Discover Caprarola

Caprarola is a comune of about 5,100 people in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, set in the range of volcanic hills known as the Cimini.

It stands on the southern slope of the Monti Cimini, east of Lake Vico, perched on a tufa spur and positioned between the old consular roads — now state roads — of the Cassia and the Flaminia. Monte Fogliano rises within its territory.

The town is home to the large Renaissance villa that dominates the surrounding countryside: the Villa Farnese, not to be confused with the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. It was initially built as a fortress, since the town and its surroundings were a fief of the House of Farnese, begun by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the elder in 1530 to a project by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. After only four years the project came to a halt, when the cardinal was elected pope in 1534 under the name Paul III.

Its name is pastoral and unglamorous. The toponym derives from the Latin Capreae, marking the numerous goats here, and presumably from the dialect word Rola, indicating the place with stalls where shepherds sheltered their flocks.

The quality of the place is recognised beyond Italy: in 1995 its beauty made it the subject of studies by Prince Charles's School of Architecture.

What is Caprarola known for? The Villa Farnese, a large Renaissance mansion that dominates the surrounding countryside — not to be confused with the Palazzo Farnese in Rome.

Who built the villa, and when? Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the elder began it in 1530, to a project by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. It was initially built as a fortress.

Why did the work stop? After only four years the project came to a halt, when the cardinal was elected pope in 1534 under the name Paul III.

Where does the name come from? From the Latin Capreae, for the many goats here, and presumably from the dialect word Rola, the place with stalls where shepherds sheltered their flocks.

How old is the town? Younger than you would expect in Etruria. The first notices of stable settlement date to around the eleventh century, because the Monti Cimini — anciently the Selva Cimina — were considered impervious and impenetrable.

Where exactly is it? On the southern slope of the Monti Cimini, east of Lake Vico, on a tufa spur between the Cassia and the Flaminia.

How do I get there? By road. There is no railway in the town; Viterbo is the nearest rail hub, with buses onward.

Have I seen it on screen? Probably. The villa has been a location for Medici: Masters of Florence, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Two Popes.

What happened here in the war? After 8 September 1943 and the German occupation, the twenty-four members of the Roman Jewish Veneziano family took refuge in the town. Hosted by the Brunetti family, they had eight months of solidarity from many inhabitants and the local authorities until the Liberation; on 27 January 2005 Roberto and Maria Brunetti were named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

Is it cold? Colder than most of Lazio — climate zone E, with 2,343 degree-days.

What should I pair it with? Bomarzo's Sacred Grove, which may have been conceived as a foil to precisely this sort of Renaissance symmetry.