Self guided tour to Tuscania in the North Lazio Region of Italy

TUSCANIA

In the old town

A small town completely encircled by massive cyclopic walls with high towers, full of imposing churches, palaces and regular streets with ancient mansions and shops, manifestly a very rich place since a remote past, Tuscania was
- a powerful Etruscan town from the

VIII cent. B.C., flourishing in the IV and III centuries, then
- Roman town from the III cent. B.C.,
- Medieval center and important diocese with center in the Episcopalian palace on the S.Pietro's hill, from VI to XII century.
- Free Common in the XII and XIV centuries.
Dominion at the end of the XIV and to the beginning of the XV century, it decayed to modest, but illustrious, center of the Pontifical State in the XVI century, rich of history up to the beginnings of the XX century, when the urbanistic expansion took back even leaving unchanged the Medieval plant.
In the 1971 an earthquake damaged seriously the historical center, for succefful restauration.

Its name was Tuscana in classical epoch; it was hanged in Toscanella during the Middle Age. Tuscania from the 1911.Near the town, particularly along rivers, there are many Etruscan and Roman necropolis, with Etruscan tombs that has returned many things of Curunas family (IV- II cent. B.C.), now in show, with furnishings, inside Archaeological National Museum of S.Maria del Riposo (XV cent.).

In the Medieval historical center the beautiful Roman basilica of San Pietro (VIII-XI-XIII cent., at left) stands on the old Etruscan acropolis, and has a 13th century façade with symbols of the Evangelists. The interior has massive 11th century columns with beautiful capitals and decorative pavings.

A second church, Santa Maria Maggiore (VIII-XII cent., at right), now out of the inhabited area and completely surrounded from his boundaries, is also worth seeing. The interior was rebuilt with fragments from the 8th, 9th, and 12th centuries. It was center of the free Common of the Guilds (XII- XIII cent.) and subsequently of the Podesta (XIII- XIV- XV cent.).In the historical center, to be visited also the churches of S.Maria of the Rose (XIV cent.), S.Marco (XIV cent.), S.Silvestro (XIII cent.), S.Giacomo (Cathedral, XVI cent.) and S.Francesco (XIV cent.) with De Sparapane's chapel; the fountains of Sette Cannelle (1309), Poggio (1621), Montascide (1623), etc.
Other: Town hall's square with Etruscan's sarcophagi , the park of "Torre di Lavello" and other.