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Viterbo is a small town in the Caldas department of Colombia. It sits in a valley and is approached via a gorgeous tree lined road with a bike path.
Viterbo was founded on April 19, 1911, but was not officially made a municipality until December 31, 1951. It’s principal industry is sugarcane, and it’s becoming a vacation destination due to the many condos that have been constructed in and around the town.
Tunnel of the Samanes
The road heading into town is called the Tunnel of the Samanes (Túnel de los Samanes). Huge samán trees line both sides of the road creating a tunnel almost all the way into town.
Since 2016, a local artist, Chalomenez Xkultr, has been creating sculptures along the road out of samán trees that have died. We were able to catch him in action and have a quick chat about his work.
He carves the trees and another local artist paints them. As of our last visit in May 2019, there were eight sculptures in all with another not yet unveiled. There are plans to create more sculptures out of a few more trees that have died.
Plaza
While the entrance to town is very scenic, the town itself is a bit of a disappointment. Other than a very spacious plaza filled with trees, there’s not much more see. The plaza is surrounded by a few nice colonial buildings.
On one end of the plaza is the Immaculate Church (Iglesia La Inmaculada). It’s quite bare inside.
Mirador Alto Palatino
A few blocks uphill from the plaza is Mirador Alto Palatino. It’s free to climb up to an observation deck with beautiful views of the town and countryside. It’s open from Tuesday to Friday from 10am to noon and again from 2pm to 5:30pm. On Saturdays, it’s only open from 10am to noon. There’s a mural opposite the entrance.
La Costeña
We asked some locals for a restaurant recommendation. Most of them steered us towards La Costeña. We each had the set menu and were both unhappy with the quality of the food. The meal consisted of meatball soup, grilled chicken breast, fries, salad, and a drink. It brought back not-so-fond memories of my elementary school lunches.
When we first visited in 2015, La Costeña was situated on the plaza next to the church. It has since moved a couple blocks away (see the map below).
La Fonda
Since that first visit in 2015, a new local favorite has popped up. La Fonda is tucked away on a road near the entrance to town. It’s run by the same owners as La Fonda in Belén de Umbría and has the same menu. This one, however, is situated on a large finca outside town. There’s plenty of space for kids to run and play, and it’s in a peaceful environment.
The food is just as good as La Fonda in Belén. I had the frijoles montañeros, which is beans with a plate of chicharron, chorizo, patacón, rice, salad, and a fried egg.
Getting There
Viterbo is located just over an hour from the bus terminal in Pereira. It’s served by Transporte Zapata and Transportes Viterbo.
