Lakeside towns: Capodimonte and Bolsena

Lakeside view in Capodimonte

This last Saturday, all the students from my Viterbo study abroad program, USAC, packed their beach bags and suntan lotion for a relaxing day at the beach near the waters of Lake Bolsena.  At about 50 students, we weren’t able to take public transportation, so a tour bus took us to our two destinations: first the small town of Capodimonte followed by a brief visit to another lakeside town of Bolsena.

The bus ride from Viterbo to Capodimonte only took us about 45 minutes and landed us at the southwestern shore of Lake Bolsena.  Capodimonte is a small and relaxed town with a wonderful beach and comfortable atmosphere.  The sunny weather had also enticed many of the locals to come and enjoy the nice sunny Saturday afternoon, so it was a wonderful opportunity to join in right alongside them. 

My friend Jessica and I enjoying the refreshing water

I didn’t have any problem jumping right in and swimming around a bit, enjoying the beautiful scenery and cool water.  Apparently, the lake is known to be so clean it is suitable for bathing.  Even local fisherman use it to cook their popular fish soup.  The lake is actually the largest in Europe to have been formed due to the eruption of a volcano.  It even has two small islands that were formed by underwater eruptions.  One of the islands, named Bisentina Island, has a rich history that begins when it was inhabited by the Etruscans and Romans.  I wasn’t able to visit the island but apparently in the center of the island there is a jail built inside a hill with a trap door that was used to house clergymen guilty of heresy.  But that’s my next trip, hopefully!

Castle top view of the city of Bolsena

After a relaxing afternoon, the group ended our day trip at the town of Bolsena, a city that hosts (along with Viterbo, among others) one of the major vias to Rome (heard the expression, all roads lead to Rome?), Via Cassia.  From the Oak lined pathways that followed the scenery of Lake Bolsena to the quaint and peaceful vias staged with a plethora of colorful begonias and the occasional trumpet vine bursting into bloom, it seemed the town was straight from a storybook.  I enjoyed just perusing down the town streets, taking in all the sights and sounds, but most of all the quiet energy, the subdued peace and fluidity of every little moment.   

A quiet and peaceful via in Bolsena

In Bolsena we had the opportunity to take a little tour around the Castle of Bolsena, which hosted some magnificent views of the city with the lake as the perfect backdrop. 

Though it was a wonderful experience, as part of a group trip I didn’t get the most time to spend where I wanted and the time to peruse the town and take everything in was very limited.  Because it is only a short bus ride, I am planning on visiting again and learning more about what this beautiful lakeside town has to offer.  

Because my blog can only host a limited number of photos,  I've decided to upload a few more to Snapfish.  Check them out by clicking on this link.