The best road cycling routes in Sic Monte Romano

The present basilica is the result of an architectural path started in the Roman period. There is certain evidence of St. Maria Church in Pope Leone IV privilege written around the year 850. This church preserves the body of the Blessed Flaviano Martyr, with his house and village. Unfortunately, the few architectural traces of this primitive building do not allow us to make a hypothesis on its shape and size. There is proof of a Carolingian presbytery decor from some fragments of a pluteo, a hurdle or a ciborium, found during some restoration works. In 1032 the little church of St. Maria and its ruins were completely rebuilt and dedicated to the Martyr Flaviano. An inscription set on the inside facade wall informs us about this event. The original construction displayed some particular architectural solutions. It combined, in fact, a rare balance, the two morfological tendences of the Romanesque architecture, that is, the Basilica longitudinal plan with three naves and an outer rectangular perime-ter and the radial one with a centralised plan used for the Baptistery, both in the inner plan which has largely an ovoid shape and by the apses and in the typical pseudo matroneum devel-oping as a perimeter ambulatory. Consideration has to be given to the position of the church along the sacred itinerary of the Pilgrimages. The building was situated, in fact, at the confluence of various Roman roads amongst which were those linking with Bologna and Forli. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, they added an extension to the Romanesq church creating a prolongation of two gothic pillars and their relative spans and a new faca This successful grafting of the fourteenth century building may be easily seen in the wall str ture of the building while you may see the chronology of the previous developments. chapel Defuk's tomb has been placed, the famous character who gave fame to the Est! Est! Est!!! wine, considered for centuries as the best white wine in Italy.

Beautiful cycle path on the Via Francigena towards Rome. The path continues across the Cassia under hazelnut groves.

From here you enter the oldest part of Tarquinia, in the small square with the splendid Romanesque Church of Santa Maria in Castello.

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

The dome of the church of Montefiascone is visible from afar and is a beautiful architecture that mimics the dome of St. Peter's which is exactly 100 km away. Montefiascone is on the Via Francigena.

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.

Beautiful tower in the center of Tuscania just outside the park of the same name.

The municipality of Vetralla (province of Viterbo, Lazio) is located along the Via Francigena at 300 meters above sea level. Known for its characteristic medieval village and the forests of the Cimini Mountains - the green lung of Tuscia - it is a land of important Etruscan, Roman and barbarian settlements and has a rich artistic and archaeological heritage.