The area known to Italians as La Tuscia is a place where the beauty of artistic and natural masterpieces can be found intact and where every corner is alive with the vibrant evidence of the historical events which took place here and which contributed to making this area so illustrious. This is a land still echoing with the memories of the Etruscan civilization which once thrived here, where evidence of the rule of Emperor Augustus is still manifold, and where the vestiges of these epochs are harmoniously juxtaposed with charming Medieval quarters and splendid Renaissance and Baroque palazzi. Like a jewel set amid the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tuscany and Umbria, this area has a wealth of natural and cultural sights, many of which are little-known and are off the usual tourist-track  and are, as such, particularly suggestive. Each hill-top village and town represents a precious and unique part of the history of this land. Tarquinia, with its extraordinary necropolis and its tomb paintings (4th to 6th centuries BC), is home to one of the most important museums in Italy thanks to its inestimable collection of Etruscan treasures. Ferento, with its superb Roman theatre; Vulci, whose museum houses archeological treasures of rare beauty; and also Tuscania, Vitorchiano, Civita di Bagnoregio - characteristic old towns perched on hills of tufo rock, where you can step back in time to the Medieval period, and where you can admire towering castles and many splendid Romanic  churches. Viterbo, the main town in the province, has a perfectly preserved Medieval old-town, the very heart of which is the quarter known as San Pellegrino, still-tangible evidence of the immensity of the Papal wealth of that period. A wander down its labyrinth of alley-ways will reveal awe-inspiring scenes and buildings, including the enchanting Palazzo dei Papi - the Popes' palace. The ancient houses in the San Pellegrino quarter are often home to many art and antique shops where you can find original and often precious objects to purchase, not merely as a souvenir, but as a testimony to a local historic tradition. Bagnaia re-lives the splendor of the Renaissance through Villa Lante, with its elegant fountains and Italian gardens; Caprarola has its sumptuous Palazzo Farnese and Bomarzo its fantastic and truly unique Parco dei Mostri - The Park of Monsters - full of surprises and grotesque stone sculptures. La Tuscia is the perfect place to spend peaceful hours in the safest of environments. Shady lanes and roads with breath-taking views will lead you through the woods which cover the Cimini Hills, where the air is oxygen-rich thanks to the concentration of centuries-old trees and where you can enjoy long walks on foot or treks on horse-back, surrounded by an uncontaminated nature which forms the back-drop for the lake which was formed in the crater of a volcano - Lago di Vico. The largest lake in Europe is also present in this area - Lago di Bolsena - which, like Lago di Vico, was originally a volcano, and offers enchanting boat-trips to the solitary shores of the islands of Martana and Bisentina, fishing using the traditional nets of local custom and even the thrilling possibility of skimming the surface of the water on a windsurf. A twenty-minute car-ride will take you to the splendid Sutri, where a well-equipped and well-known golf-course awaits lovers of this sport. For horse-lovers, only a five minute drive from the Terme dei Papi separates you from one of the many local riding centres which offer suggestive horse-back rides along leafy, panoramic trails.