Villa Lante and Viterbo

Yesterday I took a day trip the Villa Lante in Bagnania and to the town of Viterbo.

The Villa Lante is home to Renaissance gardens, and it was so nice to get out of the city for a day to enjoy "the most lovely place of physical beauty of nature in all Italy..." It's filled with fountains, small waterfalls, trees, and flowers. It really is beautiful.

Viterbo is a medieval town that rivaled Rome during the 13th century. Indeed, it used to be the geographical center of the Catholic Church, and served as the pope's residence for several generations. It now feels a bit like a ghost town, but you can still see its palaces, fountains and medieval churches and it's all within an intact set of medieval walls.