Lazio · Viterbo
Capranica
A medieval hill town on the old Via Cassia, taken by the Anguillara family in 1305 and remembered as the place Petrarch stayed in 1337.
By Peter Benei
Written about. No. 64.
The letter
Capranica got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 12 min from Rome
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 6,341
- J10°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J26°
- J31°
- A30°
- S24°
- O20°
- N15°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Capranica sits in the Tuscia at the fifty-fifth kilometer of the Via Cassia, on a hill overlooking the Sutri valley between Lake Bracciano and Lake Vico. The Etruscans worked this ground; the medieval borgo grew along the Cassia after the road was rebuilt in the second century BC. The Anguillara family appeared in 1305 and held the town through most of the fourteenth century.
In 1337, under Orso degli Anguillara, Francesco Petrarca stayed here on his way south, the moment local memory still attaches to the place. Castrovecchio is the oldest quarter, a wedge of stone houses and stepped streets above the Castello degli Anguillara. The town is one of the Italian comuni crossed by the Via Francigena, with a marked stage running north toward Sutri and Vetralla. Hazelnut groves cover the surrounding slopes; Capranica is a member of the Città della Nocciola network and supplies the Tonda Gentile Romana, the local DOP variety.
How to get there
From Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 1 h 8 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 3 h 11 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 2 h 14 min or Siena 2 h 45 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Rome?
Coming by train into Roma Termini? Capranica is about 1 h 14 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rome Fiumicino airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello degli Anguillara
Medieval fortress at the head of Castrovecchio, seat of the Anguillara family from 1305 and the place Petrarch stayed in 1337.
Castrovecchio
Oldest quarter of the town, a wedge of stone houses and stepped streets rising above the Cassia toward the castle.
Chiesa di San Francesco
Fourteenth-century Franciscan church on the edge of Castrovecchio, with fresco fragments and Anguillara family tombs.
Via Francigena stage
Marked pilgrim stage on the old route to Rome, running north toward Vetralla and south through the hazelnut country.
Living here
Could you live here?
Capranica meets all 3 of our rules for a small town.
- 6,341 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Viterbo, a city of 66,393, is 46 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,341, down 4.9% since 2015
- Nearest city Viterbo, 46 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Bracciano, 18 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €650 to €950 per m² to buy, €3.80 to €4.30 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 31% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Rome Ciampino airport (CIA), 1 h 5 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Rome, 1 h 12 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Ukraine and Peru, against 9% across Italy. 29 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland. There are 232 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 27% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Viterbo province ranks 71st of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Bracciano, 18 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Rome, 47 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Rome, 47 km away. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 19 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lazio spends about €2,270 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €647 a year for water, on the Lazio average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 5% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
TONDA GENTILE ROMANA
Hazelnut DOP grown on the surrounding Cimini slopes, with Capranica part of the Città della Nocciola network.
ANGUILLARA
Noble family that took the town in 1305 and hosted Petrarch in 1337, the period that gave the centro storico its present form.
VIA FRANCIGENA
Marked stage on the Canterbury-Rome pilgrim road, threading the hazelnut country between Sutri and Vetralla.
TUSCIA
The commune also lies inside the Tuscia DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Capranica known for?
- Capranica is a medieval hill town on the old Via Cassia, taken by the Anguillara family in 1305 and remembered as the place Petrarch stayed in 1337.
- Where is Capranica?
- Capranica is a comune in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, at 370 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Capranica?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rome Ciampino (CIA), about 1 h 5 min by car.
- Can you get to Capranica without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Capranica?
- About 2 h 14 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Capranica?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Capranica?
- Arpino, Castro dei Volsci and Borgo Valsugana.
- How many people live in Capranica?
- 6,341 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Capranica a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Capranica is a small town that meets all 3 of our rules. The nearest city, Viterbo, is 46 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Bracciano, 18 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 31% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 370 m
- Population: 6,341
- Surface area: 40.97 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Capranica appears in
- The best hill towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romehill townby trainwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 3,696 residents · closest 31 min away
- The best towns on a walking route in the province of ViterboViterbo provinceon a walking route6 towns · smallest 3,690 residents
- The best towns you can reach by train in the province of ViterboViterbo provinceby train6 towns · smallest 3,696 residents
- The 9 best hidden hill towns within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romehill townwithin 90 minhidden9 towns · smallest 217 residents · closest 37 min away
- The best hill towns on a walking route in LazioLaziohill townon a walking route9 towns · smallest 5,225 residents
- The best towns known for what they grow within 75 minutes of RomeNear Romewithin 75 minproduce zone10 towns · smallest 902 residents · closest 31 min away
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 58.
Ronciglione
Province: Viterbo
A tufa-brick borgo above Lake Vico, fortified by the Prefects of Vico and crowned Borgo dei Borghi in 2023.
18 min by car
- Written about. No. 63.
Caprarola
Province: Viterbo
A Cimini hill town above Lago di Vico, dominated by the pentagonal Villa Farnese that Vignola built for the Farnese cardinals between 1559 and 1573.
24 min by car
- Written about. No. 66.
Viterbo
Province: Viterbo
The medieval capital of the Tuscia, papal seat from 1257 to 1281, when five popes were elected here, and home to the longest conclave in Church history.
19 km away
The letter
Capranica got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.