Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Caprarola

Lazio · Viterbo

Caprarola

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.

Known for

  • VILLA FARNESE

    Pentagonal Mannerist palace by Vignola, 1559-1573, with circular colonnaded courtyard and Zuccari frescoes; the model for the Pentagon.

  • LAGO DI VICO

    Volcanic crater lake at 510 meters, one of the highest in Italy, ringed by chestnut and beech and protected as a regional reserve.

  • NOCCIOLA E CASTAGNA

    Hazelnut and chestnut town in the Cimini volcanic soils, member of both the Città della Nocciola and Città del Castagno networks.

  • TUSCIA

    The commune also lies inside the Tuscia DOP production zone.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J9°
  • F12°
  • M13°
  • A16°
  • M21°
  • J26°
  • J31°
  • A30°
  • S25°
  • O20°
  • N14°
  • D11°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Egidio, 1 September

Why come

Caprarola stands at about 510 meters on the volcanic slopes of the Cimini, six kilometers east of Lago di Vico. The town is built on a single axis that climbs from the lower village to the Villa Farnese, the pentagonal Renaissance palace that organises everything below it. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger designed the original fortress in 1530; after Sangallo's death the work was suspended, and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the Younger reassigned it to Vignola in 1559.

Vignola kept the pentagonal plan but turned it from a fortress into a Mannerist residence, with a circular colonnaded courtyard at its center, a scala regia spiraling between floors and the fresco cycles of the Zuccari brothers. The plan was the model later copied for the Pentagon in Washington. Behind the villa, the Giardini Farnese climb into the chestnut and beech woods of the Cimini. Caprarola is part of the Città della Nocciola and Città del Castagno networks, a recognition of the volcanic soils that produce both.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Caprarola’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 1h 40m by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3h 9m away.

By car from the centre of Perugia 2 hours or Siena 2h 32m.

Coming by train into Roma Termini? Caprarola is about 1h 13m away by road.

Every town within reach of Rome airport.

Caprarola — photo 1
Caprarola — photo 2

What to see

  • Villa Farnese

    Pentagonal Mannerist palace by Vignola, built 1559-1573 on Sangallo's earlier fortress plan, with a circular colonnaded courtyard.

  • Giardini Farnese

    Sixteenth-century formal garden and casino di caccia behind the villa, climbing into the chestnut woods of the Cimini.

  • Lago di Vico

    Volcanic crater lake at 510 meters, one of the highest of the major Italian lakes, shared with Ronciglione.

  • Monte Venere and Cimini

    Wooded volcanic ridges around the lake, with chestnut and beech forest and marked trails inside the Riserva Naturale del Lago di Vico.

  • Chiesa di Santa Teresa

    Late-sixteenth-century church on the lower axis of the town, part of the Farnese reordering of the village layout.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Caprarola fits in a slow Italy circuit.

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We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Trattoria del CiminoTrattoria

    Three Gambero Rosso prawns for Trattoria del Cimino, along with a Slow Food snail and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Vineria Vignola Salumeria e cucinaWine Bar

    Vineria Vignola Salumeria e cucina has two Gambero Rosso bottles to its name.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 5,155
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 40 min drive
  • Regional capital Roma, 1 h 10 min drive

Common questions

What is Caprarola known for?
Caprarola is 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.
Where is Caprarola?
Caprarola is a comune in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, at 510 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Caprarola?
Rome (FCO), about 1h 40m by car.
How long is the drive from Perugia to Caprarola?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Caprarola?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Caprarola?
Yes. Hazelnut Festival and Sagra della Nocciola. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Caprarola?
Bagnoregio, Vitorchiano and Ronciglione.
How many people live in Caprarola?
5,155 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 510 m
  • Population: 5,155
  • Surface area: 57.58 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.

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