Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In Viterbo get off at Porta Romana, not the intercity bus station at Riello. Returning to
Rome, take the bus from the Porta Romana or Piazzale Gramsci stops.
By car, Viterbo is about a 1½-hour drive up Via Cassia (SS2). For parking try either
Piazza Martiri d'Ungheria or Piazza della Rocca.
Trains depart hourly from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sunday from
Rome's Ostiense station (get off at Viterbo Porta Romana). The journey takes nearly two
hours and costs €5 one way.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
AROUND VITERBO
Largely overlooked by travellers, the lush, emerald-green countryside around Viterbo hides some
wonderful treasures. Of these, the most impressive is Palazzo Farnese OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 0761 64 79 41; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 8.30am-6.45pm Tue-Sun ) , 20km southeast of Vi-
terbo in Caprarola . A lordly 16th-century mannerist palazzo , it features a distinct pentagonal design
and, inside, an internal circular courtyard and extraordinary columned staircase. Visits, which are in
accompanied groups (except on Sundays), take in the exuberantly frescoed rooms and beautiful hill-
side gardens.
For more horticultural splendours, head to Bagnaia and the 16th-century Villa Lante ( 0761 28
80 08; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 8.30am-1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) whose handsome tiered gardens
feature several monumental fountains.
Some 17km north of Viterbo at Bomarzo , the Parco dei Mostri (Monster Park; 0761 92 40
29; www.parcodeimostri.com ; adult/reduced €10/8; 8.30am-sunset) is a weird 16th-century folly
that will entertain kids and adults alike. The wooded estate of Palazzo Orsini, it's populated by a
strange and surreal cast of sculpted ogres, dragons, giants and animals. It's fun, although the admis-
sion charge is a bit steep.
Further north, Bagnoregio is home to one of the area's most dramatic apparitions, the Civita di
Bagnoregio , aka il paese che muore (the dying town). This medieval village, accessible by footbridge
only, sits atop a huge stack of slowly crumbling tufa rock in a dramatic deep-cut valley.
The best way to get around the area is by car but you can get to all the places listed here by bus
from Viterbo. Check the Cotral ( Click here ) website for details.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Castelli Romani
A pretty pocket of verdant hills and volcanic lakes 20km south of Rome, the Colli Albani
(Alban Hills) and their 13 towns are collectively known as the Castelli Romani. Since
 
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