September in Tuscia: what to do (and where to go) near Rome

There is one month in Tuscia that mostly the returning guests know about. The days are still long and warm, the lake has held on to August's heat, and the villages empty out: no queue on the bridge to Civita, no traffic on the A1, no waiting for a table. If you are wondering where to go in September near Rome, for a weekend or a slow week, the answer lies an hour from the capital. September in Tuscia is summer without the crowds — and below you will find what to do, with real driving times, from people who live here.

Why September is the best month

August here is beautiful and busy. September is the same land with the volume turned down. The days still belong to summer — in Viterbo the average high for the month is around 25°C — but the evenings call for a jumper, as nights drop towards 14°C. Cool enough to make a midday walk a pleasure, not cool enough to give up swimming. The light turns golden by late afternoon, the fields green again after the first rain, and the villages breathe the calm of people who have come home. You park where in mid-August you could not even drive through, and restaurants have tables free. It is the month when Tuscia goes back to being itself.

The great festivals of early September

September is anything but empty: every year it opens with the two most awaited events in the province. On the evening of 3 September Viterbo carries the Macchina di Santa Rosa on its shoulders: a tower of light almost thirty metres high, lifted by about a hundred porters through the darkened streets of the old town. It has been UNESCO intangible heritage since 2013, and it happens only once a year; for a few days afterwards the Macchina stands on display outside the sanctuary, to be admired at leisure. Viterbo is twenty-five minutes from the villa.

Meanwhile, a quarter of an hour from us, Orte slips back into the Middle Ages. The Medieval Octave of Sant'Egidio begins on 31 August and runs until the second Sunday of September: the seven districts open their taverns, there are costumed parades, musicians, a cooking contest, and the Archers' Palio to close. In 2026, for example, it ran from 31 August to 13 September. Next year's dates are confirmed on the official channels of the town and of the Octave's organisers: we never invent dates.

Mid-month, in the south of the province, the woodland season begins too: the Porcini Mushroom Festival in Oriolo Romano, which in 2026 took place over two September weekends. We keep every event in order, month by month, in our guide to events and festivals in Tuscia.

Lake Bolsena, still warm

Lake Bolsena saves its best for September. It is a large, deep volcanic lake: slow to warm and slow to cool. Readings taken on the shore at Marta in recent years put the water, in the second half of September, between 20 and 26°C, depending on the year and the week. The dark-sand beaches empty out, the lakeside villages slow down. The easiest shores for swimming are still those between Marta and Capodimonte, where the bottom slopes gently; and in the Lazio Region's annual classifications the lake's waters are rated excellent at almost every monitored point. From the villa it is about forty minutes.

The hot springs begin their season

As the evenings cool, the hot water rising from the ground around Viterbo starts to make sense again. From September onwards the thermal springs are at their best: a warm open-air soak as the light fades is one of the simplest, most memorable experiences in Tuscia. The Terme dei Papi, with their monumental pool, are just under half an hour away; if you prefer the countryside, there are the free hot pools, warm all year round. They are also the right plan for the day the weather turns.

The villages, finally without crowds

This is September's true gift. Civita di Bagnoregio with no queue on the bridge, and at sunset the badlands lighting up for a handful of spectators: staying nearby lets you enjoy it once the coaches have left (it is forty-five minutes from the villa). Ten minutes from home, the Monster Park of Bomarzo, its woods quiet again. A little further on, Vitorchiano, suspended on its cliff, and the gardens of Villa Lante, when the fountains still feel cool but the sun no longer beats down. And Viterbo, with the medieval quarter of San Pellegrino to wander on foot without breaking a sweat. If you are staying longer, our three-day itinerary puts it all in order.

It is harvest month

Between late August and early October, depending on the grape, the hills around Viterbo fill with crates and the smell of pressed grapes: the vendemmia, the wine harvest. The wine areas — Vignanello in the Cimini hills, Castiglione in Teverina, Montefiascone with its Est! Est!! Est!!! — are at work, and you can see it as you drive past. Some wineries open their doors to visitors: the dates change from year to year, so just ask us — we are local. You need no programme: drive through the hills with the windows down, stop in a village at aperitivo time, buy whatever the countryside offers that day. It is also the start of the real table season: the first mushrooms, the soups, the new wine everyone is waiting for.

And then October comes

If you cannot make September, there is a second chance. October in Tuscia is the month of woods turning colour and of the Chestnut Festival in Soriano nel Cimino, the most famous autumn celebration in the province.

Where to stay in Tuscia in September, an hour from Rome

Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, in the middle of all this: an hour from Rome, a quarter of an hour from the Orte exit on the A1, twenty-five minutes from Viterbo. Families and small groups have the two apartments in the villa; couples have the Casetta degli Innamorati, our wooden hideaway with its own garden — and the idea of a romantic getaway in Tuscia is already written. Around you, the countryside and the quiet, and the large garden with the pool shared by the three units, open until mid-October. Discover the holiday home, see why we are a holiday home with a pool an hour from Rome, or write to us about dates.

Facts checked in September 2026 against official sources and our own guides.