Places to see in ( Viterbo – Italy ) Macchina di Santa Rosa (VIDEO)

Places to see in ( Viterbo – Italy ) Macchina di Santa Rosa

Viterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento in its early history.

The Macchina of Santa Rosa is a 30 metre high tower, which is rebuilt every year in the months of July and August in honor of Saint Rose of Viterbo, the patron saint of the city of Viterbo, Italy.Every year on the evening of 3 September 100 men called “Facchini di Santa Rosa” (porters of Saint Rose) hoist the Macchina and carry it through the very narrow streets and squares of the medieval town centre. The whole route is a little bit more than 1 km (1 mi).

The procession is an important event in Viterbo and attracts thousands of people. Today, the procession is included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Until a few decades ago, the Machine of Santa Rosa was built with paper mache and mounted on a wooden frame. Today, that system has been abandoned and replaced with various materials, such as resin, plastic and glass fiber, supported by a framework of steel pipes.

Every five years a design competition is launched for a new Macchina. The guidelines of the competition ask for a 28m high tower, which is measured from the shoulder of the porters. The construction’s maximum weight is to be less than 5 tonnes and the maximum width 4.3 metres. This is to respect the narrow parts of the historical centre, where eaves and balconies could strike the Macchina during transportation.

The appearance of the Macchina has changed throughout history. The altar-like constructions from the 18th century developed to constructions similar to church towers and in the 2nd half of the 20th century they developed to 30m high sculptural towers. While originally the towers were mainly made from papier mâché, today materials like steel, aluminium and fibre glass are used to achieve a light and fireproof construction.

( Viterbo – Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Viterbo.
Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Viterbo – Italy