Lazio is geographically placed on the western half of central Italy and is made up of the provinces of Rome (look under Rome in the previous section), Viterbo, Rieti, Frosinone and Latina. A major port of call on the Grand Tour, it is fast regaining its place on the map after having been neglected in favour of Tuscany and Umbria in the more recent past.
Northern Lazio was home to ancient Etruria and is dotted with important archaeological sites. The university town of Viterbo was the papal residence until the XIVth century. Rieti, with its beautiful countryside known as the Sabina, extends eastwards to the Appenines and the mountain resort of the Terminillo, where skiing is possible in winter.
In Central Lazio, the heart of the Roman Empire, lies Italy’s capital, Rome and the Vatican State, both World Heritage Sites, rich in architecture, ancient monuments and archaeological remains.
In the immediate environs are Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman trading town on the western coast and Tivoli, just east of the city, with Villa Adriana and the delightful gardens and fountains of Villa d’Este. Within easy reach of Rome are Frascati and the Castelli Romani, with their renaissance and baroque villas, testimony to the flourishing lifestyle of rich Romans, who would escape from the heat and bustle of the capital, Rome, to the cooler heights of the Colli Albani (Alban Hills).
Southern Lazio includes innumerable, historic places in the area known as Ciociaria in the province of Frosinone: the spa town of Fiuggi and the medieval towns of Anagni and Alatri, to name but a few. Latina, founded on what were previously the wild marshlands of the Pontine Plain, is close to the well known coastal resorts of S. Felice Circeo, Sabaudia and Anzio. |
