Tuscia vs Tuscany: Italy's Best-Kept Secret

Ask ten foreign tourists to point to Tuscany on a map. Nine of them can do it without hesitation. Ask them to point to Tuscia. Probably silence.

And yet we're talking about two regions that touch, separated by an administrative border more than by any difference in landscape. Gentle hills, olive groves, medieval villages, Etruscans, wine, oil. Thermal springs in one, thermal springs in the other. Art in one, art in the other.

There's just one difference, and at this point in history that difference is worth everything: everyone knows Tuscany. Almost no one knows Tuscia.

Tuscany in 2026: magnificent, and overcrowded

Tuscany is one of Europe's most important tourist destinations. The 2025 figures confirm it beyond dispute: tourist arrivals exceeded 55 million, up 3.8% on the previous year, driven above all by international demand (+5.3%).

It's a huge success. And it's also a huge problem.

Over 53% of arrivals are concentrated in the art cities alone. Florence, Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano. Anyone who has been to Florence in summer knows what this means: queues at the Duomo that start at 7 in the morning, the alleys of Oltrarno swept by human currents, the Uffizi Gallery with tickets sold out weeks in advance. The city of Barcelona has begun protesting against tourists. Venice has introduced an entrance fee. Florence is on the same trajectory.

The paradox is clear: Tuscany is so famous that it's becoming less and less enjoyable. Tuscany still records the highest average per-capita spend in international tourism in Italy, above 1,000 euros per visitor. But at what cost — in experience, authenticity, peace of mind — is something only those who went there last summer truly know.

The alternative almost no one knows about yet

In northern Lazio, between the Tuscan border and Rome, lies a region that has everything you look for in Tuscany and almost none of its problems. It's called Tuscia.

The name comes from the ancient Roman term for Etruria — this land was the heart of Etruscan civilisation, before Rome even existed. For centuries, the popes chose Viterbo as their alternative seat to Rome — hence the nickname "city of the popes" and the Palazzo dei Papi, one of the most spectacular medieval complexes in Italy.

It isn't a recent discovery. Tuscia has always been there. It's just that the world of mass tourism hasn't really arrived yet — and that, right now, is its greatest advantage.

The quiet growth: Tuscia's 2025 data

While Tuscany manages its overabundance, Tuscia is growing steadily. The figures from the Municipality of Viterbo for 2025 capture a region on a strong rise: 184,200 arrivals, up +10.4% on 2024, against a national average of +7.1%. From 2022 to 2025, overall arrivals grew by +29.2%.

It isn't an isolated case. In 2025, slow tourism in Italy is centring on characterful villages and walking routes, offering authentic experiences. Small towns like Viterbo are attracting more and more travellers in search of authenticity, with the appetite for travelling at a slower pace up 32% in inland areas and small villages compared with 2023.

Villages account for 68% of Italian municipalities that record tourist flows, with a +6.85% rise in overnight stays and online interest up +52% on 2024.

Proximity and slow tourism isn't a niche fad: it's the direction in which an ever-larger share of international demand is moving. And Tuscia — with its intact villages, its not-yet-monetised countryside, its thermal springs and Etruscan necropolises — is exactly the kind of place this demand is looking for.

The honest comparison: Tuscia vs Tuscany

This isn't about saying Tuscia is "better" than Tuscany outright. Tuscany is extraordinary — the Medici, the Renaissance, the Chianti vineyards, the cypresses of the Val d'Orcia. None of that can be erased.

It's about understanding what you're looking for, and where you'll find it better today, in 2026.

The landscape

Similar, deeply similar. Tuscia's gentle tufa hills, the volcanic lakes (Bolsena and Vico), the Cimini Mountains with their chestnut woods. Tuscia's landscape is perhaps less "photogenic" in the sense of the aligned cypresses of the Val d'Orcia — that's a very specific icon of southern Tuscany — but it has something wilder and less manicured, which many travellers find more authentic.

The villages

Tuscany has Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, San Gimignano. Tuscia has Civita di Bagnoregio — the "dying town" on its spur of tufa, perhaps the most iconic image of central Italy, and still less congested than many of its Tuscan counterparts. It has Caprarola with Palazzo Farnese, one of the masterpieces of the Lazio Renaissance. It has Bomarzo with the Park of the Monsters, the most bizarre Mannerist garden in Europe. It has Sutri with its Etruscan amphitheatre carved into the rock.

Less celebrated villages, often just as beautiful. And with far fewer tourists.

The thermal springs

Here Tuscia beats Tuscany hands down. The Terme dei Papi in Viterbo are the oldest and most important natural thermal baths in Lazio — the same waters the popes of the 13th century used for their healing baths. There's no Tuscan equivalent on this scale just minutes from a town centre.

Saturnia, in the Maremma, is Tuscany's answer: splendid, but much further from population centres and from most tourist accommodation. The Terme dei Papi are 5 minutes from the centre of Viterbo and 10–15 from the most international karting circuit in Europe.

Food and wine

Tuscany has Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Lazio doesn't have wines of that global fame — but it has the Est! Est!! Est!!! of Montefiascone (a wine with an extraordinary medieval story), the whites of the Castelli Romani, and above all the extra virgin olive oil of Tuscia, one of the finest in Italy, produced on volcanic soil that gives the oil characteristics impossible to replicate elsewhere.

Olive-oil tourism in Tuscia is booming — Italian law put it on a par with wine tourism in 2022, and the mills around Viterbo are building tasting and harvesting experiences that Tuscan wineries have been offering for decades.

Rome vs Florence

Tuscany has Florence as its natural gateway, with an international airport and a high-speed rail station. Tuscia has Rome — which isn't an obvious advantage, but becomes one when you look at the flows: those who arrive in Rome (nearly 90 million overnight stays in Lazio in 2025, boosted in part by the Jubilee) and want to get out of the city for a few days find themselves an hour from Tuscia. That's far closer than any worthwhile Tuscan destination.

From Fiumicino airport to Viterbo: about 90 minutes by car. A day in Rome and the next day in the silence of the Lazio countryside is a realistic itinerary, and an increasingly popular one.

Who's going to Tuscia

The profile of the traveller who chooses Tuscia in 2026 is fairly well defined. It isn't the tourist who wants to tick icons off a list. It's someone who has already ticked off the icons — Florence, Venice, Rome — and is now looking for something different.

It's the American or northern European traveller on their third or fourth trip to Italy, who this time wants to find the "real" country. It's the couple who prefers a slow week of thermal baths, oil, villages and silence over a frantic tour of four cities in seven days. It's the family who wants to take the children somewhere authentic without two-hour queues in front of every monument.

Slow tourism in Italy's villages grew 32% in 2025 compared with 2023. Tuscia is part of that trend — and one of its natural destinations.

The right moment

There's a window in the history of every tourist destination: the moment when it's known enough to be accessible and welcoming, but not yet so famous as to be overcrowded. The Val d'Orcia was there in the '90s. The Cinque Terre were there in the early 2000s. Matera was there a few years ago.

Tuscia is at that moment now — or very close to it. The numbers are rising, the accommodation is improving, the profile is growing. But the quiet is still there. The villages are still half-empty in mid-morning. You can still book a restaurant table the same evening. You can still park in the centre.

It won't last forever. All the more reason to go now.

Where to stay in Tuscia

The countryside around Viterbo — gentle hills, olive groves, views over the Palazzo dei Papi — is the heart of Viterbo's Tuscia. The best properties are the agriturismi that combine authenticity with real comfort: self-contained kitchens, outdoor spaces, pools, home-grown produce.

Podere dell'Arco (Strada Signorino 3, Viterbo) is one of the area's landmark agriturismi. Thirty hectares of countryside, apartments with kitchens, a pool, and olive trees from which the "Il Signorino" extra virgin olive oil is produced. Two minutes from the Terme dei Papi and Viterbo's historic centre, an hour from Rome.

It's the kind of place that those who have already done Tuscany usually react to with: "why didn't I know this existed?"

Contact: info@poderedellarco.com · +39 0761 308688 · poderedellarco.com

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tuscia?

Tuscia is the historic name for the land of ancient Etruria, today corresponding to the province of Viterbo in northern Lazio. The term comes from the Latin "Tusci", the Roman name for the Etruscans. It borders Tuscany to the north and Umbria to the east.

How is Tuscia similar to Tuscany?

In the landscape (gentle hills, olive groves, vineyards, medieval villages), in the food culture (oil, wine, local produce), and in its offering of slow and cultural tourism. Both were part of historic Etruria and share deep cultural roots.

How does Tuscia differ from Tuscany?

In tourist density — Tuscia is far less crowded. In its natural thermal springs (the Terme dei Papi, unique of their kind). In its proximity to Rome (90 minutes from Fiumicino) rather than to Florence. And in profile — Tuscia is still a niche destination for international travellers.

Why is Tuscia less well known than Tuscany?

Essentially for historical reasons of tourism marketing: Tuscany has been systematically promoted internationally from the 1980s onwards, with enormous investment in communication and tourism infrastructure. Tuscia began this journey much later.

How far is Viterbo from Rome?

About 80 km, or 60–75 minutes by car. It's also reachable by train from Roma Ostiense (about 2 hours) or from Fiumicino airport (about 90 minutes by car).

When is the best time to visit Tuscia?

Spring (April–May) for the flowers and mild weather; autumn (September–November) for the olive harvest, truffles and the colours of the landscape. Summer is warm but not scorching — the thermal baths and volcanic lakes offer relief. Winter is mild compared with northern Italy.

Are there thermal springs in Tuscia?

Yes — the Terme dei Papi in Viterbo are among the most important in Italy. Natural sulphurous waters, outdoor pools, a modern facility. Open all year.