Autumn colors in Vitorchiano, Italy
I was staying outside this pretty medieval town in northern Lazio, north of Rome, for work for a week earlier this month. Unfortunately, we weren’t out of the conference structure much, but I did sneak out for an early morning jog each morning so that I could enjoy the town as it was waking up.
The November mornings were cool and crisp for the 4km run into town and the return run back. The leaves were changing, and the colors were beautiful. I loved arriving to the medieval walls of the town and then jogging through its twisting, cobblestoned streets before it had fully woken up, with spectacular views out to the ravines surrounding it.
Even at that early hour, the beautiful 14th century churches were open and I could peek into them. The smell of fresh cornetti (croissants) and cappuccino tempted me to sit out on the piazza for breakfast, but there’s no way I would have made the jog back after that, so it will have to be for the next visit …
Vitorchiano is just 6 kilomenters from the larger town of Viterbo and 20 kilometers from the train station at Orte.
Like many of the towns of the region, it is carved from the soft tufa stone and is perched on a craggy outpost, making for dramatic views over the turreted town.
I jogged to one of these overlooks early one morning, turning left at the city gate and crossing over the ravine to a panoramic point to view the city.
At this viewpoint, there is also a moai , a copy of the statues of Easter Island. I was told by a local that artisans came to Vitorchio a decade ago and taught local carvers the tradition, since the soft tufa stone is apparently similar to the stone found at Easter Island.
Whatever the background, it was a nice addition to the dramatic view over the medieval town.
For other tips of beautiful places to see nearby, see my earlier posts on the Monster Park of Bomarzo and the ‘Dying city’of Civita di Bagnoregio.
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