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Viterbo

The medieval capital of the Tuscia, papal seat for five popes between 1257 and 1281 and home to the longest conclave in Church history.

Best time
All year
By car
1 h 33 min from Rome
By train
Station in the comune
Population
65,949

Known for

  • CITY OF POPES

    Five popes elected in Viterbo between 1257 and 1281; the 1268-1271 conclave was the longest in Church history and gave the word its meaning.

  • MACCHINA DI SANTA ROSA

    Five-ton thirty-meter illuminated tower carried through the streets on 3 September by a hundred Facchini, UNESCO listed since 2013.

  • TERME DEI PAPI

    Sulfur thermal complex used since Etruscan times and rebuilt under the popes, still the largest bathing pool in central Italy.

  • TUSCIA

    The commune lies inside the Tuscia DOP production zone.

When to visit

Best · All year

  • J11°
  • F13°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J28°
  • J32°
  • A32°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N16°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

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

The festa: Rosa da Viterbo, 3 September

Why come

Viterbo sits in the Tuscia, surrounded by the volcanic Cimini hills and the thermal springs the Etruscans and Romans already used. The city became the favourite papal residence under Eugene III in the twelfth century; between 1257 and 1281, five popes were elected here, and the conclave of 1268-1271 ran nearly three years, the longest in Church history. To end it, the city's people locked the cardinals inside the Palazzo dei Papi, tore the roof off, and reduced their rations.

The decisive conclave is still the reason the word means a place under lock and key. The San Pellegrino quarter is the largest continuous medieval district in central Italy, with profferli, the external stone staircases that climb to first-floor doorways. The Terme dei Papi outside the walls still draws sulfur-water bathers. On 3 September the Macchina di Santa Rosa, a thirty-meter illuminated tower weighing five tons, is carried through the streets by a hundred Facchini, a tradition listed by UNESCO since 2013.

The Sunday letter

Viterbo is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Viterbo comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Viterbo in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 2 hours by car.

Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 3h 15m away.

By car from the centre of Perugia 1h 49m or Siena 2h 19m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome?

Viterbo, photo 1
Viterbo, photo 2

What to see

  • Palazzo dei Papi

    Thirteenth-century papal palace with Gothic loggia and the Sala del Conclave, where the 1268-1271 conclave ran for nearly three years.

  • Quartiere San Pellegrino

    Largest continuous medieval quarter in central Italy, with stone profferli staircases, towers and the Piazza San Pellegrino.

  • Terme dei Papi

    Thermal complex outside the walls, fed by sulfur springs used since Etruscan times and named for the medieval popes.

  • Duomo di San Lorenzo

    Romanesque cathedral adjoining the Palazzo dei Papi, on the site of an earlier temple of Hercules, with cosmatesque pavement.

  • Macchina di Santa Rosa

    Thirty-meter illuminated tower carried each 3 September by a hundred Facchini, UNESCO Intangible Heritage since 2013.

  • Piazza del Plebiscito

    Central square anchored by the Palazzo dei Priori and the city's two heraldic lions, the civic heart since the Renaissance.

The slow-trip planner

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

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

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.

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 65,949
  • A local hubi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 7 min drive
  • Regional capital Roma, 1 h 33 min drive

Thermal baths in town: Bagnaccio, Tuscia Terme, Sorgenti San Cristoforo, Sorgenti dell’Asinello, Pozzo Cacciabella, Pozzo San Valentino.

Common questions

What is Viterbo known for?
Viterbo is the medieval capital of the Tuscia, papal seat for five popes between 1257 and 1281 and home to the longest conclave in Church history.
Where is Viterbo?
Viterbo is a comune in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, at 326 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Viterbo?
Rome (FCO), about 2 hours by car.
Can you get to Viterbo 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 Viterbo?
About 1h 49m by car.
When is the best time to visit Viterbo?
Best All year. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Viterbo?
Yes. Festa Medievale Ludika 1243 a Viterbo and Cioccotuscia Festival. July is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Viterbo?
Velletri, Tivoli and Rieti.
How many people live in Viterbo?
65,949 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 326 m
  • Population: 65,949
  • Surface area: 406.23 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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