Herbal perfume rises from the greenery beneath me, released from scrubby leaves by my every footfall. Overhead, a warm breeze rattles the dark green foliage, through which I catch glimpses of a grand, dilapidated chapel in the distance. I reach up and snap off a thick bayleaf, inhaling its astonishingly strong, sweet smell. Chewing it idly, I stroll on, emerging at last onto a pale gold cliff where I stop to watch herons and black cormorants wheel above the bright blue water. I’m standing on what’s been described as the most beautiful island on any lake in the world – Isola Bisentina, on Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio. Like its sister island Martana, it’s the ‘plug’ of a prehistoric volcano – a hardened column of molten rock left standing after a final eruption, lingering for millennia after every other bit of the original volcano has vanished.
Gazing at the blissfully sparkling water around me now, ringed by its gentle green slopes, it’s hard to imagine the prehistoric violence of this place. A million years ago, the scene in front of me was a maze of volcanic cones constantly spurting lava. They steadily threw out enough subterranean material to empty the ground beneath them, creating a vast underground hollow. It collapsed with a deafening whump and formed a single vast crater – the basin which natural springs slowly filled to form Lake Bolsena, the largest volcanic lake in Europe and the continent’s cleanest lake. (You can drink it, and local fishermen make soup with it.) For all its present-day serenity, reminders of the lake’s explosive past are everywhere – in the million tiny filaments of black, green and colourless volcanic glass which make up the beaches, and in the stupendous fertility of the surrounding landscape, teeming now with fruit and flowers.
Set in an unspoilt and gently undulating stretch of countryside, at the meeting point of Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria, it’s no surprise that Lake Bolsena has seen an upsurge in visitors in recent years. Just seventy miles from Rome, and offering considerably better swimming than the coast near the capital, the lake has long been a summer bolthole for hot and bothered Romans. But the last decade or more has seen an increasing number of northern Europeans here – drawn by the peace, the rural beauty, and by the friendliness of the lakeside towns.
Only four or five settlements are strung along the thirty miles of Lake Bolsena’s shoreline, the biggest and arguably the loveliest being Bolsena itself – a town of palpable contentment; well-maintained, litterless, crime-free. For the benefit of Bolsena’s mere four thousand inhabitants, a fairytale castle rises above a tangle of medieval lanes, proud Renaissance homes gaze at each other across friendly squares, tree-lined boulevards lead down to clean beaches, and Roman ruins watch silently from the hillside above. For visitors, a handful of low-rise hotels dot Bolsena’s waterside, the long spaces between them enlivened by flowerbeds, white balustrades topped with Classical urns, and inviting outdoor cafés.
Like everywhere else in this area, the Etruscans were here first. They christened their little bit of paradise ‘Velzna’, which Roman mouths mangled into ‘Volsinii’ and subsequent centuries into ‘Bolsena’. 2,500-year-old Etruscan runes can still be spotted on walls in Bolsena, and underground Etruscan tombs dot the local hillsides. That’s nothing compared to the tangible remains of the Romans here, of course. They drove their main highway running north to the Alps, the Via Cassia, straight through little Bolsena – turning it into something of a holiday resort even then.
I take a wander through an excavated part of Roman ‘Volsinii’ in a pretty meadow lying just above the medieval part of town. There’s a forum, a ruined basilica, and two private houses adorned with frescos and mosaic floors. It’s a tranquil, almost bucolic archaeological site – ringed by olive groves framing views of the lake’s electric blue. Fallen columns lie watched over by the timeless black silhouettes of cypress trees, and capitals litter the scrub grass. I crouch to trace my fingers over a tiny palm branch carved into one of the forum’s paving stones. An early Christian would have carved this esoteric graffito, subversively signalling his or her new-fangled religion to fellow secret converts.
I leave the excavations and wander further up the hillside into farmland, crashing around in fields to trace some of the giant-cobblestoned Roman roads that rattle off into the undergrowth in perfectly straight lines. These are the long-forgotten streets of the ancient city, arranged in a grid and all oriented north-south or east-west. Lying in their midst, completely unsignposted, are the remains of a Colosseum-era amphitheatre. Most visitors to Bolsena never learn of its existence, and many locals couldn’t tell you how to find it.
But I do find it, coming across tall lumps of ancient concrete and diamond-pattern Roman brickwork – an exposed stretch of tiered seating. The rest is completely concealed beneath trees, surrounding a flat oval arena now covered in long grasses. So the bowl shape of the amphitheatre is perfectly retained, but rendered in vegetation. A casual peek under the skirt of branches soon reveals the dirt-submerged slope of seating, with bits of stone poking through here and there. Wild pink cyclamen are growing quietly in the shade under these trees, precisely where spectators once sat. I imagine the relaxed, confident people of Volsinii enjoying a festive spectacle, not one of them thinking that in two thousand years’ time a lone explorer would be wandering over the buried ruins of their venue marvelling at its antiquity and at the impossibly archaic lives of those who used it.
Bolsena’s position on the old Roman Via Cassia, plus its home-grown martyr St. Cristina, ensured that many centuries of pilgrims made stopovers here en route to Rome, swelling the town and its importance. A local miracle boosted things considerably in 1263, and still provides the excuse for Bolsena’s most colourful annual festival – the Infiorata, held every year in early summer. I’d seen it before and jumped at the chance to see it again. I knew that Bolsena’s dense tangle of medieval streets would be lined with a million flower petals fashioned into elaborate pictures and patterns, then a colourful procession would carry the town’s sacred relics along the pretty carpet and transform it to damp mush.
From early morning almost the whole population of the town is on the streets, kneeling on the cobbles and tarmac sketching outlines, hefting bags and boxes full to the brim with flowers and petals carefully separated into neat piles of individual colours, and patiently putting the soft blobs into place. By mid-afternoon, bright swathes of pictures are already visible around the feet of the happy labourers – huge ambitious portraits of Christ, biblical scenes, cherubs, intricate floral patterns painstakingly repeated over hundreds of yards. Hundreds of tourists and residents of nearby towns arrive, gasping and angling cameras, squeezing sweatily past the locals working in an escalating, ecstatic panic down on the cobbled lanes.
And then at 6pm, with the very last petal thrust into place, solemn chaos begins up in Piazza Santa Cristina. Ragged-edged groups of worthies teem out of the church into a thickly assembled crowd and try to commence the procession. No one takes charge, no one quite knows what’s going on, and there’s a lot of stopping and starting. A clutch of priests gaze round in their sunglasses for guidance. Pious matrons with lace headgear inch hesitantly forward in short skirts and steep heels. A gigantic wooden cross sways worryingly above colourful banners embroidered with the crests of local towns. Then band members in dazzling uniforms start a fumbling tune, and everything lurches forward. For two hours the dense, messy parade shuffles round the town, churning flower petal pictures into abstracts underfoot.
The next day, with Bolsena calm again and swept clean of all petals, I climb on a bicycle and set out for Capodimonte fifteen miles away on the opposite side of the lake. For a couple of miles I follow the Via Cassia out of Bolsena, this Roman highway and key medieval pilgrimage route now a modestly busy A-road flanked by pretty countryside. I turn off and follow a series of tiny roads skirting the western shore. There are no homes here – just small fields of crops vividly green against the rich brown soil and cobalt blue water. Olive trees wave their silver leaves as I pass, and I smile at the occasional picnicker and swimmer enjoying the sun. A tiny campsite or an isolated café appears now and then – remarkably slight development given the attraction of this shoreline.
Dustclouds billow in my wake as I tear down a white dirt road beside a long, charcoal-coloured beach. A man trots a magnificent horse through the water and nods hello as I pass. And then I must climb a single massive hill – Bisenzio, site of an Etruscan town 25 centuries ago. They’ve pulled Etruscan artefacts out of the ground here, I know – a bronze cart, sandals, even a rudimentary set of dentures. Now Bisenzio is just a smooth green dome dotted with bales of hay. Slogging up the hill on foot, pushing my bike in front of me, I suddenly spot a young deer sprinting across the hilltop and into the woods. I think of all the wildlife that takes daylight refuge amongst those trees, remembering the black-and-white-striped porcupine quills I’ve sometimes picked up on hillsides round the lake.
I join a main road and whiz excitedly down its gentle slope towards Capodimonte. Bisentina Island is very close to the shore here and I snatch an admiring glance at its single grand church poking out from the trees – the ageing dome a patchwork of rusty greys, the walls a weathered patina of oranges. Breezing into Capodimonte, I’m exhilarated by my recent speed, but not so full of endorphins that I can’t hear my leg muscles screaming for respite. It’s late afternoon, and there’s plenty of time to explore this pretty little town, to wander its quiet medieval lanes and admire its views across the lake. But right now I have a higher priority: ice cream, and a good sit down. I buy some delicious stuff from a gelateria next to the neat marina, and sprawl beside the boats to slowly eat it. Capodimonte’s pile of medieval homes rises in front of me, colourful and bright in the afternoon light. Behind me, I hear the shouts of teenagers splashing about and the ecstatic squeal of a little boy running along the sand. Nearly all eaten now, my ice cream is intensely refreshing. It occurs to me that, with its cleanliness, its tranquillity, and its amazing under-exploitation, I could say exactly the same thing about Lake Bolsena.
CONVENT OF SANTA MARIA DEL GIGLIO
Via Madonna del Giglio 49, Bolsena
+39 0761 799066
www.conventobolsena.org
By renting out very simple rooms at rock-bottom prices, this 17th century convent pays for the upkeep of its cloistered, frescoed premises. Set amidst vineyards and olive groves on a hillside with lake views, Bolsena and its beaches are a pleasant walk away. Guests can pay a small supplement to use the kitchen and dining room.
Double room from €34
CASA REMINISCENZA
Via Cassia (SS2), km 119,800, Localita Valleponte SNC
+39 334 312 2943 / +39 334 216 3231
www.casaremi.com
Enjoying magnificent views over the lake, this lovely renovated farmhouse sits amidst vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards from which the kindly Norwegian owners make wine, oil and other produce for their guests. Inside, ten en suite rooms (each with balcony or patio) are decorated in a romantic Italian style enlivened with nice modern touches.
Double room from €100
ARLENA AGRITURISMO
Via Cassia, eastern lakeside
+39 0761 799538
www.arlena.it
This old stone farmhouse with beautifully converted outbuildings sits in 10 hectares of fruit orchards about 4km south of Bolsena. Accommodation is in 8 apartments, each with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. There’s a large restaurant with a vaulted ceiling, and a 150m path leads through kiwi groves to a private beach.
Double room from €57
THE YELLOW HOUSE
Civitella d'Agliano
+39 0761-780925 / +39 340 5043468
www.theyellowhouse-italy.com
This lovely secluded farmhouse in wine-making countryside just a few miles from Bolsena enjoys beautiful views. It’s set in ten acres of private land, and can accommodate up to fourteen people. Facilities include a 15-metre pool and an outdoor pizza oven.
HOTEL URBANO V
Corso Cavour 107, Montefiascone
+39 0761 831094
www.hotelurbano-v.it
Welcoming and undeniably elegant, this renovated palazzo on a steep street in Montefiascone has spacious and very comfortable rooms. Antiques and ancient artefacts are dotted about reception and bar areas. There’s a vaulted dining room, and an assortment of lovely sun terraces – one offering breathtaking panoramic views all the way to Umbria.
Double room from €80
LIDO CAMPING VILLAGE
Via Cassia, eastern lakeside
+39 0761 799258 / 797048
www.bolsenacamping.it
This large and very orderly campsite offers every facility on a private stretch of beach 1km south of Bolsena. An attractive lakeside footpath takes you into town in fifteen minutes. There’s a pool, bar, restaurant, supermarket, disco, cinema, games room, and tennis courts. Apartments, bungalow and mobile homes are also available on site.
Pitch from €10
LA SIRENETTA
Viale Cadorna 10, Bolsena
+39 0761 799096
With a terrace looking west across the lake, La Sirenetta commands the best spot in Bolsena for watching the sunset. The food is simple but very good – and inexpensive enough to enjoy lots of courses. Try the seafood or asparagus risotto, the roasted coregone (white lakefish), and don’t miss the cipolline balsamiche (sweet onions pickled in balsamic vinegar).
Meal for two about €30
LA PINETA
Viale A. Diaz 48, Bolsena
+39 0761 799801
www.lapinetabolsena.it
Undoubtedly Bolsena’s finest restaurant, set on a quiet, leafy spot beside the water and surrounded by flowers and pretty patios. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, and the food is stupendous. Special taster menus allow you to sample all sorts of creative things deftly done with fish and seafood. Look out for a show-stopping linguine with lobster and cherry tomatoes.
Meal for two about €60
LA TAVERNETTA
Corso Cavour 56, Bolsena
+39 0761 798979
www.latavernettabolsena.com
A snug little den in the heart of Bolsena’s medieval lanes, with good food at rock-bottom prices. The pizzas are a marvel - delicious, crisp, and painfully filling. Far bigger than the giant plates, they lollop comically over the edges and drape across the tablecloths. The place is always well-attended, so they’re obviously getting something right!
Meal for two about €20
LA CARROZZA D’ORO
Lungolago 95, Montefiascone
+39 0761 823157
Far out of the centre of town, you’ll enjoy the dramatic route you have to take to reach this restaurant – steeply descending from Montefiascone through pretty farmland to a quiet stretch of lakeshore. In a cool tiled dining room, a very friendly, English-speaking hostess and her staff serve amazing fish and seafood.
Meal for two about €40
DA PANCINO
Via Dante Alighieri 3, Montefiascone
+39 0761 826137
When you tire of the lake area’s excellent seafood, this cosy family-run restaurant is the place to come; it specialises in succulent meats roasted slowly over an open fire. Sited just a short distance from Montefiascone’s spectacular belvedere, you can stroll along and enjoy one of the best views of the lake before or after dinner.
Meal for two about €40
BASILICA OF SANTA CRISTINA
Built slowly over several centuries, Bolsena’s main church has a very pretty frontage of pale stone decorated with delicate carvings. Inside, you can descend into eerie, 3rd-century Roman catacombs. Hundreds of horizontal niches for bodies, stacked vertically along branching corridors, have been carved underground into soft volcanic rock. Some of the lower tombs remain sealed with mortar, traces of frescoed portraits and inscriptions still poignantly visible upon them.
MEDIEVAL BOLSENA
By day or at night, Bolsena’s medieval streets are an intensely atmospheric place to wander. The narrow cobbled lanes wind up steps and under archways, emerging at a 13th-century castle which crowns the town. Tiny shops, private homes, cafés and artists’ studios add colour and interest. Make sure you climb up the little Via delle Piaggie – a long, secret-seeming passageway which runs straight through a strange chapel and includes various Etruscan and Roman features.
ISOLA BISENTINA
The lake’s largest island has long provided a peaceful escape – for the Etruscans fleeing the Romans, for locals hiding from Saracen invaders in the Dark Ages, for medieval monks seeking retreat from the material world, and for Renaissance popes seeking relief from the heat and politics of Rome. It’s an exquisite, garden-of-Eden-like place teeming with unusual wildlife. Boat trips with guided tours run regularly in the summer.
VOLSINII SCAVI
The excavations of Roman-era Bolsena lie in a field a short distance from the castle. It’s a quiet and pretty place to wander – olive trees ring its periphery and there’s no excess of archaeological bumf to slow your wanderings down with lots of reading. A paved forum features palæo-Christian graffiti, and two ancient villas sport frescos, mosaics and marble floors. Fallen columns litter the grass very prettily.
CAPODIMONTE & MARTA
These two neighbouring towns on the southwest side of the lake are well worth a day’s exploration – and you can walk along a deserted stretch of shoreline to get from one to the other. Both have a clutch of quiet, intriguing medieval lanes, plus a modest church or two. Capodimonte has by far the better beach – a long stretch of sand beside inviting water. But Marta has arguably the better choice of restaurants.
|
 2, by Fleur Kinson-1.JPG "Click to enlarge")
, by Fleur Kinson-1.jpg "Click to enlarge")
