Bolsena: Lakeside splendor in a medieval setting
In the 3 ½ years we’ve done TraveLazio, we have our favorite destinations. Tuscania and its beautiful settings come to mind. So does Calcata, on a rocky peak in the clouds. But we just returned from the lakeside town of Bolsena and the small town of 3,650 two hours north of Rome may be our new No. 1.
A spectacular lake with a long boardwalk. A medieval neighborhood with a 12th century castle in the middle sporting an incredible panoramic view of the city, lake and mountains beyond. Elegant tree-lined roads. Add fantastic food and few tourists and it qualifies as one of Lazio’s many hidden gems. I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before; Marina couldn’t believe she’d never been there.
It helped that we spent the night. We went with my nephew and his wife. Both are well traveled and they loved the place, too.
Things to do
1 • Lake Bolsena. Italy is famous for its scenic walks but few in Lazio match the leisurely stroll along the biggest volcanic lake in Europe. Lake Bolsena stretches 13 kilometers (eight miles) by 11 kilometers (seven miles) near where the borders of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany meet.
A long paved boardwalk goes past big houses and under palm trees, Mediterranean pine trees and plane trees. Have a glass of wine at the snack bar on the lake or have fresh calamarata puttanesca at Ristorante Gabbiano right on the lake as I did. Or just sit at one of the many stone benches and look out at the water.
In May, it was too cold to swim but it would be perfect to escape Rome’s sweltering heat in summer. But be careful. The lake goes to a depth of 495 feet.
2 • Rione Castello. Rocca Monaldeschi is a castle that dominates Bolsena’s skyline high atop a hill. Completed in 1156 on order of Pope Adrian IV to protect the town on ancient Via Cassia, the huge stone castle features four towers and the Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena.
Climb the 37 steps up the tower to get a spectacular panoramic view of the town, lake and 2,000-foot (600-meter) hills beyond. The castle is a steep hike uphill from the town but the surrounding neighborhood is worth hanging out.
“Rione” means “district” in Italian and surrounding the castle, Rione Castello is a series of narrow, windy alleys lined with potted plants and Bolsena’s red and yellow striped flag. Stop at the little cafe
I Sapori del Castello for a coffee on the cobblestones outside.
Info: Piazza Monaldeschi 1, 39-07-61-798-630. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. €5, €4 without museum.
3. Basilica di Santa Cristina. Consecrated in 1077, it is named for Saint Cristina of Bolsena, a beautiful woman whose evil father ordered her to become a pagan princess. He placed her in a special home with gold and silver idols.
Legend has it that an angel visited her and said she’d be the bride of Christ. She warned Cristina of future suffering. Cristina responded by destroying all the idols. When her father discovered it, he had her tortured. After he died, the torture continued and she was eventually beheaded.
The church is the site of the Eucharistic Miracle of 1263 when a Bohemian priest was giving mass and the communion bread bled onto a small linen cloth. (See sidebar below). To the left of the altar is a marble path leading to the Chapel of the Miracle. The cloth itself is in the Orvieto Cathedral.
Info: Via Giuseppe Mazzini 1A, 39-07-61-799-067, 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m., 3:30-6 p.m.
Eucharistic Miracle happened in Bolsena
In 1263, a Bohemian priest from Prague named Peter was performing mass in the Basilica di Santa Cristina when, legend has it, the communion bread began to bleed on the square cloth beneath it, known as the “host.”
According to the Catholic Church, this was proof of the transubstantiation, the theory that bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ as Peter always doubted the theory. The host, now in a special box in the Orvieto Cathedral, has reddish spots that many believe resemble the face of Jesus.
While many doubted the story over the centuries, a test in 2015 using UV light confirmed the cloth contains the presence of blood. Around every Easter in Orvieto, the cloth is paraded around the city in one of the major holidays of the year.
Where is it:
130 kilometers (70 miles) north of Rome.
How to get there: It’s best to drive. That takes two hours. Buses leave regularly but it takes 3-3 hours, 45 minutes and includes two changes.
For more information:
Visit Bolsena, Piazza Matteotti 9A, 39-07-61-799-923,
Where to eat:
Il Pinzale, Via Cassia Kilometer 115, 39-07-61-799-717/39-333-292-5462, Il Pinzale, ristoranteilpinzale@hotmail.it.
Located across the street from the lake on the north edge of town, the elegant restaurant has two big rooms separated by a brick archway and specializes in lake fish. Pasta dishes start at €15.00 and fish at €17.50.
Try the coregone al forno, a white fish found in Lake Bolsena.
