World Heritage Sites in Lazio

The airports in Lazio closest to Tivoli are Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA), about 36 kilometers away by car, and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), approximately 63 kilometers from Tivoli. Once in Rome, you can continue by rental car - Tivoli lies about 32 km northeast of the city - or by train: take the Rome-Avezzano-Pescara line from Tiburtina Station (served by Metro Line B and the main railway network), or, at certain times, from Termini Station (served by Metro Lines A and B). Alternatively, buses from Rome depart from the Ponte Mammolo terminal (Metro Line B), following Via Tiburtina or the A24 highway toward Tivoli.

The airports in Lazio closest to Monte Cimino (in Soriano nel Cimino, Viterbo) and Monte Raschio (in Oriolo Romano, Viterbo) are Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA), about 95 kilometers away by car, and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), approximately 103 kilometers from both locations. Once there, visitors can explore trails and hiking routes that wind along the slopes of Monte Cimino, the highest peak of the Cimini Mountains in the Lazio Anti-Apennines, or venture into the Bracciano.Martignano Regional Natural Park to admire the beech forests of Monte Raschio.

Via Appia. Regina viarum

Via Appia. Regina Viarum was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 27, 2024. The Via Appia is the first and most famous of the ancient Roman roads, built in 312 BC to connect Rome to Capua, and later extended to Brindisi, the port from which routes to Greece and the East departed. Conceived by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus, it was regarded as a symbol of Rome’s power, so much so that contemporaries called it the “Regina Viarum”, the Queen of Roads.

The Via Appia was an extraordinary feat of engineering for its time: a straight route featuring bridges, viaducts, and tunnels that crossed challenging terrain, built on a solid foundation of basalt slabs. This innovation made possible a road network of over 120,000 kilometers, which still forms the basis of the main routes around the Mediterranean today. A public and toll-free road, it was equipped with milestones, post stations, and rest areas, also used by the Roman postal service (cursus publicus).

Over the years, the Via Appia was gradually extended: it reached Benevento (Campania) around 268 BC, continued to Venosa (Basilicata) and later to Taranto, finally arriving in Brindisi (Puglia) in the 2nd century BC. In the following years, the original route from Benevento to Brindisi was replaced by a more direct path through Apulia. At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, Emperor Trajan established the Via Appia Traiana, an alternative route from Benevento to Brindisi, covering a distance of about 540 kilometers in 13–14 days.

Used continuously until the Middle Ages, the Via Appia was later restored by Popes and the Kings of Naples, and over the centuries came to be recognized as a universal symbol of Roman civilization. Starting from the walls of Rome, the Via Appia crosses four regions - Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, and Puglia - before reaching Brindisi.

The Via Appia in Lazio passes through several sections and towns in the provinces of Rome and Latina: the Appia in Rome from the first to the thirteenth mile (Rome, Ciampino, Marino); the Appia through the Alban Hills (Albano Laziale, Ariccia); Tarracina and the crossing of the Lautulae Pass (Terracina, Monte San Biagio); the Appia at Fundi (Fondi); the Appia at the Itri Pass (Fondi, Itri); the Appia from the 83rd mile to Formiae (Itri, Formia); and Minturnae with the crossing of the Garigliano River (Minturno).

Every year, on the evening of September 3rd, the city of Viterbo lights up for the Transport of the Macchina di Santa Rosa, one of Italy’s most spectacular and deeply rooted religious traditions. A tower of light, about 30 meters tall and weighing over 5 tons, is carried on the shoulders of the famed Facchini di Santa Rosa through the narrow streets of the historic center, in homage to the city’s patron saint.

In 2013, UNESCO recognized this ancient celebration as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside other Italian events featuring the transport of the so-called “Great Shoulder-Borne Machines”, such as the Festival of the Lilies in Nola, the Varia of Palmi, and the Descent of the Candelieri in Sassari.

Every five years, the Municipality of Viterbo holds a competition for the design of a new Macchina, which must meet strict architectural and symbolic criteria. Since 2024, the transport has featured Dies Natalis, the majestic structure designed by architect Raffaele Ascenzi, a creation that blends tradition, innovation, and spirituality.

In the heart of the night, amid lights, songs, and prayers, the Macchina makes its way through the city along a route filled with emotion and devotion. It is a unique moment that embodies faith, art, and collective identity, making Viterbo the custodian of a living and shared intangible heritage.

The Corsa con la Cannata of Arpino
 

The historic Corsa con la Cannata of the Gonfalone of Arpino is inscribed in the UNESCO Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a recognition that celebrates one of the most authentic and spectacular traditions of the Ciociaria region. Alongside the Arpino race, other traditional Italian games have also been recognized as part of Tocatì, the international event that protects and promotes ancient competitions and street games that once enlivened towns and villages across Europe.

Exclusively reserved for women, the Corsa con la Cannata is a truly unique event. The participants, wearing the traditional cioce (the typical footwear of Ciociarian shepherds), run a 280-meter course while carrying on their heads the “cannata”, a terracotta vessel filled with water - a symbol of Arpino and its rural heritage. Balance is maintained only by a rolled cloth shaped like a ring, as the rules strictly forbid touching the cannata with one’s hands for the entire duration of the race.

This competitive yet ritual game represents the very heart of the Gonfalone of Arpino, the popular festival that each August fills the town with competitions, reenactments, and challenges between districts and neighborhoods. Among all the events of the Gonfalone, the Corsa con la Cannata is the most eagerly awaited - a celebration of grace, strength, and tradition, deeply rooted in the history and feminine identity of the Ciociarian community.

How to get there 

Arpino is located 30 km from Frosinone and about 120 km from Rome. The nearest airports to the Gonfalone of Arpino, in the province of Frosinone (Lazio), are Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA), approximately 106 kilometers away, and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), about 132 kilometers from the town. From Rome, you can continue by car or take a train on the Rome-Naples line via Cassino, getting off at the Frosinone station.

The Transhumance
 

Since 2019, Transhumance has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, recognizing an ancient pastoral practice that reflects the harmonious relationship between humans, animals, and nature. The nomination project, launched in 2015 with Italy as the lead country, alongside Greece and Austria, originated in the Molise region, which brought together communities of shepherds who still uphold this seasonal ritual today. Transhumance refers to the periodic migration of flocks, herds, and shepherds along the tratturi (ancient grassy paths connecting lowland plains to mountain pastures) with stops at traditional way stations known as 'stazioni di posta'.

Practiced since prehistoric times throughout the Mediterranean basin and the Alps, Transhumance represents a model of sustainable balance between humans and the environment, based on respect for natural cycles, animal welfare, and the resources of the land.

In Italy, this tradition remains alive and thriving, involving thousands of farms and millions of sheep belonging to various breeds. The most active areas are found in the Alpine regions - such as Lombardy and the Val Senales in South Tyrol - and along the Apennine ridge, particularly in Lazio (Amatrice, Ceccano), Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, and Puglia, where the ancient royal tratturi still wind through the landscape, standing as true pathways of pastoral culture.

How to get there 

In Lazio, Amatrice (province of Rieti) and Ceccano (province of Frosinone) are located approximately 143 km and 98 km from Rome, respectively. The nearest airports are Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA), about 83 km from Ceccano and 155 km from Amatrice, and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), approximately 109 km from Ceccano and 170 km from Amatrice.