Acquarossa is the name of the excavation site where the Roman town of Ferento, now in the territory of Viterbo, was located. The city was founded in the 7th century BC and destroyed, probably as a result of an earthquake, in 550 BC.
Acquarossa Viterbo
History and description
Acquarossa (“Red Water”) is located about three kilometers from Roman Ferento. The ground here is reddish in color because the water that used to flow over it contained iron.
It is here, at the top of the Colle San Francesco hill, that the ancient Etruscan Ferento was located. Excavations here were carried out in the late 1960s and early 1970s by the Swedish Institute for Classical Studies, which had been founded by Sweden’s King Gustav VI Adolf. The king himself used to often lend a hand with the work as well.
Etruscan Ferento was destroyed by the Romans in around 300 BC, after which Roman Ferento was founded.
The Etruscan Museum of Viterbo features full-size reconstructions of the houses from this city.