ising above Via Cassia – an important consular road back in the days of the Roman Empire – just about midway between the Eternal City and Viterbo, sits the impressive and ancient hill town of Sutri.

Noted for its precious archeological finds covering the Bronze, Etruscan, Roman and Middle Ages, Sutri waves the orange flag of the Italian Touring Club, symbolic of the town's high-quality, environmentally sound tourism. It goes without saying that Sutri's treasure trove of priceless antiquities is the major draw for this community of 5,000 residents.

Courtyard of the Palazzo del Commune, Sutri, Lazio, Italy

With a documented history of over 2,500 years, Sutrium, as it was originally called, includes from its past: an excavated Roman amphitheatre; an Etruscan necropolis with dozens of rock-cut tombs; a Mithraeum – a secretive place of worship for practitioners of the ancient Persian-based mystery religion of Mithraism; the Church of the Madonna del Parto, cut into the cliff rock and utilizing one of the many Etruscan tombs; and, the ornate Romanesque Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

Map of the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. Photo courtesy the EU Cultural Council.

Not to be overlooked, Sutri was also a popular rest stop during the Middle Ages for millions of sandal-clad religious pilgrims making their way from up north to the Holy See in the south along the Via Francigena (the road from France) – the Italian portion of a series of roads and trails that actually stretched from far-away Canterbury in England, across the Channel into France, over to Switzerland, and eventually into Italy and down to Rome.

Truly, Via Francigena gives credence to the age-old saying, "All roads lead to Rome."

In 994 AD, Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, documented all 80 stages of his 1,700 km (1,100 mi) return trip from his pilgrimage to the Holy See. It was Sutri that served as the Archbishop's third stage rest stop along the Via Francigena route back home to Canterbury – no doubt a winding and arduous journey with many a tale told along the way to pass the time.

Main clock tower and pedestrian passageway in Piazza del Commune,
Sutri, Lazio, Italy

Like that popular U.S. discount motel chain, Sutri, back in its heyday, probably "left the lantern on" for those countless groups of pilgrims needing a comfortable place to stay along Via Francigena.

If You Go

Passageway into Piazza del Commune

To plan your own pilgrimage walk, ride or drive along Via Francigena, or to investigate further this famous trail, just log on to the following English language site:
http://www.viefrancigene.org/en/

For complete, up-to-date tourist information and events planned in and around Sutri, visit the local tourist office – sorry, only in Italian – the Sutri Proloco Association at: http://www.prolocosutri.it/web/index.php?lng=it

Under the canopies, Trattoria La Taverna

Recommended dining at La Taverna, just off Piazza del Commune at 1 Via San Francesco, tel. +39 0761-600131. An open-hearth grill greets you as soon as you enter this elegant little trattoria indicating grilled meats are the house specialties, and they are. Open with the local favorite, porcini mushroom soup with bruschetta, followed by a choice of grilled beef, pork, chicken, veal or lamb, or a sampler of all the meats and poultry. An array of fixed priced, three-course lunches, including wine, mineral water and caffe' cost approximately 20 euro each ($26 USD). La Taverna is closed on Mondays.

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Civita di Bagnoregio; Vicenza: The City of Palladio; Basilica Palladiana; Riviera di Ulisse; The Little Village Atop the Hill (Castelluccio di Norcia); Norcia, Umbria; Cape of Circeo, Italy; Piovene Rocchette, Italy; Northern Italy; Tuscany;