Viterbo is known as "the city of the popes": in 1268-71, its Papal Palace hosted the longest conclave in the history of the Church — the event that gave the word "conclave" its meaning (from the Latin cum clave, "with a key"). The medieval San Pellegrino quarter, with its towers, peperino-stone palaces and 14th-century profferli — external staircases leading to the upper floor — is among the best preserved in Italy: Via San Pellegrino leads to the square of the same name, dominated by Palazzo degli Alessandri, and this is the area where the city's medieval character comes through most clearly, especially if you wander the side streets too.
The Palazzo dei Papi
The palace grew out of an expansion of the bishop's residence to host Pope Alexander IV. The Loggia delle Benedizioni (Loggia of Blessings), with its pointed arches, is one of the city's iconic images. The visit route includes the Aula del Conclave (Conclave Hall) and connects to the Museo Colle del Duomo and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, just steps away on Piazza San Lorenzo.
Two thousand years of thermal springs
Viterbo sits on volcanic ground, which produces an unusually dense cluster of thermal springs: from Bullicame, the natural pool mentioned by Dante, to the free open-air Piscine Carletti, to the large organised complex of Terme dei Papi, with its monumental pool, Natural Grotto and wellness treatments.
Santa Rosa, a Unesco heritage
Viterbo is the birthplace of Santa Rosa, its patron saint, celebrated every 3 September with the "Macchina di Santa Rosa": a roughly 30-metre illuminated tower carried on the shoulders of about 100 bearers through the historic centre. The tradition is recognised by Unesco as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
