9 Beautiful Medieval Towns Hidden Near Rome

The perfect 3 days in the Lazio region 🇮🇹 All roads lead to Rome!

One of the most beautiful and yet underrated regions of Italy is Lazio, the are surrounding Rome. Peppered with hilltop medieval villages, Roman ruins, and plenty of history, in this travel guide we'll trace the 5 historic pilgrim routes which run from various corners in Europe, culminating in Rome.

We'll begin our visit to Lazio by exploring the town of Sutri, a stunning town known for its Etruscan tombs, ancient Roman amphitheatre, and charming town centre. Then we'll head to Viterbo, one of the closest starting points to Rome from which pilgrims can depart and still receive their Testimonium (official certificate of completion). To end the day we'll head to Civita di Bagnoregio, one of the most iconic villages in Italy and a destination that's quite literally crumbling into the valley below.

The next day we'll begin our time on the Via di Francesco. Rieti Valley is often referred to as the Holy Valley thanks to the fact that Saint Francis of Assisi spent large swathes of time in the area between 1209 and 1223. On the way out of the town we'll pass by La Foresta, one of the four sanctuaries established by Saint Francis.

We'll then head to Labro. Glimpses from the path on the way up to Labro reveal one of the most striking villages in Italy: houses quite literally cling to a conically shaped hill and everything is made entirely out of stone. We'll then head to Greccio, which is twinned with Bethlehem. After we'll carry on our exploration of the pilgrim routes by heading to the hill town town of Rocca Sinibalda before ending our day at Castel di Tora, which is listed among the most beautiful villages of Italy.

Eventually the varying pathways converge on Rome, at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to be precise. We'll end our road trip at Monte Mario, a 140 metre high hill within Rome which was often referred to as Mons Gaudii (mountain of joy) during the Middle Ages as it would have been (and still is) a pilgrim’s first look of Rome after months of travelling.