viterbo lies just a short distance from the border with Tuscany to the north and Umbria to the east while a two hour train ride south makes it within range of day-trips from Rome. |
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The centre of attention for most visitors to Viterbo is the area around Piazza del Plebiscito which is in essence, its centre. The attractive square is surrounded by buildings of the medieval and Renaissance period and perhaps most people's first port of call is the Palazzo dei Priori with its free-to-enter courtyard from where you can gaze across to another of the city's most prominent landmarks, the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità.
Proceeding from the Piazza del Plebiscito the next place to visit is the area around the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the city's cathedral (actually in most Italian cities the cathedral is colloquially referred to as the "duomo"), where you'll also find the impressive Palazzo dei Papi. For a short period in Viterbo's history it was the seat of the pope and several popes were elected in this building. In fact Viterbo is sometimes referred to as the "City of Popes" with this phase of its history in mind.
Most people that visit Viterbo fly into Rome with its two international airports of Ciampino and Fiumicino but another alternative is to fly into Perugia in Umbria. However, unless you're driving, the transport links from Rome are much more effective compared to Perugia. From Rome city centre to Viterbo there are regular trains and a journey time of around 2 hours. Buses are in operation around the city but you can reach the main sights easily on foot.
When planning a trip to Viterbo you could also consider visiting some of its intriguing neighbours such as the Etruscan town of Tuscania (around 25 minutes by car), the fascinating old town of Tarquinia with its archaeological site (around 45 minutes) or the beguiling Cività di Bagnoregio (around 35 minutes).
Proceeding from the Piazza del Plebiscito the next place to visit is the area around the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the city's cathedral (actually in most Italian cities the cathedral is colloquially referred to as the "duomo"), where you'll also find the impressive Palazzo dei Papi. For a short period in Viterbo's history it was the seat of the pope and several popes were elected in this building. In fact Viterbo is sometimes referred to as the "City of Popes" with this phase of its history in mind.
Most people that visit Viterbo fly into Rome with its two international airports of Ciampino and Fiumicino but another alternative is to fly into Perugia in Umbria. However, unless you're driving, the transport links from Rome are much more effective compared to Perugia. From Rome city centre to Viterbo there are regular trains and a journey time of around 2 hours. Buses are in operation around the city but you can reach the main sights easily on foot.
When planning a trip to Viterbo you could also consider visiting some of its intriguing neighbours such as the Etruscan town of Tuscania (around 25 minutes by car), the fascinating old town of Tarquinia with its archaeological site (around 45 minutes) or the beguiling Cività di Bagnoregio (around 35 minutes).
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Region: Lazio
Regional district: Viterbo Province Population: 67,681 Top sights: Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo dei Papi, Duomo/Cathedral Recommended hotel: Alla Corte delle Terme Resort Close by: Tuscania, Tarquinia, Bolsena, Cività di Bagnoregio Public transport: Buses, mainline train station
By car: Civitavecchia - 51 mins (58 km), Rome - 1 hr 25' (104 km) |
By air: Rome Ciampino - (97 km), Rome Fiumicino - (102 km)
Main train station: Viterbo Porta Romana (1 km from centre) |
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