A Weekend in Viterbo

A WEEKEND IN | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

Much of Lazio is often eclipsed by the grandeur of Rome, but beyond it lies a region of abundant treasures, perhaps none more compelling than Viterbo, just north of the capital. With its utterly unspoiled countryside, cozy trattorias and natural thermal springs, it's a much-loved escape for Romans. Victoria Locke shares an insider's guide. 

BY VICTORIA LOCKE | CABANA TRAVEL | 10 SEPTEMBER 2026

Boutique farmhouse, Tenuta di Bertarello © Bertarello.

Viterbo’s historic center and former Papal seat are home to some of Europe’s most well-preserved medieval districts, dotted with towers and fountains and cozy trattorias.

Stretching from the Tyrrhenian coast past the Cimini Mountains to Lake Bolsena, Viterbo is a much-loved escape for Romans seeking refuge in its unspoiled countryside and natural thermal springs. It’s also the beating heart of La Tuscia, with a proud pulse of culture, craftsmanship and exceptional cuisine which, to me, embodies all that makes a good life.

Boutique farmhouse, Tenuta di Bertarello.

Where to Stay

Tenuta di Bertarello: Among the Tuscia hills is Tenuta di Bertarello, a 1700s watchtower carefully restored and transformed into a boutique farmhouse by owner Beatrice Peruzzi. Outside is an idyll of olive groves and sprawling gardens that wrap around the casale, and a pool out front, all of which sit within a 40-hectare organic farm.

Inside are the fruits of love, labor and preservation: reclaimed materials, antique furniture, 18th-century floors and a palette led by the original colors of the house. The kitchen is helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Giancarlo Morelli, whose farm-to-table menu draws from hyperlocal land – the pasta, for instance, is made fresh with the eggs from the estate’s free-roaming hens. Naturally, Bertarello produces its own extra-virgin olive oil.

Relais di Villa Rossi: This elegant villa set in centuries-old parkland is just a few minutes' drive from the centro storico. It feels almost an ode to color: rooms washed in Mauve, Framboise, Olive and so on, original frescoes, terracotta floors, bloom-hued textiles and pastel furnishings that spill from the inside out into a verdant garden, where you’ll find a panoramic pool facing the Lazio countryside. Its restaurant, Hortensia, serves creative dishes with ingredients from their doorstep.

B&B A Piazza del Gesù and Guesthouse & A Via Dei Pellegrini: Bookending the Romanesque church in Piazza del Gesù are these two airy, light-filled sister properties, each with its own peaceful private garden. The structures date back to the early 1000s, and have been owned by the Ascenzi family for over two centuries.

B&B dei Papi: A romantic boutique inside a 14th-century mansion just off Piazza San Lorenzo. It’s warm and homely, with exposed beams, antique furniture, flowing drapery and walls adorned with art; and their freshly baked goods are brilliant.

© Relais di Villa Rossi Danielli

Where to Eat

Trattoria del Cimino dal 1895: Just up the road from Villa Farnese in Caprarola is a paragon of Tuscia cuisine steeped in trattoria tradition, run by the Calistri family since 1895. Now in fifth-generation hands, the recently restored eatery with gold-leaf frescoes and Etruscan marble is worth a visit. It’s a Slow Food enthusiast's heaven; I’ve travelled back specifically for their picio all’amatriciana. Another highlight is the cinghiala alla viterbese, but nothing here disappoints. It’s always busy, so do book ahead.

Magnamagna: An unpretentious, convivial trattoria in a lively piazzetta dishing up hearty, true Tuscia flavours with a focus on seasonal produce from the surrounding land.

Il Monastero: A place I love beyond measure for both its atmosphere and wafer-thin wood-fired pizza. (According to Il Monastero lore, the dough was inspired by a monk who rationed his flour to feed rebels during a revolt against Frederick II.) Order a doppio – an oblong double pizza with whatever toppings you like served across two plates – and a carafe of wine.

Pasticceria Casantini: This cozy tea room and Viterbo institution is filled with family photos and brocante-style furnishings. My must-haves are the maritozzo con panna and aragostine con crema. They have lots of allergen-friendly options too.

L’Antica Latteria: The best gelateria in town, maybe even in the Tuscia region. Try their signature Schiaffo del Papa (Pope’s Slap) and, as it is Italy’s hazelnut country, their lipsmackingly good Nocciola.

Where to Shop

Buonvecchio: Something of a marvel, Buonvecchio is a trove of objets de vertu by Matteo Ghirighni (the curator behind Garum, Library and Kitchen Museum in Rome). In what feels like a collector’s study, you’ll find an eclectic mix of antique books, art prints, costume jewellery and vintage clothing among other curiosities. Located on Via Cardinal La Fontaine, it opens “by chance or by appointment”.

La Piccola Galleria: If Buonvecchio is a collector’s study, La Piccola Galleria is their well-loved attic. This family-run gallery of 25 years is a bazaar brimming with gilded frames, vintage furniture, decorative antiques, ceramics, Art Deco, and more, sourced by the owners from fairs across Europe. A charming stop on Via San Lorenzo.

Mercatino dell’Antico: If you’re there on the third Sunday of any month, swing by the official antique market in Piazzale dei Caduti for classic flea market finds.

Cinzia Chiulli Percorsi Artistici: A restoration studio in San Pellegrino where Cinzia Chiulli revives the region’s zaffera a rilievo technique, with a collection of cobalt-pigmented ceramics and decorative objects that tell fascinating stories of Viterbo in the Middle Ages.

Nadia Malì: A boutique along Corso Italia with an array of artisanal fashion and accessories that you might expect to see in Ubud or Marrakech.

Isabel Scarpeinfila: An unfussy shoe shop, also on the Corso Italia stretch, that has some real gems. I have a few pairs of the most beautiful, buttery leather sandals from here.

What to See & Do

The Centro Storico: Meandering through this peperino-stone city is joy enough, but some spots to make note of are the Quartiere San Pellegrino (the proverbial crown jewel built along the Via Francigena pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome – all cobbles, arches, flowered balconies and lined with ceramic studios); Piazza del Plebiscito (see Palazzo dei Priori for lovely frescoes); Piazza del Gesù (a gorgeous suntrap, perfect for an aperitivo); Piazza San Lorenzo for the Duomo di San Lorenzo and Palazzo dei Papi (Viterbo’s unassuming cathedral and Gothic papal palace, respectively); and finally, the Ceramic Museum of Tuscia on Via Cavour.

Civita di Bagnoregio: Among the many medieval hamlets that make up the province, Civita di Bagnoregio is perhaps my favourite. Known as ‘The Dying City’ and home to all of eleven residents, it rests atop a crumbling crest of volcanic tufa, accessible only by a long pedestrian footbridge. A place that seems to swallow time itself.

Villa Lante: At the bottom of the Cimini hills in the village of Bagnaia this 16th-century haven of terraced fountains and cascades is based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, with a stunning garden and two elegant casini. It was voted one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy but remains a bit of a secret, blissfully free from the bustle of its better-known cousins in Florence and Rome.

© Bertarello

Villa Farnese: On the hilltop commune of Caprarola sits Villa Farnese, a late Renaissance pentagonal fortress-palazzo. It has a lovely chestnut wood with pretty parterres and a hidden casino at the back, but I could spend hours inside alone. Make sure to climb the Scala Regia staircase and see the Room of Maps – my personal favorite.

Sacro Bosco: To enter Sacro Bosco is to walk among the bizarre. This Mannerist grove in Bombarzo is a strange, sprawling dreamscape – so at odds with the order and elegance at Villa Lante and Villa Farnese – of gargantuan, grotesque mythical beasts carved from the ancient rock in situ. One for lovers of the surreal, it’s referenced in Dalí’s The Temptation of Saint Anthony and said to have partly inspired Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Capalbio.

The Macchina di Santa Rosa: In early September, the Macchina di Santa Rosa is a spectacle not to miss. One hundred white-clad ‘facchini’ (porters) shoulder a 30m, five-tonne illuminated tower of Viterbo’s patron saint through the impossibly narrow streets of the historic centre, as devout observers pack every viewing position.

This UNESCO-listed festivity is as much a celebration of local craftsmanship, decorative arts and architectural brilliance as it is of religious tradition. If you miss the procession, you can visit the small Porters of Santa Rosa Museum to see sketches, stories, artefacts and film, as well as the nearby church and 12th-century home of Santa Rosa herself.