A trip to the wonderful lake at an hour from Rome
Bolsena, the town named after the homonymous lake, is located north of Viterbo, in Lazio, a few kilometers from the Umbrian border and consists of an ancient village perched on a hill and a more modern part built on the plain. The surrounding countryside is mostly formed by olive groves and vineyards. It is topographically located along the northern shore of the homonymous lake.
Lake Bolsena was formed more than 300,000 years ago following a calderic collapse of some volcanoes, part of the chain that still today encloses the lake, the Volsini Mountains. The territory of the municipality extends from the banks of the lake to the ancient volcanic cone. Being on the lake, but in a particular position, the municipality has a generally mild climate, with winters not too cold, rare snow and feverish summers. It is also known to the general public for the Corpus Domini miracle, linked to the Eucharistic prodigy that took place in 1263, when a priest Bohemia Peter of Prague, while celebrating Mass at the tomb of Santa Cristina, saw blood drops flowing from a ‘ he consecrated. The priest, doubtful of the dogma of transubstantiation, had to recapture and this miracle was why Pope Urban IV in 1264 established the Corpus Christi feast. The saint patron saint of San Giorgio of the town, in 292, at the dawn of Christianity, was thrown into the lake to be killed with a stone tied to his neck, for the will of his father. The same stone, miraculously, began to float and brought the young healthy and save on the banks of the lake. And it was on this stone, marked with the footprint of the saint, which was precisely the miracle of 1263. Even today, the traditional procession is witnessed; you can admire Raffaello’s frescoes, representing the event, Elidoro’s room in the Vatican Palaces, and the splendid Duomo of Orvieto built just after that miracle.
The happy position of Bolsena, on the sloping hills of the Volsini Mountains, has always favored human settlements, as evidenced by the traces of primitive palafitticola homes found in the backdrops of the lake. Its tourist notoriety is also due to the Cassia State Road and the fact that it has for centuries been a strategic statue along the path of pilgrims to Rome. Its ancestor Velzna, the last of the twelve cities of the Etruscan confederation to surrender to Rome, was, according to some, on the cliff of the nearby Orvieto, some thirty kilometers northwest, while for others the pagus was near the ‘current inhabited center.
In the Roman age the city took the name of Volsini and was elected to the town hall. He retained his prestige even in the early years of Christianity, as documented by the vast Catacombs of Santa Cristina, the martyr to which today the Basilica is dedicated. Conquered and spoiled for many of his riches by the Goths and the Longobards, he finally became part of the Church’s rule, which had to fight much to avoid the conquest of Orvietans. The medieval memories are entrusted to the Castello Monaldeschi della Cervara overlooking the historic center.
The seaside Bolsena, on the shores of the lake, uses comfortable accommodation facilities. The lake, in great order, Lake Bolsena, the ancient “Lacus volsiniensis”, a crater of the Volsini mountains with a surface of 114 sq. Km, a perimeter of 63 km and an average depth of 146 m, is the fifth of Italy and the largest in Europe among those of volcanic origin. They overlook, besides Bolsena, Martha and Capodimonte. Known for its fisheries, as well as for landscape beauty, eels are still fishing today, known for this already in Dante’s times, carrots, carp and tinche. Two islands emerge from the waters, probably the remains of secondary volcanic craters: Bisentina and Martana. The first of 17 hectares of land is home to an unusual naturalistic habitat where articulate elements are sometimes refined: sixteenth century Venetian period postcards, the Farnese palace and the church of the SS. James and Christopher. The private island of Bisentina is open during summer time thanks to some boats and motorboats departing from the ports of Bolsena and Capodimonte and reaching the small inhabited center. Martana is also a private one, and is remembered for the tragic end of Amalasunta, Queen of the Ostrogots, the daughter of Theodoric, who according to the legend was killed in 584 in this strange place and thrown into the lake by her husband Teodato. The island is not accessible. There are numerous events that take place in Bolsena, such as the Santa Cristina Martire party that falls every July 24th. The party, however, takes place the previous evening when some of the mysteries of Santa Cristina are represented, that is, of the living cadres, known by the name of Mysteries, who are set up to represent the sufferings suffered by the little girl.
Another interesting event associated with the previous one is the procession of Santa Cristina. The statue of the Holy One is set in front of each representation, along the streets of Bolsena to the Church of the Most Holy Savior. Costumes, make-up, dress-up and everything else are particularly cured and the assignment of roles is handed down from father to son. On the 24th morning the procession with the Holy One begins again from the Church of the Most Holy Savior until he returns to the church of Santa Cristina.