Northern Lazio is a hotbed of Etruscan archaeological sites. A small, interesting one north of Viterbo is called Acqua Rossa, named after the “red” water of the iron rich spring which colors everything it touches a rather vivid orange.
We never found the excavations of the village there. A “no hunting” sign had the words “avete distrutto tutti VANDALI” appended to it: “vandals have destroyed everything.” That’ll make you less interested in slogging through the undergrowth.
Back at the ranch in the Lunigiana we discover that there are indeed some good pictures of the excavation on the web. If it hadn’t been so darn early, we would have inquired at the Acquarossa restaurant on the big road to Viterbo and near the site.
But it was interesting to wander around the area of the spring, to see the water dancing down the channels as you can see above.
Way off the beaten tourist track, but hey, also nearby is the Roman Teatro di Ferento, which isn’t open very often but which you can see easily from the fence. It’s in a very scenic area.