The best MTB trails around Montefiascone

One of the access gates of Viterbo

The Basilica is stunning and the catacombs are absolutely worth visiting. We were lucky enough to have explanations from a gentleman who works there who practically acted as our private guide. A must-see

first time I passed by this Lake, wonderful and moreover in a very strategic position for other future tours

The Teatro dell'Unione was built at the behest of a group of notable citizens of Viterbo who, led by Count Tommaso Fani Ciotti, joined together in 1844, with a deed of incorporation, to form the “Società dei Palchettisti”: the theatre took its name from their “union”. The Teatro dell'Unione was built because of the great interest the people of Viterbo had in opera, of which they were refined connoisseurs. The Società dei Palchettisti undertook the construction of this building with the intention of creating a "temple" dedicated to opera, given the presence of another theater in the city, the Genio. Even today, the Teatro dell'Unione is one of the most beautiful 19th-century Italian-style theatres in Lazio. During the Second World War, bombings, which devastated the entire city, also damaged the theater: the explosion of the bomb that hit the eastern section, where the dressing rooms were located, damaged the frescoes in the foyer , the box office, and a portion of the fresco in the auditorium. To access the funds earmarked for post -war reconstruction , the heirs of the notable Viterbo citizens who built it decided to sell the building to the municipality, which has owned it ever since. With the arrival of funds, the Municipality took care of the restoration and the theatre was reopened in September 1952. The Teatro dell'Unione remains, to this day, undisputedly one of Viterbo's architectural jewels.

Porta Fiorentina is one of the ancient gateways to the city of Viterbo, located along the medieval walls surrounding the historic center. It represents one of the main entrances to the city and opens northward, towards the Via Cassia and the city of Florence, from which it takes its name. The construction of the Porta Fiorentina, originally known as Porta Santa Luci, dates back to the 13th century, during a period of intense urban fortification that saw the expansion and strengthening of Viterbo's city walls. The gate was built to control trade and military flows from the north and represented a strategic access point to the city. It was rebuilt in 1768 under Clement XIII and subsequently enlarged in 1886–87 to adapt it to the growing need for urban traffic. It has three arched openings: a central round arch, wider for vehicular traffic, flanked by two smaller round arches, intended for pedestrians or secondary traffic. The arches rest on pillars or columns with capitals – originally in Corinthian style – which introduce a neoclassical ornamental component.

Okay, the Parco Thermale di Bagnaccio is once again open daily. In winter from 8am to 8pm, in Summer open until 23pm or even midnight! Entry is 5€ for pilgrims with credential (or if you are lucky like me, also without). Else it is 10€. There are three simple changing rooms, some toilets, a snack automat and coffee maschine and, sometimes just outside, a mobile little restaurant selling hot meals.

The Via Cassia was an ancient Roman consular road that connected Rome with Etruria. Built starting from the 3rd or 2nd century BC, it initially reached Clusium (Chiusi), then was extended to Cortona, Arezzo and Fiesole and, subsequently, towards the Tyrrhenian coast through Pistoia and Lucca from which several routes branched off up to Luni, where the Via Aemilia Scauri began. The Via Cassia started from Rome but did not begin, like all the consular roads, from the golden miliarium located in the Roman Forum. In fact, it originated from the Milvian Bridge, in the northern part of Rome, on the right bank of the Tiber which divided Rome from Etruria (the territory between the Arno and the Tiber ), marking the miles travelled in Etruria.

From here you have a beautiful view of the lake.