Today in the column Greetings from Kiss Kiss in Good Morning Kiss Kiss we had it live with us Roger Grassottimayor of Vitorchiano, a town in the province of Viterbo.
Vitorchiano It is a village at the foot of the Cimini Mountains that extends towards the Vezza valley. The Lazio town is renowned above all for the extraction and processing of stone pepper and in fact it stands on a fractured bank with slopes overlooking two ditches that come together to make up the Rio Acqua Fredda.
The toponym Vitorchiano should derive from The village of Orclanusa name that would reveal a probable dependence on the site of Norchia in Vetralla, sacred to the Etruscan goddess Norzia.
As regards the origins of the city, it seems that the Vitorchiano cliff was already inhabited during the Bronze Age. It probably was also in Etruscan times and it certainly was Roman castrum and fortified urban center of Tuscia dei Lombards.
Its history has always been influenced by the expansionist policy of Viterbo and when in 1199 Vitorchiano proclaimed its freedom, the village was besieged by Viterbo troops, against whom the help of Roma.
In 1201 the city was liberated, becoming a fief of Rome. In 1232 the militia of Viterbo attacked the town again and devastated it. The village was then fortified with new walls and after years of tense relations with Rome, Vitorchiano submitted.
The Roman Senate names the city Land Faithful to the City, granting tax exemptions and allowing the acronym SPQR to be included in the coat of arms. The most important honor then is to provide men for the Capitoline guard, renamed “faithful of Vitorchiano”.
One of the main curiosities about Vitorchiano is the fact that it hosts a Nicethe only one in the world outside Easter Island. Seven meters high, it was sculpted in 1990 by some natives who arrived for a twinning.
Places of interest in Vitorchiano
- Church of the Holy Trinity: welcomes the urn with the remains of Saint Amazio
- Church of Santa Maria Assunta: it is entirely built in peperino and has a Gothic bell tower
- Town Hall with the clock tower: it dates back to the mid-fifteenth century and next to it you can see a sixteen-metre tower
- Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo: built in 1358, you can admire a rose window on the facade and a bell tower
- Moutan Botanical Centre: fifteen-hectare garden with a collection of peonies and rare herbaceous plants
- Piazza Roma: here stands the Town Hall and the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate
Typical dishes and products of Vitorchiano
Vitorchiano and the entire Tuscia area offer a vast selection of typical products, among which you can appreciate hazelnuts, chestnuts, EVO oil, mushrooms, wine, cured meats and cheeses.
The main dish of the Lazio country is the cavatelli, a type of fresh homemade pasta with water and flour. It is no coincidence that every August the Cavatello Festivalwhere participants can taste cavatelli seasoned with wild fennel sauce.
Another workhorse of Vitorchiano cuisine is la St. Michael’s donutprepared on May 8th to celebrate the local patron saint. The dough for the donut includes water, flour, oil and anise and requires double cooking to make it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
