Sights in Viterbo
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Basilica di Santa Cristina
Bolsena’s few specific sights are in the medieval centre. In the 11th-century Basilica di Santa Cristina you’ll find four stones stained with miraculous blood. The church is named for the martyr, who was daughter of the local prefect and yet was tortured and finally killed for her faith – her story is re-enacted annually on July 23 and 24. Beneath the basilica are a series of catacombs (admission €4; 9.30am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Easter-Sep, 9.30-11.30am & 3-4.30pm Oct-Easter), noteworthy for the number of tombs that are still sealed.
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Palazzo Farnese
A Renaissance wonder is the pentagonal Palazzo Farnese, with its internal circular courtyard. It’s at Caprarola, 20km southeast of Viterbo. The walls were started by a great military engineer, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, then adapted by Vignal. The extraordinary interior contains painting by some of the finest Mannerist artists of the day. Don’t miss the frescoes by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari in the Sala del Concilio di Trento. Around six buses daily leave from the Riello bus station just outside Viterbo for Caprarola; tickets cost €2.
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Palazzo dei Priori
Viterbo’s walled centro storico is small and best covered on foot. The focal square, the Renaissance Piazza del Plebiscito, is dominated by the imposing Palazzo dei Priori. Now home to the town council, it’s worth venturing inside for the 16th-century frescoes that colourfully depict Viterbo’s ancient origins – the finest are in the Sala Regia on the 1st floor. Outside, the elegant courtyard and fountain were added two centuries after the palazzo (mansion) was built in 1460.
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Parco dei Mostri
At Bomarzo, 17km northeast of Viterbo, is a 16th-century pocket of weirdness that will entertain children and adults alike, the Parco dei Mostri. The gardens of the Palazzo Orsini is peopled by ancient gigantic sculptures, including an ogre, giant and a dragon. From Viterbo, catch the Cotral bus from near Viale Trieste to Bomarzo (€0.60, 30 minutes), then follow the signs to Palazzo Orsini.
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Museo Civico
On the other side of Viterbo, the Museo Civico features more Etruscan goodies, as well as curious fake antiquities created in the 15th century by Annius of Viterbo, a monk and forger trying to boost Viterbo’s reputation. There’s also a small art gallery, the highlight of which is Sebastiano del Piombo’s Pietà.
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Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
Built originally to a simple Romanesque design, it owes its current Gothic look to a 14th-century makeover; damage by Allied bombs meant the roof and nave had to be rebuilt. Next door, the Museo del Colle del Duomo displays a small collection of religious artefacts, including a reliquary said to contain the chin of John the Baptist.
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Museo Archeologico Nazionale
For a shot of Etruscan culture, head to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, housed in an attractive palazzo by the northern entrance to Viterbo. It’s small, but has an interesting collection of artefacts discovered locally and, on the 1st floor, an impressive series of statues dedicated to the Muses.
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Palazzo dei Papi
On the northern side of Piazza San Lorenzo ,the 13th-century Palazzo dei Papi was built to entice the papacy away from Rome. Head up the stairs to the graceful Gothic loggia (colonnade) to peer into the Sala del Conclave, the hall where five popes were elected.
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Chiesa di San Francesco
The Chiesa di San Francesco is a Gothic church containing the tombs of two popes: Clement IV (d 1268) and Adrian V (d 1276). Both are attractively decorated, notably that of Adrian, which features Cosmati work (multicoloured marble and glass mosaics set into stone and white marble).
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Sala del Conclave
On the northern side of Piazza San Lorenzo, the 13th-century Palazzo dei Papi was built to entice the papacy away from Rome. Head up the stairs to the graceful Gothic loggia (colonnade) to peer into the Sala del Conclave, the hall where five popes were elected.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova
The oldest church in Viterbo, the 11th-century Romanesque Chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova, was restored to its original form after WWII bomb damage. The cloisters, believed to date from an earlier period, are particularly lovely.
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Museo del Colle del Duomo
Next door to the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo in Viterbo, the Museo del Colle del Duomo displays a small collection of religious artefacts, including a reliquary said to contain the chin of John the Baptist.
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Fontana Grande
In the piazza of the same name, the unimaginatively titled Fontana Grande is the oldest and largest of Viterbo's Gothic fountains.
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Castello Monaldeschi
For dizzying lake views climb up to the hilltop Castello Monaldeschi.
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