​B & B
il Glicine - Sutri

​OUR FACILITY

​WHAT TO SEE

​V​isiting the village of Sutri, located in the “Tuscia” (a Viterbo district’s area), means travelling several centuries back in time. The appellative “Antichissima” (“very ancient”), given to Sutri from Pope Innocence the Third, already gives an idea of the historical importance of this small village, built on the top of a tuff hill.
We are talking about a village that was considered the entrance door to the Etruscan Empire and that during Medieval Times was a privileged trading point, considering its position in the center part of the country.
There are many ancient finds, that are perfectly preserved, and that are easy to see if you visit the ruins of the Archeological Park or the Civic Musem.
Very close to the city of Rome, that is only 50Km away, you can still find a pristine place that seems frozen in time, where it feels like every rock and stone could tell a story that belongs to the past and that is extremely fascinating.

In 2019 Sutri was in the list of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. 

Sutri was called “Antichissima” (“Very ancient”) not only because its origins belong to the Bronze Era but also because, from then, this village was always populated, in a succession of great civilizations that made of it a very important vital point in the center of Italy.
According to the legend, Sutri was founded by Saturn from whom its original name comes from: “Sutrium”:
the emblem of the village represents, in fact, the God riding a horse and that holds three ears of wheat, symbol of fecundity and abundance.
The small town developed during the Etruscan Era until the year 383 b.C., when it was conquered from the Roman Empire, becoming a very strategic military point. After the falling of the Roman Empire, between the 5th and the 8th century, Sutri was disputed by Lombards and Byzantines, until the year 728 a.C. when Liutprando, the Lombards’ King, donated the property of the village and its surroundings to Pope Gregory the Second. From then, Sutri became a very important episcopal venue, marking the beginning of a
temporary domination from the Church that lasted until the year 1870.

​​The Necropolis in Sutri​

​There is a very small number of villages that still owns a real Etruscan Necropolis that is still perfectly preserved. 
Sutri is amongst them and offers to the visitors a various range of different tombs, like, for example, the ones called “Chamber Tombs”, which are big and magnificent, very popular during the
Etruscan period because they were a symbol of power and prestige. 
There are also the “Niche Tombs”, in which the body was buried with all its belongings, believing that they could be of use to the dead in the afterlife. Many of their defuncts were cremated, a very common practice during those times, therefore we mostly could find only some ceremonial urns. 

This agglomerate of tombs are placed in a very beautiful and suggestive archeological park that covers about 7 square hectars around the whole village. It’s a great place to go for a walk and enjoy some bucolic time.

​The Roman Amphitheater

​We all had to wait until the late 1800 for the Roman Amphiteater to reveal itself to us. Its shape reminds of the typical amphiteaters that we can find in Rome, but its size is way smaller. 
Digging in the tuff we could find a very fascinating wonder, that could fit up to 5000 guests on top of its big and comfortable stairs, which are placed all along the circumference of the building. 

The elliptical shape was ideal for horses and carts races and as well for gladiators and animals fights. 

Etruscans were influenced very much from the Romans traditions and practices, even though it is believed that the Etruscans were the ones to give the basis to the glorious army that conquered the whole European
continent.

​The Mithraeum

​The Etruscans used to worship the god Mithrae, and close to the Amphitheater they built a temple where they could go and pray. 
It is possible to reach it walking along the tracked path you can find in the park and to access you need the permission of the staff that works there, which will help to visit the site, organizing the entrance to small groups of people at a time. 

To visit inside the Mithraeum it is a worthwhile experience, since the visitor can admire early Christian mosaics and paintings, portraying the god Mithrae but also every-day-life scenes as hunting or fishing trips.

​Villa Savorelli and its Italian style Garden


After visiting the Mithraeum, if you keep walking, you can find a road that goes uphill, and, at the end of it, you will see a gorgeous Villa, built in the 1800s, surrounded by a big Italian-style garden that is perfectly looked after. 
The garden has a various range of fruit trees and flowers that are really beautiful to see all year long thanks to their characteristic colourful bloomings. 
The Villa has really suggestive interiors. It is well decorated in every room with paintings and precious tapestries. Surrounding the Villa and its garden you can visit the “Sacred Woods” walking downhill on a road that leads to the main entrance of the Amphitheater and gets you to the end of the route of the park. 
Before getting out the park don’t forget to visit the Villa and admire its classic facade and its sumptuous interior. 
Close to the Villa you can also find “Santa Maria del Monte”’s church, the private church of the noble family that used to live in the Villa.

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