The town of Nepi in central Italy is one of those destinations that stays off the radar of most local and foreign travelers.
If you’ve decided to visit this town, it was surely recommended to you by some locals, or perhaps you’re passionate about exploring Italy off the beaten path.
Nepi, about 50 km north of Rome and 40 south of Viterbo, sits in the heart of Tuscia, an area that was the home of the Etruscans, one of the oldest civilizations in Italy.
The Etruscans used to build their settlements on spurs of rocks surrounded by lush forests, just like Nepi. I am fortunate to live a few minutes’ drive from lovely Nepi.
In this post, I will tell you how best to visit this town. You will learn about Nepi’s history, why we call it the “town of water,” the historical landmarks worth visiting such as the Borgia castle and the catacombs.
You’ll also get to know an amazing place to go hiking around Nepi.
And of course, I will recommend where to eat the best local food.
Brief history of Nepi
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Finds in the countryside around Nepi show that the area has been inhabited since the first millennium BC.
Nepi, like other towns in the Tuscia region, stands on a tufa outcrop leveled to accommodate houses.
Tradition has it that it was King Termo Larte who founded Nepi some 500 years before the founding of Rome, thus in the 13th century B.C. As he traced the furrow that bounded the town’s consfines, a large snake emerged from the earth and spoke to him, later becoming, along with the tower, the symbol on the town’s coats of arms.
There is no evidence to confirm this legend, but we do know that Nepi was a developed center in the 8th century B.C. in the territory of influence of the Falisci people. At that time, the Falisci had strong relations with the Etruscan people.
In fact, The name “Nepi” would be derived from “Nepa,” the Etruscan word for water. In fact, Nepi is also known as a city of water, reinforcing the fact that three rivers flow at the foot of the rock on which the town was built.
According to the Roman historian Titus Livy, the Falisci were none other than one of the Etruscan tribes.
13 Interesting things to do in Nepi
1. Visit on the weekend
If this is your first time in Nepi, I strongly recommend that you do so on a Saturday or Sunday. In fact, on weekdays, one of the main historical attractions, namely the Borgia Castle, is closed.
You could, however, activate a guided tour on days other than those established by booking it in advance for a group of at least 6 people (there is a cost).
2. Have a good coffee
And a pastry. It may sound trite, but every exploration of a beautiful town near Rome of mine must begin with a cup of cappuccino and a croissant or pastry.
In Nepi, I like to stop and enjoy this sweet treat at a café and pastry shop you’ll find just a short walk from the Borgia Castle: La Dolce Vita. In addition to coffee and pastries, there is also gelato here.
Another option is the café in the Piazza del Comune. Here you can have an aperitif in front of the elegant Town Hall.
3. Visit the Civic Museum
The Civic Museum of Nepi should be your first stop during your visit to the town. Admission is free.
It is located in the historic center near the Porta Falisca Gate.
Here, you’ll be able to pick up a nice map of the city (free), and ask all the questions you may have at the reception desk.
As soon as you arrive at the museum (if you visit on the weekend), remember to buy your ticket for the visit to the Borgia Castle (there is a morning and an afternoon visit).
The museum is small, you can visit in about half an hour. It displays artifacts found in Nepi and the surrounding area, especially in the necropolises around the city.
The exhibition path goes from the prehistoric to the Renaissance age.
4. Walk inside the Borgia Castle
I recommend you visit the Borgia Castle. You can access it on weekends (€6.00) with a guide from the Civic Museum. Book your visit at the Civic Museum.
The most impressive historical landmark in Nepi is the Borgia Castle. Although named after the Catalan family that ruled Nepi at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the fortress was originally Roman.
During the visit, inside the fortress, you can admire the ancient gateway to the city that functioned in Roman times and was the outlet of the Via Amerina.
In the 16th century, the fortress passed into the hands of the Farnese family, who made major structural changes to the walls of Nepi, strengthening them, with the help of architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.
During the visit, you can climb to the top of the male tower, through eight flights of steep wooden stairs, and enjoy a 360-degree view of Nepi and the green countryside surrounding it.
In the ample space where the building containing the kitchens and the dining room once were, now collapsed, conferences and screenings are occasionally held.
5. Admire the defensive walls
What I like most about the ancient architecture of Nepi are the defensive walls. They are different from those in other towns near Rome: the ancient gates are several, majestic, and well preserved. From the walls there is also a striking view of the town’s signature waterfall, the Cascata dei Cavaterra.
The outer walls defending the city, to which the arches of the aqueduct reach, are the work of the then-already-famous Florentine architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.
In the words of the Vasari, Nepi’s walls were ” unconquerable and beautiful.” Sangallo had already distinguished himself at the court of the pope as a skilled builder of ramparts.
The defensive walls run around the city’s most exposed side, surrounded by a moat. Note the two monumental gates across the walls: Porta Romana and Porta di Cavaterra.
The doors at these two gates were double: an open room, built inside the walls, separated the outer and inner doors. This structure allowed them to stop the enemies from entering the town, lowering the portcullises inside the gates.
6. See Nepi’s aqueduct
The elegant arches of the aqueduct are the first architectural element you’ll notice when you arrive in Nepi.
The works that brought water to the historic center began in the mid-16th century and ended in 1727 with the intervention of Filippo Barigioni, who created the system of large arches.
Overall, the aqueduct is about 3 km long, but the elevated and visible part is 300 meters long and is divided into 36 arches arranged on two floors.
Like the walls and most of the structures in Nepi, the aqueduct is made of tufa stone.
7. Explore the historic center on foot
After getting one of the free tourist maps of the historic center at the Civic Museum, you can start exploring the historic center of Nepi on foot, it will take you about two hours to visit it.
In addition to the most famous buildings, such as the Palazzo Comunale, the Borgia Fortress, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, look for the churches and Renaissance palaces hidden among the houses.
Several ancient entrance gates to the city are worth visiting, such as the Porta Falisca, next to an ancient washtub near the Civic Museum.
Nepi, like the nearby and larger Viterbo, has several fountains made of peperino stone, such as the Fontana della Rocca and the Fontana dei Giardinetti in Via Tortolini.
8. Catacombs of Santa Savinilla
To visit the Catacombs, you must contact the staff of the Civic Museum (museo@comune.nepi.vt.it) with due advance.
The catacombs were discovered in 1542 during the demolition of a church just outside the city, where now stands the cemetery.
The findings connect to the legend of the martyrs Tolomeo and Romano, today patrons of Nepi. A code says that they founded the episcopate in Nepi and died later under persecution.
A woman, Savinilla, having found their bodies, gave them a proper burial in the place where there are now more than a thousand early Christians.
The catacombs date back to the 4th-5th century AD. Different galleries spread over two levels, well-lit. The loculi follow one another and also along the floor. There are what remains of medieval frescoes with a religious theme.
Access to the catacombs is from the Church of San Tolomeo, adjacent to the cemetery of Nepi.
9. The Cavaterra waterfall
As you walk around the walls of the Borgian Fortress, pass under the Porta Borgiana Gate and head towards the Porta Cavaterra, or Porta Nica.
You will hear the roar of a large body of water, the Cavaterra Waterfall. To admire it in all its splendor, take the path downhill that you find halfway between the Porta Borgiana and Porta Nica, after about ten meters you will find the viewpoint.
10. Municipal Palace
Head to Piazza del Comune. The palace lived a similar fate to that of the aqueduct. Construction work started during the Farnese domination in the 16th century, to be completed only in the middle of 1700.
At the foot of the palace, is a fountain by Barigioni that celebrate the inauguration of the aqueduct. The fountain features the two symbols of the town of Nepi: the tower, and the snake.
11. Taste local dishes
Between one historical attraction and another, it is worth stopping to eat delicious local food in a restaurant such as “La Corte,” located a few steps away from the entrance of the Borgia Castle.
We had an appetizer of mixed marinated fish, eggplant parmigiana, and buffalo mozzarella pie.
As the first course, we tasted gnocchi with truffles and “scapicollata” (typical Nepi cured meat), and pasta with wild boar ragù.
All the products are of high quality, the service is excellent as well as the prices.
12. A brief detour: the village Castel Sant’Elia
If you visit Nepi by car, then you cannot miss a worthy detour at the village of Castel Sant’Elia, especially if you love views.
Nepi is fascinating, but Castel Sant’Elia will take your breath away.
It is located less than 3 km from the center of Nepi. The Farnese family ruled over this village as well during the Renaissance.
Sant’Elia is worth a visit if only for the extraordinary view of the Suppentonia Valley from the terrace next to the entrance door of the historic center.
From the terrace, you can walk down to the medieval Hermitage of San Leonardo, which consists of several scenic caves dug into the stone.
On foot, you can also reach the Basilica of Sant’Elia, a masterpiece of Romanesque art in central Italy (entrance fee €5.)
13. Walk between nature and archaeology
The countryside around Nepi hides one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in Italy.
Drive to the location Falerii Novi – Falisco Park. Leave the car and walk a handful of kilometers along the ancient Via Amerina.
You will reach “Cavo degli Zucchi,” a path through a pre-Roman necropolis with dozens of rock-cut tombs.
Best time to visit Nepi
Green light to visit Nepi any time of the year, particularly from April to June and from September to the beginning of November.
Avoid only if it is too hot: then I recommend visiting a coastal town instead.
How to get to Nepi with public transportation
Take a bus from Rome station “Saxa Rubra” directed to Civita Castellana, making sure with the driver the bus stops at Nepi. The trip costs a few coins and takes about 40 minutes.
Anyway, the best way to visit the area is by private car.
Where to stay in Nepi
Like other towns in Tuscia, even in Nepi, the best stays are either at a B&B or apartment in the historic center or at an agriturismo (farm stay) in the quiet countryside around the town. I recommend these two:
B&B House of the Falcon is located in the historic center of Nepi, in a characteristic, renovated old house that will make you feel like you’re back in the Middle Ages.
Agriturismo la Ghiga, located in the heart of the Tuscia countryside, features an outdoor swimming pool. It offers, at an additional cost, a shuttle to and from the airport.