Sutri

Sutri, also an episcopal see, is picturesquely situated on a narrow hill, surrounded by ravines, a narrow neck on the west alone connecting it with the surrounding country. There are some remains of the ancient city walls of rectangular blocks of tufa on the southern side of the town, and rock-cut sewers in the cliffs below them.

The position of Sutri was of strategic importance, commanding the road into Etruria, the later Via Cassia. It came into the hands of Rome after the fall of Veii, and a Latin colony was founded there. It was besieged by the Etruscans in 311-310 BC, but not taken. Its importance as a fortress explains, according to Festus, the proverb "Sutrium ire", of one who goes on important business. Inscriptions show that it was a place of some importance under the empire, and it is mentioned after the Fall of Rome as occupied by the Lombards.