The tour begins at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. The steps of the square that frame the church façade let you admire a magnificent mosaic with a golden background. This is nothing compared to what you'll see inside: brightly colored pavements and sacred images made of silver and wood. One of the most striking is a Virgin Mary with delicate features and painted porcelain hands on the high altar. Filippo Lippi painted it, and gossip has it that he was poisoned shortly afterwards.
The Rocca Albornoziana is the counterpoint to the Cathedral and protects it from the top of the hill. We'll cross the surrounding park and head toward the Ponte delle Torri, where we'll immerse ourselves in the landscape. There, buildings give way to olive trees, and these to holm oaks. The Romans sensed the power of the place and proclaimed it a sacred forest.
The next stop will be at Piazza del Mercato, site of the Roman city's forum. By the way, did you know that if you feel like it, you can try the best pistachio gelato of 2017 here, according to the “Gelato World Tour”?
We'll wrap up our tour by seeing the remains of the
Roman Theater. It's fascinating to see how the building has been repurposed to meet the needs of the time: a venue for shows, a prison, a church, and even the cloister of a Benedictine monastery.