COVID regulations and guidelines as well as the safety of our faculty and students will inform our planning and maximum capacities. As these change, we remain flexible and adaptable to local opportunities, and ask for your understanding as we continue planning during these challenging times. 

Friday,  April 29, 2022

Celebration Reception
Villa San Michele
7:00 p.m.
Join faculty, students and local dignitaries as we gather at Villa San Michele to honor the shared history of 20 years in Viterbo.  Enjoy a sumptuous buffet filled with local favorites and apertivi to toast the City of Viterbo and our cherished partnership.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Experiential Learning Excursion
We're moving campus for the day to Palazzo Farnese where we will step back into the 16th Century with faculty member Santo Sammartino to explore one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture. The pentagon shape surrounds an interior courtyard. The five floors are each designed for a different function and are filled with frescoes. The gardens of the villa are as impressive as the building itself, a significant example of the Italian Renaissance garden period, when gardens became larger, grander and more symmetrical, and were filled with fountains, statues, grottoes and other features. 

 

Learn more about SYA Italy's history and add yours to it.

Where to stay

Bed and Breakfast Options
Stay inside the cobblestoned medieval wall and walk to school within 10-minutes.  Some include breakfast, others may offer for an additional fee. 

The Pinball Luxury Suite
B&B Viterbo Antica
L'Antico Loco Commodo
Orchard            
Il Frantoro         
Torre di Vico     
B&B L'Incontro 
B&B Piazza del Gesù      
Guest House Via Dei Pellegrini   
Saffi 103            
Compasso Suite        
 

HOTEL OPTIONS
If you prefer to stay in a hotel, which are outside of the walled portion of Viterbo, these are recommended:

Mini Palace Hotel (about a 10-minute walk to school)

Best Western Hotel (about a 27-minute walk to school)    

      

How to get from Rome to Viterbo

Please be advised that changes in pandemic conditions may affect travel. Please refer to the "Italy's Requirements" section at the bottom of this page.

Trenitalia: Train from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Viterbo Porta Romana (website) [Download the app]
Upon arrival, follow the signs for "treni" or "FS" in the airport and purchase tickets for Viterbo at the station. Remember to validate your tickets in the yellow ticket machines before you board the train. The yellow machines are located at almost every track and is easy to do.

Take the train that goes to Roma Ostiense, but get off on the second to last stop, Trastevere.  There, change platforms for Viterbo.  De-train in Viterbo at Porta Romana. This station is just outside the walls and is an easy walk to your lodging if staying at one of the Bed and Breakfast options or the Mini Palace Hotel. Just remember to pack lightly (think: wheeled luggage over cobblestones) and wear comfortable shoes. 

Start your journey here beginning with FCO. Select the Viterbo Porta Romana as your destination.

Trains are also available if you fly into Ciampino Aeroporto. Visit Trenitalia website and search by departure (Ciampino Aeroporto) and arrival (Viterbo Porta Romano).

Trenitalia: Train from Rome (website) [Download the app]
If you plan to spend time in Rome before heading to Viterbo, you can take the Trenitalia Regionale train from a few different stations in Rome to Viterbo (arriving at Porta Romano). 

Start your journey here beginning with Rome Termini or S. Pietro station. Select Viterbo Porta Romana as your destination.

Car Rentals
If you are planning to rent a car and your lodging/hotel doesn’t offer parking, be sure there is public parking nearby that can accommodate you for a few days. 

Car Service
The most direct, but then you’re not traveling like a student would! You can arrange car service here.

Learn about Viterbo's history.

The only way to see Viterbo properly is to wander through the narrow cobblestone streets of the medieval town. 

Viterbo was home to the summer palace of the popes. Just down Via San Lorenzo is Piazza San Lorenzo, the site of Viterbo's cathedral, which sits atop a former Etruscan acropolis. The Duomo, dating from 1192, is a composite of architectural styles and a Gothic bell tower. Next door is the 13th-century Palazzo Papale, which was built as a residence for the pope but also served as a hide-out when he was in exile.

Piazza del Plebiscito, dominated by the 15th-century town hall, impresses visitors with the fine state of preservation of Viterbo's old buildings. The courtyard and fountain in front of the town hall and the 13th-century governor's palace are favorite meeting places for townsfolk and visitors alike.

The best example of medieval architecture in Viterbo is the San Pellegrino Quarter, reached from Piazza San Lorenzo by a short walk past Piazza della Morte. This quarter is a maze of narrow streets, arched walkways, towers, steep stairways, and ornamental fountains.

Worth a special visit is the Convent of Santa Maria della Verita, dating from 1100. The church contains 15th-century frescoes by Lorenzo da Viterbo.

Outside of town

Terme dei Papi 
Visit the thermal springs for a luxurious soak just as Michelangelo did. Vestiges of the Roman baths can be found along 11 kilometers of the ancient Via Cassia, with a particular concentration around three main thermal areas: Acquae Passeris, Paliano, and the most important of the three, Bullicame, which is mentioned several times in Dante’s Divine Comedy.  Located just outside Viterbo, the Terme dei Papi features a vast steaming marble outdoor pool that is fed by natural sulfurous hot springs.

Here are some faculty and student recommendations:

DANILO CIAVATTINI (1 STAR Michelin!)
OSTERIA DAL SOR BRUNO
 LA TAVERNA ETRUSCA (right around the corner from school)
IL GARGOLO
TREDICI GRADI
LA CANTINA DEI PAPI
LA PIADINERIA  (lunch)
L’ANTICA TAVERNA
L’ARCHETTO
LECCABAFFO (lunch)
LA SPAGHETTERIA 
IL MONASTERO 
IL LABIRINTO
LO SPITO 

Please stay up to date on what is necessary for entering and traveling within Italy.  Learn more here.