A Historical Journey in Viterbo, Italy

Hello friends, we took a stroll in the historic city of Viterbo, Italy. This ancient city is known as the summer residence of the Pope. The historical center of Viterbo is very well-preserved and hosts many beautiful and interesting places to visit.

We thoroughly enjoyed walking along Via degli Artisti, also known as Artists Street. Nowadays this street is dominated by artists and painters. Particularly we were struck by a decorated section of a wall.

Viterbo is located in the Lazio region and is home to approximately 67.000 people. It was quite a hot day, although cooler in the mornings and evenings compared to Bari. I get a different impression from the old town here. The gray stones, different cobblestones and roads make me perceive the city in a unique way, almost like being in a movie about the Middle ages.

In Viterbo there is also the Church of San Giovanni Battista, notable for its frescoes. The interior is very beautiful and characteristic of an ancient church. Mass is held once a month in honor of Santa Maria del Carmine and it is also used for weddings, baptisms and funerals. Although not every day, it is open to the public and can be visited.

The most intriguing thing is how the columns and ceiling are painted. When you focus on the columns and move forward, you notice the perspective changes. This creates a shifting perspective as you advance, which is truly fascinating.

Later we looked at another section where we saw the columns moving left and right, creating a very interesting effect. There is also an artwork here, actually a sculpture carved into the wall. The sculpture appears to rotate with us, which is quite fascinating. Unfortunately my phone camera sometimes doesn't capture the light correctly, but you can still see this impressive artwork. The artists and sculptors have truly created incredible works.

Here are also some sacred relics. These relics likely contain the remains of saints. This church dates back to 1756. There's a double-sided painted panel here. We walked around it and saw the other side. It looks like a copy, an ancient painting from 1649. The church ceiling is beautifully painted as well; everything is very elegant and detailed.

San Giovanni Battista Church is an interesting place. The ceiling decorations are breathtaking. And the floors are paved with old bricks.

One of the features of Viterbo is its beautiful fountains. We moved towards one fountain. I don't know if you can drink water from this fountain, but in Italy many fountains provide drinking water. The water here is softer compared to that in Bari. We're not by the seaside. We are inland Italy and this water is softer.

We arrived at the fountain. There are masked lion figures. The impression I get from this trip is one of immense admiration. However next to this fountain it says "Acqua non potabile" meaning not drinking water. Generally fountains that provide drinking water are labeled "acqua potabile."

Then we listened to a musician. The atmosphere was very pleasant.

There's a bridge and a castle. We walked over and took a closer look. This is Palazzo dei Papi, a palace from the 13th century. This palace was formerly known as the Bishop's Palace and is famous worldwide because the longest papal elections, lasting almost three years from 1268 to 1271, were held here. It lasted exactly 2 years, 9 months and a few days.

Because the elections took so long, the local people were not happy. The local authorities and people who were disturbed by this situation decided to expedite the election process. They locked all the church leaders in a room and didn't let them out until a new Pope was elected. They even dismantled the roof of the room to increase pressure, so the papal candidates had to live outdoors without food and water. This pressure worked and approximately within 7 days, the cardinals and bishops reached an agreement and elected a new Pope. The new Pope took the name Georgius and became the head of the Christian church.

The Pope used to give speeches from the balcony. This place is very convenient.

There are audio guides and by pressing the numbers on them, you can listen to all the information on your phone. They are available not only in Italian but also in French, English and Spanish.

Then we visited the archaeological museum. An Etruscan sarcophagus greeted us. In Viterbo and its surroundings, around Lake Bolsena, the Etruscans lived before the Roman era. Here you can see some of the largest sacred relics. These are usually places where the bones of saints are kept. It's often difficult to know who they are, and it's unknown whose bones are kept.

We took a break from the tour and had a meal break. We ate at a sushi restaurant. We had tried such restaurants before in Naples; it had a similar atmosphere.

After the meal we took a peaceful walk in the medieval atmosphere of Viterbo. I really liked this city, especially the Papal Palace and the hall where the long papal elections were held. I had read about this event in an adventure novel when I was young. Back then I used to read many adventure novels, and one of them described this election process. I can't remember in which novel I read this story, but it was probably in one of Raphael Sabatini's works. Sabatini, an Italian writer is often compared to Dumas. He wrote adventure novels that were very popular.

See you in the next post. Thanks for reading.