Sutri
Discover Sutri
A concise introduction to Sutri, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
Sutri is a comune of about 6,800 people in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. It rises on an imposing relief of tufa that dominates the Via Cassia, and it is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Its past is unusually visible, and almost all of it is cut into the rock. The town has a Roman amphitheatre completely excavated out of the tufa; an Etruscan necropolis of dozens of tombs, likewise cut into the tufa; Etruscan walls incorporated into the medieval ones; a Mithraeum later converted into a church, dedicated to the Madonna del Parto; and a Duomo of Romanesque origin.
Its place in European history is larger than its size suggests. In 728 the Lombard king Liutprand offered the city and the surrounding lands to Pope Gregory II. The Donation of Sutri is considered the beginning of the temporal dominion of the Church — the first step towards the construction of the Patrimony of Saint Peter.
And it is about to be widely seen. VisitLazio reports that Sutri will represent Lazio in the fourteenth edition of Il Borgo dei Borghi, the Rai 3 competition broadcast within the programme Kilimangiaro, which goes on air from 18 October 2026, with the winner proclaimed on Easter evening, Sunday 28 March 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Donation of Sutri? In 728 the Lombard king Liutprand offered the city and the surrounding lands to Pope Gregory II. It is considered the beginning of the temporal dominion of the Church — the first step towards the Patrimony of Saint Peter.
What is the amphitheatre like? It is a Roman amphitheatre completely excavated out of the tufa — carved rather than built.
What else is cut into the rock? An Etruscan necropolis of dozens of tombs, and a Mithraeum later transformed into a church dedicated to the Madonna del Parto.
Are the walls Etruscan or medieval? Both. Etruscan walls are incorporated into the medieval circuit.
When did Rome take the town? 383 BC, after the fall of Veii. Sutri was an obligatory passage into Etruria.
How old is the settlement? Very old — numerous finds from various periods suggest origins probably going back to the Bronze Age.
Who founded it? Legend disagrees. One account credits the Pelasgi, an ancient people of eastern navigators; another credits Saturn, who appears in the comune's coat of arms on horseback with three ears of wheat.
What is the legend of Bertha? That Charlemagne's sister, disinherited and exiled over a relationship with a man of humble origins, stopped at Sutri on the road to Rome and in a cave gave birth to Roland, the future paladin of France.
Is Sutri on television? Yes. It represents Lazio in the fourteenth edition of Il Borgo dei Borghi on Rai 3, within Kilimangiaro, broadcast from 18 October 2026, with the winner proclaimed on Easter Sunday, 28 March 2027. It is a candidacy, not a result.
Did Petrarch write about it? Yes — describing his first journey to Rome, in a letter to Cardinal Giovanni Colonna.
Is it one of the official "most beautiful villages"? Yes.
Verified against Wikipedia, October 2026.