Canino is a hill town in the far north-west of Lazio, in the Tuscia, the old land of the Etruscans, close to the border with Tuscany. The landscape around it is gently rolling, covered with olive groves, wheat fields and pastures, and the olive oil of Canino has a protected designation and a reputation as one of the finest in central Italy.
The town has a curious Napoleonic connection: Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, was made Prince of Canino by the Pope in the early nineteenth century, and he lived here for some years. He took a keen interest in the Etruscan tombs on his estate, and the excavations he sponsored uncovered treasures that ended up in museums across Europe.
Those tombs belonged to Vulci, one of the great Etruscan cities, whose ruins lie a few kilometres west of Canino, by the river Fiora. The archaeological park includes the remains of the city, necropolises and the Ponte dell'Abbadia, a dramatic bridge over a deep gorge with a medieval castle beside it, now a museum. It is a wild, beautiful place, especially in the evening light.
The riding here is quiet and scenic, with roads winding through olive groves and fields, and down into the ravines cut by rivers through the volcanic tufa. Surfaces vary, and traffic is light. Lake Bolsena, a large volcanic crater lake, is not far to the north-east. Fuel and food are available in Canino and nearby towns. As a start and finish, Canino offers a peaceful, rural setting and a window into the ancient world.