Nestled among the gentle hills of Tuscia, about 20 kilometers from our hotel, Sutri is a fascinating village that preserves millennia of history. It is part of the prestigious club “I Borghi più Belli d’Italia” (The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy) and has received the Orange Flag from the Italian Touring Club, a recognition reserved for small inland centers that stand out for the quality of hospitality, environmental sustainability, and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage. But that’s not all: it is crossed by important historical and spiritual routes such as the Via Francigena, the Romea Strata, and the Via Romea Germanica, which make it a destination of great relevance for travelers, pilgrims, and history enthusiasts. Sutri represents an unmissable stop for those who wish to immerse themselves in the authentic atmosphere of central Italy, far from mass tourism routes.
It boasts ancient roots as demonstrated by the countless testimonies of its past. Although documented since the Bronze Age (10th century BC), the origins of Sutri remain shrouded in myth. Its foundation is attributed to the Pelasgians, an ancient people of navigators from the East, or, according to legend, to the god Saturn, who, in the municipal coat of arms, is depicted on horseback, with three ears of wheat in hand symbolizing the fertility of the surrounding lands. Through the centuries, Sutri has experienced moments of great splendor. Very flourishing from the period of Etruscan domination, it was a Roman municipality, episcopal seat since the 5th century, and theater of crucial events during the Middle Ages. In 728, the Lombard king Liutprand donated the city to Pope Gregory II with the famous Donation of Sutri, an act that marked the beginning of the temporal dominion of the Church.
To immerse yourself in its millennial past, you just need to enter the Regional Park of the Ancient City of Sutri, a protected area established in 1988 that extends over about 7 hectares. Despite its small size, it is one of the most evocative places in Lazio, where history and nature merge in a context of extraordinary beauty. The park includes several monuments and buildings of historical-archaeological relevance, of which the most iconic is undoubtedly the imposing Roman amphitheater. Elliptical in shape and structured with three tiers of seating, it could hold over seven thousand people. Its peculiarity is that it was not built, but carved into the tuff. Among the other treasures of the park are: a necropolis in use from the 1st century BC to the 3rd-4th century AD, which has about sixty tombs carved in tuff; the small votive chapel of the Madonna del Parto, also carved in tuff, which before becoming a Christian place of worship with the Lombards, was a Mithraeum; and the eighteenth-century Villa Savorelli, an elegant historic residence with an Italian garden.
Surrounded by remains of the medieval walls with some ancient gates, the historic center of Sutri presents itself as a characteristic tuff settlement. Houses with dark roofs, Roman fragments embedded among the walls of more recent dwellings, medieval decorations on portals, and small artisan shops characterize the narrow streets that wind through the town. The beating heart of the village is the sunny Piazza del Comune, animated by a continuous coming and going between bars and restaurants. The square, overlooked by the Town Hall, is embellished by the eighteenth-century clock tower and a monumental marble fountain, built in the 20th century to replace a previous one from 1722, the work of architect Filippo Barigioni.
A few steps from Piazza del Comune is Piazza del Duomo, where the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta shines, the main religious building of the village. Dating back to the 12th century and consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1207, it has been remodeled several times over time. Inside, the eye is immediately drawn to the ancient Cosmatesque floor with marble tiles, two Roman-era columns incorporated into the presbytery, and, on the lower floor, the Lombard-era crypt, with naves marked by three series of columns and tuff cross vaults. Next to the cathedral is the entrance to the Palazzo Doebbing Museum. It is housed in the former bishop’s palace and takes its name from Joseph Bernard Doebbing, bishop of Sutri from 1900 to 1916. It hosts temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection of ancient art and sacred art, whose centerpiece is the splendid Ephebe from the 1st century AD.
Among other things to see in Sutri are: the Church of San Francesco, founded by the saint of Assisi himself in 1222, with sixteenth-century additions of considerable merit, including the beautiful bell gable; the Church of San Silvestro, which preserves a beautiful Roman-era altar and a sixteenth-century deposition of exquisite workmanship; the Municipal Antiquarium, set up in the Palazzo della Comunità di Sutri, which collects numerous historical testimonies relating to Sutri and its territory; and the ancient washhouse, framed by the alleys of the center.
Sutri is 20 km from Bracciano. Our hotel is the perfect base for exploring the villages of Tuscia: Sutri, Viterbo, Calcata, all reachable in a day. You return in the evening to the historic center, close to restaurants and the lake.
