Sutri

Take an hour’s drive north towards Viterbo and you will arrive at Sutri, which goes a long way back to the Etruscan period or even before.   Vito told me one day that he had passed through the place on his way to or from somewhere for work, and reminded himself that it was just the kind of place that I would like.  He was quite right too.  From the moment you arrive you are confronted with unusual fascinating sights, like this for example.

 They are tombs, 64 in total, hollowed out of the tuff, (the product of a volcanic explosion) and are believed to date back to ancient Roman times.  These tombs were plundered during the Middle Ages, and over the years have been used for many other purposes such as stables!  Nonetheless it is quite clear from their appearance what their original purpose was. 

Now the cliff where the tombs are situated, (which can be quite clearly seen from the road), are set behind a green space used as a park, where you can picnic at tables set out for the purpose under the shade of old trees. Further along the road you will come to an old Amphitheatre, again dating back to Roman times.  This one is unusual in that it is carved entirely from the same volcanic rock as the tombs, and probably

dates back to the end of the 2^nd Century B.C. to 1^st Century A.D. 

Up to 9,000 people could be accommodated there. 

Of course no place in Italy would be complete without a Borgo, and Sutri is no exception.  Here pilgrims made their final stop on their way to Rome in the Middle Ages entering through the gate.  There is a large open square and plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from.

Be careful if you ever go there though to check the prices BEFORE you order. We ended up waiting literally hours for two mouthfuls of absolutely delicious food and a bottle of water, the combined price of which would have made us choke if we had had enough to eat in the first place.

The Borgo had a old run down charm to it, although it is lived in.

I also noticed this unusual balcony that I’ve never seen in any other borgo.

There are other places to see there too, such as the Etruscan tomb/temple dedicated to the god Mithras (or sub machine guns if you prefer the Google translated version) as well as churches with notable paintings.  However Vito and I never got that far, but I think there is plenty there to suit all tastes. 

All in all an enjoyable day trip out of Rome if you want to see something a bit different.          

If you want to read up a bit more about Sutri follow the link here.