Tolfa presents a city plan which blends perfectly with the naturalistic features of the location and also respects the original configuration of a town which has existed since the Middle Ages.The various Etruscan necropolis that have risen around the town are numerous and interesting; this goes to prove that there are human settlements around the Tolfa area that date back not only to the Etruscan era but to the Paleolithic era. The most thriving period for Tolfa was the higher Middle Ages; the numerous structures that date back to that time still, in fact, give it an appearance which surely evokes in its visitors a spirit of times gone bye.

"La Rocca"
On the hill it is possible to see the ruins of a castle that once belonged to the Frangipane brothers. In1502, Agostino Chigi, the contractor of the alum mines, decided to dismantle the rock and transferred the pieces of artillery to Porto Ercole. On the hill there is a Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady ofthe Sorrows 'SANTA MARIA DELLA PIETA', which has always represented for the citizens of Tolfa, a common sense of belonging and synthesis of their history.

The Palace of the Region
The "Baronale" palace is a primitive building, built between the walls and supported in part by an arch on the top of which one can admire the coat of arms.
It was built around the year 1200 and was the seat from which all public power was exercised. The Governor had to live in this palace.
The building was also known as "PALAZZO DELLA RAGIONE" (Palace of Reason).

S. Egidio
The church of Saint Egidio is situated inside the walls that surround the town and dates back to the XIV century.This church, which is dedicated to Saint Egidio who is the Patron Saint of Tolfa, has undergone deep transformations during the years, compared to the original and surely much smaller structure.

The Church of the Capuchins
The church and nearby convent date back to the first half of the 1600's. The first improvements were made around 1730 by the guardian of the Capuchins, Father Alessio da Campine.Inside the church, above the alter, there is a painting of the "Madonna di Cibona" (Our Lady of Cibona) (end of the 1400's, beginning of the 1500's), an original fresco that was detached from the back wall of the church with the same name. The cloister of the convent, with a well in the center made of local stones, is built along simple and elegant lines, in compliance with the rules of life of the Franciscans.

From the font square one views the historical center dominated by the rock and remains fascinated.

The ancient Municipal Building and Clock Tower
The ancient municipal building was built in via Frangipane, outside the medieval walls, after alum was discovered and following the growth of the city.Nearby one can see the Clock Tower which dates back to the year 1602 (as evidenced by the inscription carved on the marble), on the top there are, closed in a wrought iron cage, the bells that would beat away the daily lives of the old citizens of Tolfa.

The Fountain of Piazza Vecchia
The fountain, built in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti (which has always been called "Piazza Vecchia"), was restored in the year 1888 in order to bring fresh drinking water to the people of Tolfa: for the occasion it was necessary to fit it with a tub and, in the center, a column with two water spouts.

The Church of Our Lady of the "Sughera" (or Cork-Tree)
The church (Sanctuary) of Our Lady of the "Sughera" was built to enhance and complete the octagonal Chapel built in the early 1500's by Agostino Chigi in memory of a painting depicted on tablets, showing Our Lady with Child, that was miraculously found on All Saints day (1501) by two hunters from Tolfa. In the center of the Chapel one can admire the Tabernacle that holds both a copy of the painting (the original was stolen by the French in 1799) and the tree on which, bytradition, the sacred image is said to have been found.After various structural changes, the church today appears with a central nave and six altars, three on each side.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto
This large town square (1920-30) has a long balustrade down one side, from which it is possible to admire the stupendous scenery: Starting from left one can admire the hill of the Rocca then, in the valley, it is possible to recognize the locations of the numerous necropolis, the Etruscan and Roman remains, the Castle of Rota and the ruins of the Monteranno Channel. To the end of thesquare there is the municipal building where, on the ground floor, there is the civic museum, rich with prestigious archeological findings.Behind the palace there is the growing green garden of the Municipal Villa.

Palace with Tabernacle
At number 61 of Via Annibal Caro, it is possible to admire a building with a façade that has been refined by an aedicule that pictures the Virgin, with a broken ,curved, gable, columns and pillars with leafed capitals. Above there is a royal crown: all of which in marked baroque style.

Buttaoni Palace
At number 30 of Via Roma there is the Buttaoni building with a façade that has no particular architectonic details: However, once through the gate, it is possible to admire a foyer with a courtyard, a niche-like frontal and a triple arched portico, dominated by a low covered terrace.The palace is the seat of the municipal library.

Celli Palace
In via Costa Alta it is possible to admire the Celli Palace which has a façade that is enhanced by a door with coat of arms and framed windows.

Inside the courtyard, in front of the entrance, one can see a large niche.

Panetti Palace
The Panetti palace is located in Annibal Caro, which houses some of the most important buildings that reflect a period of well-being, and the Panetti palace is proof of this.

The façade has a solemn doorway in ashler-work and is enhanced by large windows: the brick pavement in the main entrance is almost entirely original.

Historic mentions
The territory of the municipality of Tolfa is part of that strip of Etruscan Apennines that extend along the pre-Tyrhennian Lazio strip.

Geographically, the town is located 70 km to the North-West of Rome, the province in which it is located, and 20 km North-East of Civitavecchia. The territory of Tolfa has been involved in human settlements ever since back in the Neolithic age; findings in fact, date back to that era, as well as to the bronze age, the iron age, and the ProtoVillanova and Villanova age.

There is a marked presence of Etruscans, as evidenced by the numerous necropolis: these attest to the presence of various inhabited centers that were located, most probably, on three tuff highlands (Pian dei Santi (Plains of Saints), Pian della Conserva (Plains of Preserves), Pian Cisterna (Plains of the Cistern), furthermore, Etruscan tombs have been found in numerous other locations.

The Etruscan civilization was ousted by the Roman civilization which also left many traces.
On the origins of the name "Tolfa" there are two possibilities: the name could derive from the root "TUL", of Etruscan origin, which meant to "raise" and therefore could indicate the altitude referred to its geographical location; or it could originate from the Lombard culture, present in that area from the end of the VI century, in whose onomatology the end sound of "ULFO" is frequently used. The inhabited area of Tolfa extended from the Rocca towards a much wider and definite boundary with the construction of churches with squares and all the facilities required for daily social life and expanding for the most part after the discovery of alum (1460-1462) by Giovanni da Castro.