ROMAETRAVEL

Shore excursion from Civitavecchia Port to Viterbo and its Villas

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Visit Villa Lante is a Mannerist garden of surprise in Bagnaia, Viterbo, central Italy, attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, The gardens of the Villa Lante feature cascades, fountains and dripping grottoes. The Villa Lante is formed by two houses, nearly identical but built by different owners in a period separated by 30 years. Each square building has a ground floor of rusticated arcades or loggias which support a piano nobile above. Then you will reach Palazzo Farnese, a majestic sixteenth-century used like residence from Alessandro Farnese, nephew of Pope Paul III. It is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French embassy in Italy. After visiting the Villas you will walk in the centre of Viterbo. The historic center of the city is surrounded by medieval walls, still intact, built during the 11th and 12th centuries. Entrance to the walled center of the city is through ancient gates. Here you can admire the Palazzo dei Papi, a palace with an elegant loggia, that was the seat of the popes in the 13th century. Nearby is San Lorenzo Cathedral, with a Gothic bell tower, frescoes and a 15th-century baptismal font. The Colle del Duomo Museum houses archaeological artifacts and a sacred art collection. The frescoed Palazzo dei Priori, Viterbo’s city hall, is on Piazza del Plebiscito..