The region of Lazio is located between Tuscany and Umbria to the North, Abruzzo to the East and Campania (the region of Naples) to the south, along the Tyrrhenian coast of Central Italy.
The northern part was the cradle of the Etruscans and, after the Roman domination, land of origin of some Popes that let significant signs of their power and magnificence.
The South, in large part swampy till the beginning of the 20th Century, was inhabited only on the hills close to Rome, the so called Castelli Romani (Roman Castles), all remaining lands being very poor and insalubrious, except the immediate coast. In general the whole Lazio was in the past time a poor land scarcely productive except the extreme Northern part, but Rome, the Aeternal city let the whole Region being the centre of the Roman Empire.
Today the Vatican and Rome make of Lazio a favourite first destination of the tourists that, after visiting Rome, move to Tuscany and other destinations in Italy.
The largest part of the population of the whole region live in Rome, or works there living in the mild country, in a ray of 40 km from the centre.
The whole Region is rich of surprises and well kept secrets, a land "off the beaten tracks".
A great surprices for the wayfarer will be the green territory North of Rome, mostly plain and hilly, with 5 beautiful and umpolluted lakes of volcanic origins. In the district of Viterbo, splendid exemples of Medieval towns and villages such as Sutri, Caprarola, Ronciglione and, close to Rome, Trevignano and Anguillara on the coat of the Bracciano lake; Renaissance Palaces with beautiful Italian gardens such as the Farnese palace of Caprarola and villa Lante of Bagnaia; The mountainous district of Rieti, land of imposing Abbeys and finally the splendid sandy and bare rocky beaches running in the South from Terracina to the border of Campania (the Region of Naples).