Easy hikes and walks in Riserva Naturale Provinciale Tuscania

The current Palazzo del Comune of Tuscania overlooks Piazza Basile, between the Church of San Lorenzo and the former Church of Santa Croce, currently home to the Historical Archives and the Municipal Library. Previously, the administrators of the municipality resided in the ancient Palazzo del Rivellino, on the hill of the same name; the structure was so called because it was similar to a fortress. Subsequently, the podestà was transferred first to the palace that today is home to the Teatro Comunale, and then to the current one. The latter is accessed via a beautiful external staircase, which features a bronze plaque in memory of the restoration, in 1912, of the ancient name of the city that had been changed by Boniface VIII to Toscanella. (c) https://www.italiavirtualtour.it/dettaglio_member.php?id=96308

Consecrated in 1333, it was completely renovated in 1838 as documented in the restoration estimate kept in the archives of the church itself and in the related project, which shows the structures of the older church and the changes to be made. Following the collapse of the 1971 earthquake, many structural and decorative elements of the older church have come to light and, thanks to recent restorations, have been highlighted, thus giving us very precise traces of the original Romanesque construction. The façade, decorated with a portal enriched with twisted columns, very similar to that of San Silvestro, has a lunette decorated with a fresco depicting the Madonna with Child and Saints from the 16th century, while the upper rose - octagonal in shape and very modest in construction - seems, according to the mentioned project, to be currently lower than its original location. The interior, with a nave, has a wooden ceiling and trusses supported by pointed arches on a high pier with brackets. As for the depth of the nave, perhaps reduced today, a wall made of tuff blocks with a curved shape, evident in a room located on the back of the terminal wall with which the church ends today, is perhaps an indication of an apse that seems lowered compared to the level of the current church. On the back wall, to the right of the apse, there is a small Gothic ciborium. On the counter-façade, in a niche to the left of the portal, there are some 14th-century frescoes including an Annunciation, a Holy Bishop, Madonna with Child and, above, Eternal Father and Angels. Behind the high altar, in a large niche created in the dividing wall pertaining to the renovation of 1838, there is a 15th-century wooden crucifix from the church of Santa Maria del Riposo, here in temporary storage; on the right are remains of 15th-century frescoes. The 17th-century organ located to the right of the high altar was recently restored. (c) https://www.parrocchietuscania.it/chiesatuscania/chiesa-di-s-marco-2/

The church and the convent belonged to the Augustinian order. The buildings date back to the end of the 13th century and were completely rebuilt in the 18th century. Of the original church, only the single-nave plan remains, with no internal divisions and a rectilinear apse. The façade, which dates back to the 18th century, has a window on the outside. The interior is characterized by Baroque-style altars. In the apse, behind the 18th-century stucco altar, 15th-century frescoes were found. To the right of the entrance, a Renaissance stone arch gives access to the stone Chapel of San Giobbe, with beautiful reliefs. It is also known as the Ludovisi Chapel, named after the client who had it built in 1486. In the apse of the chapel, there is a fresco from the Viterbo school with a carved stone frame that was painted in 1492 and which represents the Ludovisi family in prayer at the sides of a Crucifixion. Next to the church is the building of the former convent of Sant'Agostino characterized by a beautiful cloister, numerous rooms and, on the upper floor, the monks' cells. It is located within the city walls right in the middle of the town. In 1818 it became the seat of the bishop's seminary, then during the Second World War it was used as accommodation for displaced people. Restored together with the church after the 1971 earthquake, it was finally abandoned around 1980. (c) https://www.cassiciaco.it/navigazione/monachesimo/chiese/italia/lazio/tuscania.html

Fontana Grande, also known as the Fontana di San Giacomo, is a stunning 17th-century fountain located in the heart of Tuscania's historic center. It stands prominently in Piazza Domenico Bastianini and was part of a renewal project led by Cardinal Cambara. The fountain's basin, carved from a single block of stone sourced from a nearby quarry, showcases impressive craftsmanship. (c) https://wanderlog.com/place/details/8697871/fontana-grande

Porta di Poggio is one of the entrance gates to the medieval citadel of Tuscania

Ancient fountain located in the heart of the historic center of Tuscania, famous for the seven masks that compose it from which the water flows. The coats of arms of some noble families of the time appear on the structure. In the small square that towards the end of the Middle Ages was the market square, there is the ancient source of the Seven Spouts, also known as the Fontana del Butinale, so called because the water comes out of the mouth of seven masks, the Fountain of the Seven Spouts is the oldest of the cities of Tuscania, of Etruscan-Roman age the fountain was completed in 1309 by the podestà Lorenzo da Guglielmo, to better serve the needs of the city. The source seems to have fed the Roman baths existing near the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. In more recent times it seems to have fed a mill near the small square. (c) https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/fontana-delle-sette-cannelle?ldc

What can be enjoyed today from the medieval walls of Tuscania is one of the most beautiful landscapes of Tuscia.

Beautiful panoramic view of the church of San Pietro. The garden is very well-kept and it is very pleasant to spend a short break there.