Southern Tuscany
Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza,
S. Quirico d’Orcia, Sarteano, Siena

Eastern Tuscany
Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino, Chiusi,
Cortona

Umbria
Città della Pieve, Orvieto, Perugia.

Northern Lazio & the Maremma
Acquapendente, Bolsena, Pitigliano,
Sorano, Viterbo

ACQUAPENDENTE

The area of modern Acquapendente was settled by Etruscans and Romans but the modern
city owes its layout to the medieval and renaissance planning. Worth a visit are the Clock
Tower, the main town Piazza, the church of San Francesco and the Crypt under the Cathedral.

BOLSENA

The town sits at the eastern edge of the Lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake formed by an eruption
250,000 years ago. Like so much of central Italy, Bolsena bears the signs of almost every
important period of the Italian peninsula, going back as far as the Iron Age and progressing
through the times of the martyrs, catacombs, miracles and on to the Middle Ages. Worth visiting
are the Castle, built by the Monaldeschi della Cervara family in the twelfth and fourteenth
century, the Complex of S. Cristina with its fourth century catacombs, eleventh century basilica
and seventeenth century baroque church. Bolsena has also been known since Roman times for
its wine and eel. A stroll through the quiet historic center and by the newer Lungolago along the
lake will give you a good glimpse of Italian town life.

PITIGLIANO

Pitigliano is a stunning walled city that has come to be known as “little Jerusalem”
due to its Jewish community that flourished up to the early 1900s. It sits on top of
a tufa rock at the southern extremity of Tuscany and is well known for its white
wine as well as the beautiful landscape around the city and its Etruscan tombs.
Today Pitigliano still has a standing synagogue that is a testimony to its rich Jewish
heritage. Worth visiting are the Castle of the Orsini family, the caves or tagliate of
uncertain origin, the former Cathedral of SS. Pietro e Paolo and the church of Santa
Maria.

SORANO

Sorano’s history is tied closely to that of the nearby town of Pitigliano. The city is of Villanovan and
Etruscan descent and is built almost entirely of local tufa stone and boasts a rich Jewish history as well.
Sites worth visiting are the Castle of the Orsini from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the town
below, the Masso Leopoldino in the center of the old town and the Vie Cave, an intricate system of
roads excavated deep into the tufa rock that is a unique legacy of the Etruscans.

VITERBO

Viterbo’s origins are unknown. It was probably founded by the Etruscans but it’s existence
is verified for the first time in the eighth century. Starting in the eleventh century Popes
made Viterbo their preferred residence hence the Papal Palace which functioned as a country
residence and a refuge in times of trouble in Rome. Viterbo’s historic center is today recognized
as one of the best preserved medieval towns of central Italy. Worth visiting are the
Romanesque Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Piazza del Plebiscito and its palaces, the Fontana
Grande and many gothic and Romanesque churches. Of interest are also the Museo Civico
(City Museum) which houses many archeological specimens from the pre-historical to Roman
times and the Pinacoteca with a fine collection of renaissance paintings.