Vitorchiano

Italy is divided in many ways. First, the country is divided into regions which are essentially states. Viterbo is part of Latium. Each region is made up of provinces. The city of Viterbo is the provincial capital of the province of Viterbo. Then, of course, there is the city or town you live in within the province, which is, of course, Viterbo.

Beyond civic divisions, there are also other descriptive names for different parts of  Italy. In that way, the immediate area around Viterbo is known as Tuscia. We are deep in the area which was originally populated by the Etruscans. Our friends, the H-Ps, found a small book left in the apartment they live in by some previous SYA occupant. It details all of the little towns in the area, highlights what you can see, and indicates driving routes and distances from Viterbo. After our recent luck in locating the park on Monte Cimini and finding Tuscania, we decided to be more deliberate in exploring the area where we live. To that end, we found a period of sunshine and headed off to Vitorchiano, a small town about 10 km ENE of Viterbo.

The centro storico is a limited access walled city, perched on a rocky outcrop. Given the narrow, winding roads within the walls it is easy to see why there are few cars allowed. Vitorchiano is historically interesting in that it remained extremely loyal to Rome, even in the face of strong adversaries all around. The fountain in the middle of town, dedicated to four saints displays a prominent SPQR while everything in Viterbo is marked SPQV.

My brief impression of Vitorchiano is cats and flowers. Unlike in Viterbo, residents have introduced green into the grey stone surroundings by extensive garden boxes.

The cats are everywhere. The only place I have seen a comparable number of wandering cats was in Civita di Bagnoreggio. You get the feeling they weren’t really feral. They seemed to be reasonably well cared for. They were just outdoor kitties. This shot of a little black boy sized just about right to fit in the palm of your hand almost earned him a ride home to Viterbo.