When you get to Viterbo, already at the parking lot you are left breathless. Because up there, proud and silent, there Lodge of Blessingsjewel of 18th centurythe scene suddenly takes over and you can’t help but stare at it in a daze as if you were in a different place than you expected.
And when you realize that it’s not a style contraption Eurodisneybut of one of the many wonders of a fascinating past like the Middle Ages that await you at every corner of the historic center of Viterbo, then you’ll feel the frenzy of diving into them alleys, small squares, houses, arches, churches and go back through the centuries to be able to relive and savor the magic of a time that seems eager to reveal its secrets.
The San Pellegrino district, the squares and the buildings
The neighborhood of San Pellegrinowhich dates back to two-hundred and it is heritage of UNESCOThe Cathedralthe Cathedral of San Lorenzobuilt in the 12th century with a wonderful Cosmatesque style floor, the Palace of the Popeswhere the longest conclave in history was held (it lasted 33 months).
And then Piazza S. Lorenzo, Piazza della Morte, Piazza del Gesùthe civic and social hub of Viterbo, the place where justice was administered and citizens gathered. The market was also organized there, supervised by the small church of Saint Sylvester from the 11th centuryknown for the terrible killing by the brothers Monfort Of Henry of Cornwallking’s cousin Edward I of England.
An incredible world is hidden in the heart of Viterbo
But in addition to many well-known places, there is a lesser-known one that is worth visiting because it holds quite a few surprises.
It’s about the Underground Viterbo, a network of tunnels with a total length of up to seven kilometers that extend under the historic center and lead beyond the city walls. For now the only practicable stretch of the underground runs for about a hundred meters on two levels below Death Squarerespectively a 3 and 10 meters deep.
The path is completely dug in tuffa volcanic rock that characterizes the current landscape of Tuscia. The origin of the tunnels is controversial. According to some accredited theories, put forward by scholars and archaeologists, the first cut in the tuff could even date back to the Etruscans. At that time, the structure was probably used as a hydraulic systema way to collect and channel rain and river water, and then sort it where necessary through a dense network of tunnels.
A labyrinth of secret passages
It’s during the period medieval that these places took on their current shape: raised, widened and lengthened, the underground tunnels became an authentic labyrinth made of secret passages which served to connect the key and strategic structures of Viterbo. Furthermore, the tunnels led to all the main exits of the city and ensured an escape route for the people of Viterbo in case of danger you hate siege.
More recently brigands exploited the underground for their shady business and during the Second World War they became air raid shelters during the bombings.
Entering one of these tunnels, into the bowels of the earth, is an incredible experience.
You do it in the light of a torch, with your shoulders rubbing the damp walls, but you are attacked by a darkness that freezes your veins and by an ancient silence that enters your brain and absorbs your thoughts.
There is enough space for you to eventually turn around and head back towards the light of the main gallery.
A millennium in a few steps
In a few steps you cross millennia of history beaten by the pickaxes of the Etruscans which alternate with the soft sound of your shoes sinking into the ground and you return to the 21st centuryin a large underground room where the city’s inhabitants took refuge and lived during the bombings of the Second World War.
And then the inevitable esoteric goldthe rites of the Templars modern works carried out in a depression in the floor where, it seems, a particular energy is released, i symbols engraved on the walls, the cross, the overturned chalicea mystical atmosphere that combines with the humidity of the place and the fascinating events of a city with a thousand faces that never ceases to fascinate you.
