And Now Ya Know! .... A Little Bit About Viterbo!

Just writing about Viterbo was a little complicated, so I covered probably a little bit more than necessary.  No person is an island, and no city is either (well, figuratively, that is).  So I wrote up a brief little summary of Viterbo, and a brief description of where and whom I will be staying with.  I leave on the 29^th of August… oh wait, that’s Wednesday.  So, I guess I leave on Wednesday… goodness how time does fly.  My flight departs at 7:53 a.m. from the Boise Airport (and yes, the time was that specific… I’m surprised they didn’t add the seconds…) Anyhow, let’s cut to the point… here is a brief summary of Viterbo!

Lazio, one of the 20  regions of Italy.

 One thing that I thought was especially interesting about Italy was that it became a unified country only in 1861, which makes Italy as an established country relatively new in comparison to the United States.  The significance of this fact is that despite the Italian’s robust stereotype of national patriotism, many of the customs and heritage of its people are more so regionally based.  This made me all the more excited to find out exactly what sets the region of Lazio, and more specifically, Viterbo, the city that I will be staying in for four months, apart from the rest.

Though I can’t point it out from research alone, I expect it to have something to do with its unique and diverse array of historical architecture and cultural antiquities that Viterbo hosts, one of the more famous cities in the region.  Viterbo was the center of the ancient Etruscan civilization, and later, a Roman town.  And coming into the middle ages, it became a refuge for popes during the disputes over Papal authority in Rome.  This is when the construction of the Papal Palace was commissioned to house the Papal Curia, the official governance of the Roman Catholic Church.  Surprisingly enough, during these Papal disputes, Viterbo was a much more prosperous city than Rome.  Though I could probably write an entire book on the history of Viterbo, as its history spans all the way back to the eighth century, this blog is unfortunately not cut out for such an endeavor.

Today though, the city is simply a relic of its diverse and oftentimes complex past.  From fountains and palaces to churches and the famous San Pellegrino quarter, one of the best preserved in Italy, the city is not one to disappoint. It has all the character of Italy: narrow lanes, arches, towering medieval buildings, yet a small town vibe and liveliness.  And if the man made isn’t enough, right outside of the city walls you can visit an array of natural hot springs that were famous even in ancient times.

And the funny thing is, I haven’t even been here yet.  Let’s hope it’s all it says it’ll be… though my doubts are somewhat miniscule.  Well, before I forget, let me do a brush up on the geological location. 

       Italy!  You can see Viterbo is located right to the
Northwest of Rome.  Just click to magnify.

If you have no clue where Viterbo is (which I at one point had no clue either), you can find it by first locating Rome, which is in central Italy.  From there it is just 40 miles Northwest, which translates into about a 2-hour train ride.  It isn’t on most maps, because the city is fairly small, only home to about 65,000.  It is surrounded by a stone wall, and is a part of a historical region known as Tuscia.  Tuscia is a loosely define area which includes southern territories of Italy that were under Etruscan influence.

In Viterbo I will be living with a host mom in an apartment just a 10-minute walk from the school I will be attending, Tuscia University, along with another American student.  I have heard my host mother is a superb Italian cook- something I can’t be more excited about!  I was able to communicate with her a bit through e-mail and she even has a little dog that she says is just like a daughter, now that her two children have moved out of the house (though they live just 2 hours away in Rome).  I’m excited to meet my small Italian family and to taste the best of Italian cooking.