If you’re thinking of a trip outside Rome, I recommend taking the car and heading into the Viterbo area to discover the beautiful Tuscania.
This small town lies in the northern part of Lazio, near Lake Bolsena. The area is marked by very evocative tufa-rock hills, the same ones you find in the splendid Civita di Bagnoregio, in Sorano and in Pitigliano.
But what’s so special about it?
Let me tell you right away!
Off we go!
The origins of Tuscania
Today Tuscania appears to us as a small town with strongly medieval features. Yet this territory has left us traces of a far more ancient past.
The first inhabitants founded the town of Tuscania around 1000 BC, and its closeness to Tarquinia greatly influenced the traditions and culture of the whole area. Just think that the territory of Tuscania too is dotted with the famous cube tombs (tombe a dado) and half-cube tombs, made by the Etruscans, who inhabited this part of Lazio for centuries, only later merging with the Romans.
It was only in Roman times that Tuscania became an important centre of trade and control over the whole Viterbo area, especially with the building of one of the most important consular roads, the Via Clodia.
In the early Middle Ages, two of the main churches began to be built, later enlarged over the following centuries, when Tuscania became a flourishing town of central Italy.
It’s precisely from this historical period that the most striking remains still survive in Tuscania today.
Santa Maria Maggiore
Do you want to discover what to see in Tuscania?
Certainly the beautiful church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its structure, like that of nearby San Pietro, is a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture in Italy: of early medieval origin (the 8th century), it was almost entirely rebuilt between the late 11th and early 12th century and finally consecrated in 1206.
The church isn’t huge, but I found the details of the sculptures on the façade and the capitals very striking.
Pay attention above all to the pulpit, the bell tower and the unusual, remarkable fresco of the Last Judgement, in which the devil is portrayed devouring some of the damned and “expelling” their souls from… yes, right from there!
Why is it worth visiting Santa Maria Maggiore in Tuscania?
Besides being the first cathedral of Tuscania, Santa Maria Maggiore is unique because it still preserves a 13th-century immersion baptismal font, perfectly conserved.
The façade recalls that of San Pietro, with a splendid marble rose window (of the Umbrian school) framed by the symbols of the four Evangelists and a small loggia beneath. Of course, given the geology of the area, tufa is the predominant building material.
San Pietro in Tuscania
The church of San Pietro in Tuscania is an imposing building on top of the hill, with a magnificent Romanesque façade and an equally well-preserved crypt. It’s the most important monument in Tuscania and one of the most striking I’ve visited in Italy.
The part that struck me most is its huge white rose window, with mosaic decorations of cosmatesque derivation and, all around it, the sculptures of the four Evangelists.
Inside San Pietro you’ll find many reused elements from ancient Roman structures and a beautiful cosmatesque floor. I absolutely recommend going down into the crypt, simple and stunning!
But that’s not all.
In the 12th century the hill on which San Pietro stands became a fortified stronghold, and a few watchtowers rose around the church: two of them are still visible. In the garden in front of the church you can spot the ruins of the episcopal palace and some arches of the old entrance.
I found it a perfect spot for a few photos.
The Peschiera necropolis and the Tomba del Dado
The Tomba del Dado is part of the Peschiera necropolis, dug by the Etruscans and rediscovered in 1967 (the burials range from the 7th to the 2nd century BC).
Why is it called that?
The name comes from its shape: the tomb is carved out of a large parallelepiped block of rock, a “cube” (dado) completely detached from the wall, hollowed out on every side precisely to imitate a real Etruscan house, complete with a double-pitched roof and decorative mouldings in nenfro (volcanic stone).
Why is it so important?
Though it may look simple, the Tomba del Dado is a little masterpiece of Etruscan architecture. Access is free and you can even go inside, via side steps: within are three chambers, one of which served as a vestibule while the other two were meant for burial.
As you enter, pay attention above all to the details: even the pillows have been carved onto the funerary beds.
The harbour of Marta
If you fancy continuing your tour of this area, here’s what else you can see.
Not far away, in the small town of Marta, on Lake Bolsena, there’s a very characteristic little harbour with a beautiful panorama.
It’s the ideal place for a stroll, but also to stop and grab a bite.
How to get to Tuscania
Tuscania is just 18 km from Viterbo, in northern Lazio.
To get to Tuscania from Rome you just take the A12 Rome-Civitavecchia motorway and then follow the Via Aurelia to Tarquinia. If you prefer the secondary roads and want to avoid the toll, take the Cassia to Vetralla and then follow the signs for Tuscania.
If you’re not setting off from Rome, use the A1 as your reference and exit at the Orte toll gate, then continue towards Viterbo and follow the signs for Tuscania.
Don’t like driving? Prefer public transport? You can arrive by train to Viterbo or Tarquinia and then take a bus to the town.
And you, are you drawn more to the solemnity of Tuscania’s Romanesque basilicas or to the mystery of the Etruscan tombs carved into the tufa?
