Villa Lante

Built in the 13th century in Romanesque-Gothic style, this church was completely destroyed by bombs in 1944. It was reconstructed in 1953. There is the superb mausoleum of Pope Hadrian V, who died in Viterbo in 1276 and the mausoleum of Pope Clement IV, who died in Viterbo in 1268. There are also remains of the tomb of the so-called “Pope-of-one-day”, Cardinal Vicedomino Vicedomini, who would have become Gregory XI, if he had not died the night after his election.

This castle was destroyed by the bombings in 1944. It took over a century to build and was finally completed in 1462. The Rocca Albornoz houses a national archeological museum (Museo Nazionale) with a permanent exhibition on Etruscan and other cultures.

This is one of the most ancient churches in Viterbo, built in 1080 on the remains of a temple. Externally, on the left, there is a pulpit on a column, from where St. Thomas Aquinas preached. The church has a wide range of Viterbese frescoes and paintings from between the 14th and the 16th centuries. In the apse of the left aisle there is a precious tryptych from 1180 painted on leather with the effigy of Christ.

This used to be the bishop’s residence but was enlarged for the popes. It was the papal seat between 1257 and 1281 and hosted six popes. It was the site of the first Papal Conclave when the local people got so fed up with the cardinals taking too long to elect a pope that they locked them all in until they came to a decision. The practice continues to this day in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

The cathedral dates back to the 12th century but the façade is 16th century and the tower 14th. There is a tomb for Pope John XXI. Pope Alexander IV was also buried there but his tomb was unaccountably destroyed during 16th-century renovations. According to legend the cathedral was built on the site of an Etruscan temple to Hercules.