Discover Tuscia Viterbese: the land of the Etruscans

Back to the Roots: Living the Past in the Village of Your Ancestors

Welcome to the village of your ancestors, in the heart of Tuscia, where every stone tells a story and every street hides ancient family memories. Here, you will not only be a tourist, but a member of the community, warmly welcomed by the local authorities and relatives who are waiting for you with joy.

You will explore the symbolic places of the town, from the ancient walls of the Church to the evocative silence of the Cemetery, up to the archives that jealously guard the historical documents of your family. You will be able to immerse yourself in your genealogy, discovering birth, baptism, marriage and death records, thus finding the roots of your history.

Special encounters will enrich your experience: you will hug the distant relative you knew nothing about and listen to anecdotes from old family friends, which will make you feel at home, even if you are miles away.

You will walk along the ancient alleys, breathing the atmosphere of the past, and you will get lost in the small squares illuminated by the lights of the sunset, letting yourself be enchanted by the slow passage of time.

You will participate in the daily life of the village, attending the religious service and strolling through the colorful markets, where you can taste local products and fully experience the traditions of the place.

The lunch organized by your relatives will be a unique opportunity to savor the typical local cuisine, a journey into the authentic flavors of your homeland.

At the end of your visit, you will receive the “TREASURE CHEST OF MEMORIES”, a precious wooden box containing photos and documents that will accompany you on your return journey, custodians of your family history.

You will experience an unforgettable day in the villages of Tuscia Viterbese, where everyone knows each other and every smile is a link with the past. And even if it’s your first time visiting, you’ll feel that the place has always been a part of you, giving you a feeling of nostalgia and familiarity.

Bolsena

Bolsena You will visit Bolsena, elected by Forbes magazine as one of the ten most beautiful small towns in Europe, the only one in Italy. You will visit the Basilica dedicated to Santa Cristina, to whom an evocative procession is dedicated every year. descendants of emigrants returning from abroad. The feast dedicated to the Christian martyr commemorates her life with a representation of ten “living paintings”, set up in the historic center, which depict the life of the Saint. The inhabitants of the village dress in costumes from the Roman era.

Bolsena is also considered the town of hydrangeas, and in June, the traditional “Hydrangea Festival” takes place there and the village is transformed into an elegant fragrant garden

Crossing the steep alleys you will reach the imposing Monaldeschi della Cervara fortress where, inside, you can visit the Territorial Museum of the Lake which tells the story of the village and the whole of Tuscia.

From the towers of the castle you can discover the intense blue waters of Lake Bolsena with its two islets, Martana and Bisentina. In spring and summer from Bolsena you can take a boat trip to the island of Bisentina, swim in the picturesque ravines and sunbathe on the shores of the lake.

Canino

You will visit the ancient village of Canino, one of the most renowned places in Tuscia, a few steps from the sea and a few kilometers from the border with Tuscany.

You will be able to visit the archaeological areas of the ancient Etruscan city of Vulci with the necropolis and over 10,000 tombs, the Castle and the Baths.

The castle of the Abbadia was originally a Benedictine abbey (hence the name), it was transformed over the centuries by the Farnese family and inhabited by Alessandro Farnese Pope Paul III

During the Napoleonic period, the castle was inhabited by Luciano Bonaparte, the emperor’s brother, as Prince of Canino. The castle can be reached via the charming Devil’s Bridge from which you can enjoy a magnificent view. Inside you will find the Archaeological Museum with finds and testimonies of the Etruscan city.

The town is known for the excellent extra virgin olive oil DOP Canino grown in over 700 hectares. You will be able to walk along the oil road, see the olive groves and oil mills live and Taste “toasted bread” topped with this high-quality product.

Valentano

You will visit the small village of Valentano in the Alto Viterbese area on the border with the Tuscany region. The town dominates the beautiful basin of Lake Bolsena with the fertile plain called the plain, still cultivated today.

Every year, on the day of Ferragosto towards “il piano” the feast is celebrated, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, of the “tiratura del furco dritto”, an ancient tradition with roots linked to the peasant world.

The rituals of the feast today retrace the “furrow” of tradition, handed down from generation to generation from father to son. The peasants have to trace a straight furrow of about 5 km long, with a wooden plough pulled by oxen. Today the oxen have been replaced by a plough but the spirit and value of the festival have not changed. The straighter the furrow, the stronger is the hope for a conspicuous harvest and a good omen for the future, thanks also to the blessing of Our Lady. The ritual, performed only by men, represents virility.

A few kilometers from the town, in an isolated and wild area, you will discover Lake Mezzano surrounded by alders, reeds and poplars and populated by trout and carp. Here, the remains of an important village on stilts dating back to the Bronze Age have been found at a shallow depth with ceramics, bronzes and wooden objects that you can find on display in the Museum of Prehistory of Tuscia in Valentano.