New events which, together with the new Museum of the Knights Templar, enrich the offer of Tesori d’ Etruria and its Underground Viterbo, which have now become a true cultural and entertainment point of reference in Viterbo, the Etruscan “Surna”.
From the historical itineraries of Etruscan and medieval Viterbo, to themed tastings of the products of the Etruscan lands.
And for very special guests, children, Tesori d’ Etruria has thought of preparing a special welcome at the Viterbo Sotterranea where it is possible to take a guided tour of the magical tunnels under the Etruscan city, right in the heart of the historic center of Viterbo.
The particular setting, the excellent play of lights, combined with the charm of Underground Viterbo, make this visit unique in the eyes of Italian and foreign visitors.
It is an excellent opportunity to spend a day in Viterbo with your family discovering the underground secrets accompanied by the stories of the Viterbo Underground guides; a visit that leads to the discovery of these magical places on a journey through history spanning over 3,000 years.
THE ETRUSCAN ROUTE
Underground Viterbo is made up of a network of tunnels that extend under the historic center and lead beyond the city walls. The route is completely dug into the tuff, a volcanic rock that characterizes the internal landscape of the Viterbo area.
The origin of the tunnels is very ancient. According to some accredited theories, put forward by scholars and archaeologists, the first cut in the tuff dates back to pre-Etruscan times. And in the Etruscan and then medieval periods, these places took on their current shape: raised, widened and lengthened, the underground tunnels became an authentic labyrinth.
The secret and ritual passages, according to some scholars, served to connect the sacred structures in the Etruscan origins of the nascent Surna, today Viterbo.
In the Middle Ages, however, some tunnels led to the main exits of the city and ensured an escape route for the people of Viterbo in case of danger or siege. More recently the basements were exploited by bandits for their shady business and during the Second World War they were used as anti-aircraft shelters during bombings.
THE MONUMENTAL ETRUSCAN ROUTE ALSO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Open to public also the new spectacular Viterbo Underground route. Highly evocative environments that enchant the visitor.
The Underground route excites and amazes visitors not only for the size of the spaces, but also for the suggestion that they evoke thanks to their ancient history.
From the pre-Etruscan tunnels to the medieval ones, from the shelters of the Second World War to the “studiolo” built at the time by grave robbers, from the medieval “butti” to the ancient pre-Etruscan passages, up to arriving in an environment of great charm: the most ancient place of worship, underground, in the historic center.
The underground circuit of Via Chigi was excavated within the most characteristic volcanic formation of the Vico system: the red tuff with black scoria (Ignimbrite c). The term ignimbrite derives from the Greek: ignis (fire) and imbris (rain), and describes the methods of deposition of this particular rock which occurs through imposing pyroclastic flows, i.e. an incandescent flow made up of a turbulent set of gases and solid parts (pumice , lava, ash, lapilli) even of decimetric dimensions. The famous eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum is an example of a pyroclastic flow.
In our case the ignimbrite deposit originated from the collapse of the paleo-volcano of Vico, an imposing building that stood where the lake of the same name is now, reaching heights far greater than the current Monte Fogliano and Poggio Nibbio, and which extended up to Castel d’Asso, on the southern outskirts of Viterbo. This explosive event took place between 200 and 150 thousand years ago. For this reason, the underground circuit of Viterbo Sotterranea describes a geological period spanning thousands of years.
Among the tunnels present in Underground Viterbo, one in particular, large and with a perfectly ovoid shape, is according to some an ancient ritual route used to reach sacred areas of the ancient pre-Etruscan places.
Also visible is a spectacular tunnel from the Etruscan era: in this case an ancient corridor linked to the procurement of water, probably also used for underground sacred rituals.
The monumental complex of Viterbo Sotterranea can be visited every day with a dedicated guided tour that leads to the discovery of these magical places, a journey through history spanning thousands of years.
The Museum of the Knights Templar, the warrior monks, is also open
In Viterbo Sotterranea the staff of Tesori d’ Etruria is ready to welcome and transport visitors to the world of the Knights Templar through a vast series of activities and emotional journeys in the Historical Educational Museum of the Knights Templar, unique in Italy.
A new spectacular reality that now enriches the offer of Tesori d’Etruria and its Underground Viterbo, which have now become a real cultural and entertainment point of reference in the capital of Tuscia and in central Italy.
As you well know, the birth of the order of the Knights of the Temple took place in the Holy Land, at the center of the wars between Christian and Islamic forces that broke out after the first crusade of 1096. In that period the roads of the Holy Land were traveled by pilgrims from all over Europe, often attacked and plundered. Around 1118 a small group of knights founded the original nucleus of the Templar order, with the task of ensuring the safety of the numerous European pilgrims who continued to visit Jerusalem. The order was made official in 1128, assuming a monastic rule, thanks to Bernard of Clairvaux.
The Templars and Viterbo, an essential combination, with many points of contact since the origin of the Order, a sort of Templar primogeniture of Viterbo in Europe. All this above all thanks to Pope Eugene III, in exile more than once from Rome to Viterbo. Right here, in 1145, Pope Eugene III, with the bull Militia Deigives the Templar Order the ability to collect tithes, burial taxes and other payments.
In the same year, again from Viterbo, Eugene III, with the bull Quantum Praedecessores, began the second Crusade, as soon as he learned that the Assyrian city of Edessa had fallen into the hands of the fearsome Imad al-Din Zengi who, with the capture of Edessa, he wanted to respond and counter the bewitching preaching action implemented by Bernard of Clairvaux.
In Paris, 2 years later, Eugene III presides over the capitulum general of 130 Knights Templar under the command of Evrard des Barrès. Finished on capitulum general, Eugene III formalizes the adoption of the patent cross as the symbol of the Templars, who already use the patriarchal one, delivered thirty years earlier by Varmond of Picquigny, patriarch of Jerusalem, to the first Templars. The patent cross takes on a particular meaning only among the Knights Templar who adopt it as their emblem.
These and many other stories about the warrior monks, who merge the history of the Knights Templar with myth, can be discovered by visitors on a fascinating journey through time with a visit to the historical-educational museum of the Knights Templar in Viterbo Sotterranea.
www.tesoridietruria.it
