Linda Lappin

Walking through Tuscia in the Off Season

recently appearing in Transitions Abroad

Tuscia is the name given to a rugged corner of undiscovered Italy, untouched by mass tourism, bordering Tuscany, Umbria, and the greater area of Rome not far from the town of Viterbo. A pocket of woodlands, wild ravines, and volcanic lakes, Tuscia was once the heartland of Etruscan culture. The old Roman road known as the Francigena leading down from the Alps crosses its territory before rolling on to Rome. In centuries past, the villages, monasteries, hostels, and taverns of Tuscia provided hospitality to pilgrims on the last phase of their journey before proceeding to the Holy City. Today independent travelers willing to put on their walking shoes can recapture some of the atmosphere and adventure of the open road, while enjoying spectacular scenery in one of Italy’s most unspoiled environments. For those seeking an unusual holiday combining cultural discoveries and the great outdoors, an off-season trek in Tuscia offers many rewards.

Inexpensive accommodations may still be found in Bed & Breakfasts and pilgrims’ residences scattered through the villages, where, over a hearty meal made with locally-produced cheese, wine, mushrooms, sausages, and bread still baked in a wood oven, you may rub shoulders with monks, pilgrims, locals, or other ecologically-minded travelers like yourself.

The deep canyons and ravines of Tuscia were formed by dozens of streams feeding into the Tiber. High on the rim of those canyons, the Etruscans built their towns which would later become the fortressed medieval villages you may see today in which the cellars of the houses are carved directly in the rock. There are scores of villages to choose from for your base camp, each one with some architectural masterpiece to discover – villa, castle, tower, monastery, or sculpture garden –before rambling out to the olive groves and vineyards on the edge of town and then on through the countryside.

The village of Vitorchiano, situated 90 minutes from Rome and possessing one of the best-preserved medieval historic centers in Tuscia, makes a good starting point in terms of location, scenery, and accommodations. From the center of Vitorchiano it is easy to reach on foot a system of region-wide pathways and country lanes connecting this village to neighboring towns, archaeological sites, religious shrines, and nature preserves. Recently installed trail-markers help you find your way. You can hike as far as you like, taking a whole day to explore or just an hour or two.

Lying between the promontory of Vitorchiano and the neighboring promontory of Bomarzo (home to the famous “Monster Park,” a 16th century sculpture garden open all year round) is a vast archaeological area comprising the cave-dwellings of Corviano, the Etruscan ruins of Montecasoli, ancient Roman tombs and altars, and the ruined medieval monastery of San Nicolao. Isolated and unfrequented, half-overgrown with vines, these places will give the adventurous hiker a real thrill of penetrating into the unknown, although civilization is just a stone’s throw away, hidden behind the next ridge.

For a less isolated trek, the village of Barbarano Romano (reached by car or by bus from Viterbo) offers a condensed experience of many layers of history to absorb in a single afternoon or over several days. Just outside the town is one of Tuscia’s most famous archaeological parks, Marturanum with Etruscan tombs and temples, an ancient Roman bath, and a ruined medieval church with cloister situated in the woods over an area of 1200 hectares. The town itself has a small Etruscan museum where guidebooks to the park may be purchased and if desired, a guided tour may be arranged.

Hikers attracted to water will want to explore the areas around Lakes Vico and Bolsena. Lake Vico, set in a wild nature preserve in the Cimini Hills, 30 minutes by car from Vitorchiano, is surrounded by thick forests crisscrossed by dozens of trails, where in autumn you are likely to meet locals gathering chestnuts or porcini mushrooms ( for the latter, you now need a license). Lake Bolsena, instead ( reached by bus from Viterbo) is the hub of several charming fishing villages, Marta, Capodimonte, Bolsena, renowned for their culinary and artistic traditions. Swimming season here begins at the end of May. Lakeside restaurants are open all year. From spring to the end of September, you can make a tour of the lake by ferry from the docks of Capodimonte.

In the hill town of Celleno , travelers may lodge at a former convent, now a religious community dedicated to interfaith solidarity, which organizes workshops in spiritual disciplines from round the world. You may share meals with the members in the refectory, and, if you choose, join them for prayer or meditation in the chapel. In Bagnaia, just down the road from Vitorchiano, you may thread the labyrinth of the baroque gardens of Villa Lante celebrated by Montaigne and Edith Wharton. In Vasanello, you may visit workshops of ceramic artists who painstakingly recreate Etruscan and medieval pottery, using ancient designs and glazing methods.

In the lowlands of Castiglione in Teverina, you wander through vineyards and stop off at a cantina to sample the latest vintage. In Vulci, described by D.H. Lawrence as “beautiful and disquieting,” you cross a bridge first erected by the Etruscans and then explore a vast park containing one of the most famous of all Etruscan tombs, the tomb François. No tour of Tuscia would be complete without a visit to Bagnoregio (reached by bus from Viterbo) banned to cars, perched high above a canyon, accessible only by means of a steep and narrow footbridge, which is guaranteed to make your head spin and take your breath away when you look down into the canyon.

For longer walks, you’ll need to take your own provisions, though while hiking up around Lake Vico , you may come across one of the old fountains for travelers where the mountain spring water is safe to drink ( Usually there will be a sign to indicate this). When your path leads you through a village or hamlet at lunchtime, you’ll want to stop at a little trattoria to try the local fare. Since the Tuscia region is unknown to mass tourism, most small restaurants you encounter are geared to local customers, featuring rustic, family-style food (handmade pasta and grilled meat) at very modest prices.

The cuisine of Tuscia is based on the products of its woods and lakes--wild boar, chestnuts, hazelnuts, cherries, wild chicory and asparagus, porcini mushrooms, lake fish. The area produces excellent pecorino cheese, pork products, fine quality olive oil, and wine. Each village is fiercely proud of its unique culinary tradition–special pasta dishes, unusual soups made with chestnuts and mushrooms, and baked goods of all kinds, often featured at fairs and festivals.

All year round, the villages of Tuscia renew their sense of communal identity through traditional celebrations mingling their Catholic heritage with vestiges of more ancient customs. Some of the most popular festivals, held in the off-season, will give you a glimpse of life in former times. In January, many villages celebrate Saint Antony the Abbot with a special mass when animals are blessed. May 8 honors San Michele with processions in Vitorchiano, and a tree-wedding (a fascinating vestige of pagan ritual) in Vetralla. The joyous procession of the Barabbata in Marta in the month of May celebrates fruits of the earth and waters, with a blessing of the fish. December has its live manger scenes, running from Christmas to January 6th, in which entire villages collaborate to create artistic tableaux vivants with actors, scenery, local crafts, music, and of course, plenty of food and wine. Carnival starts soon after. Ronciglione on the shores of Lake Vico has one of the most colorful Carnival parades in central Italy.

The best times for a walking tour in Tuscia are late autumn, late winter, and spring. These are also the best times of year to enjoy a dip in the hot sulfur springs, in the area of Viterbo. What better way to revive your spirits than to soak your weary limbs after a long, invigorating walk through the woods?

For More Info

Getting There: Tuscia is easy to reach: By car from Fiumicino Airport, exit the A1 Highway at Orte and take the SS towards Viterbo. By train from Rome: local city train from Ostiense or Saint Peters’ station to Viterbo ( hourly departures, 1 hr.50 minutes until evening) By bus a network of blue Cotral buses connects the smaller towns with both Viterbo and Rome. To use these buses, you must be armed with patience, prepaid tickets, and a schedule, but they will take you wherever you want to go. In Viterbo, buses leave from the central piazza called Riello for many destinations described here. Check schedules at the bus terminal, as they change frequently.

Accommodations : Vitorchiano, Hotel Piccola Opera. This 3 star hotel also operates as a pilgrims’ residence for spiritual retreats and extended stay. Simple, Spartan rooms with private bath. Good location on the slopes of the Cimini Hills just outside Vitorchiano. The hotel offers a cordial staff and wonderful food. Excursions to sites of your choice can be arranged. Email hotelpiccolaopera@​libero.it Price: $60.00 per person for double room and half-board (breakfast, lunch OR dinner).

Viterbo Domus La Quercia. Another inexpensive pilgrims’ residence with excellent food. Good location. Former monastery located in an independent citadel. Contact Information and on-line booking: italy bookings.net Price: $55.00 per person for double room and half-board (breakfast, lunch OR dinner)

Barbarano Romano: Few accommodations available, travelers would be wise to stay either in Viterbo or Vitorchiano and come by bus or car to explore the vast outlying Etruscan park of Marturanum Marturanum Lunch not to be missed at the trattoria “La Pacchiona” where meats are grilled in a traditional way on a huge open hearth. The friendly manager will have some suggestions on where to find rented rooms for those who’d like to stay and enjoy the old-fashioned atmosphere. Celleno for information on staying at the convent, see la Tuscia.com Bolsena is full of charm in the off-season, with several hotels open autumn through winter and spring to use as a base for exploring the lake area. Ai Platani is one. See Bolsena info

Guided tours and Travel Consultancies : The itineraries described in this article are relatively easy ones and may be taken slowly in small doses of an hour or two, or in all-day adventures, according to your walking style, degree of fitness, and age. No equipment is required except a comfortable pair of walking shoes. In more isolated areas, it is advisable to walk with a partner. If you’d like to do a walking tour of Tuscia, but don’t want to go it alone, walk leader David Morton is specialized in leading hikes in the area. See romanroadwalks for information. For those who’d like a more athletic experience scaling canyon walls, see Michele Angileri

Information on Etruscan itineraries is available from Those who would like to combine walking with painting in Tuscia should see Marturanum At the time of this writing, the English version was not yet up on the site. For Vulci see Vulci which also provides downloadable maps, detailed descriptions of itineraries. English version available.

Guidebooks : None so far are available in English, but Tuscia Nascosta (Viterbo, 2007) which includes photographs, detailed itineraries, and maps. It may be ordered by writing to proferento

Search for a Hobbit's House: House Hunting in Tuscia

“Your house, “ said a sophisticated Los Angeles writer who visited this summer, “looks like a hobbit might have lived in it before you did.”

She was right of course, its enormous wooden ceiling beams and hand- carved, archaic fireplace would have made a perfect setting for a cozy interior scene of Lord of the Rings.

“ How ever did you find this place?” she wondered, looking out my kitchen window down into the gorge of Vitorchiano, where a slight summer breeze stirred the thick foliage of the hazelnut groves. Sheep were grazing right along the edge, across the yawning gap of the gorge. We could hear their bells tinkling.

“It was a long search,” I admitted, “with quite a few dead ends.”

“Don’t suppose there are any more around here like it? You really do feel that you have gone back in time. How do you go about looking for a house like this? I mean, where do you start?”

Here’s where I started, though, as you’ll see, it took quite a while, and a few dead ends and close encounters with the local spirits of place....

After weeks of searching for a suitable house in the local house hunter’s magazines: Porta Portese, L’Occasione, and of course Wanted in Rome, I finally lucked into a likely looking classified ad. It had been placed by a noted real estate agent in the city of Viterbo. The house was advertised as an authentic old farmhouse not far from the superhighway connecting Viterbo to highway A1, the main artery to Rome. The location was perfect and the price, seventy-five thousand euros, not bad.
One summer afternoon the agent, a pleasant woman from Argentina, accompanied us to the house. Exiting the superstrada, we found ourselves on a charming country lane, lined by oak and chestnut trees. Here there were many new villas with lush gardens secluded behind chain link fences with surveillance cameras, but there seemed to be no logic in the street numbers, and though we drove back and forth several times, examining every gate, we couldn’t figure out which way they ran. There was no sign of the one we were searching for, number 33.
The agent kept apologizing and tried to contact her office with her mobile, but we were out of reach of any antennas and her phone didn’t work. At last we asked directions of a man out barbecuing in his front yard, but he only shook his head and gestured vaguely onwards with his barbecue fork.
The asphalt turned to gravel. The sun sank lower, crows cawed in the treetops. There were no houses out this way, only huge plots of meadow dotted with a few dirty sheep. The road passed through a small wood, and finally petered out at the edge of a field. A hundred yards away, partially concealed by an overgrowth of queen anne’s lace, stood a forlorn farmhouse of modern construction. We drove on through the weeds until the car would go no further, then got out and contemplated the house.
The electric poles punctuating the countryside came to a stop right here, as well. Behind the house, meadows, then woods, stretched on indefinitely. This was indeed the last outpost, and there were no other houses around for at least three or four miles, and the nearest village with shops a good deal further away. I certainly couldn’t imagine staying overnight all alone. But the house was surrounded by an intriguing garden, with olive, fig, mulberry, and several fruit trees, lilac bushes, and raspberry vines. At this distance, the plants all appeared beautifully kept and pruned despite the remote location. We thought perhaps it was worth looking at, so we made our way towards it, picking cautiously through waist high weeds, for this was viper territory.
Pushing the gate open, we saw the first sign of something strange. A giant clay mask depicting an Etruscan gorgon was mounted high on the wall overlooking the patio, as if to discourage intruders. Next to the mask, the splayed, withered roots of an enormous tree had been hung as decoration. It was, most likely, a tree uprooted from this spot when the house was built. Knowing how the Etruscans felt about genius locii -- they believed it was dangerous to upset the local spirits of a place by digging up trees, changing the courses of streams or removing stone masses -- one sensed that this bizarre display boded no good.
After much fiddling with the rusty lock, we opened the main door to the kitchen - living room area. Dark, low- ceilinged, windowless, it was lit only by the glass door to the patio. The place was still packed with the owner’s belongings. Piles of newspapers, stacks of old dishes, pots and pans, jars of dried beans, lanterns cluttered every surface. A yellow raincoat and a frayed straw hat hung on a nail in the wall. I had the eerie feeling of violating the privacy of someone who had just stepped out into the garden for a moment. On the table was a disconnected telephone with frayed cord which had been wrenched out of the wall.
There was no staircase leading to the upper floor where the bedrooms were located. To go upstairs we had to go out to the patio and walk around to the front of the house, which would have been quite a long distance to go in your pyjamas in the morning. Here a stairway led up to a porch that had been completely boarded up. Was this protection against bad weather or thieves, I wondered. Pushing on the boards, I nearly lost my balance, stumbling forward as one sprang open. Looking down, I gasped in astonishment as a small beagle appeared in the gap in the door.
I expected it to bark, but seeing it so mute and motionless, I realized it was merely a cleverly painted and very life-like statue. Perhaps the owner had hidden it here for safe- keeping. Yet another guardian, I thought, but this one seemed friendly.
On the porch we found three doors leading to the bedrooms, corresponding to the three keys on the agent’s key chain. Two were small nun-like cells with barely enough room for a cot and a dresser. While I examined the two cell -like bedrooms, the agent tried to open the third door, which led, we supposed, to the master bedroom.
The door banged open with a screeching of hinges, and then the agent gave a blood curdling scream.
Terrified I rushed in after her, fearing I might find a body decomposing, or perhaps a brood of nesting boars or snakes. Instead I saw the aftermath of a tornado: drawers pulled out and emptied on the floor, cupboards flung open, clothes, books, shoes, bedding, papers strewn everywhere.
The agent stood panting in a corner. She smiled sheepishly and said, “Sorry. I was robbed last year, and it was just like this. I was afraid maybe a thief was still in the room”
We looked around at the terrible mess and tried to figure out what had happened there. Perhaps thieves had ransacked this room only, perhaps there had been a drug raid, or maybe the previous occupants had just packed up and escaped in a dreadful frenzy.
I peeked into the bathroom, where nothing was out of order, except for a green slime that had grown upon the soap in a dish on the sink and on the bristles of the toothbrushes. There was a pile of newspapers near the toilet. I glanced at the date, five years earlier. God knows what had happened here in this place since then, but all I wanted was to clear out immediately and find my way back to civilization.
The agent felt the same way, and in five minutes we had closed the place back up and were heading for the car. Dashing through the gate I looked up at the gorgon, who seemed to be laughing at us. I felt immensely relieved when the car started up without a hitch and we drove safely away through the long grass where fireflies now gleamed in the twilight.