Bolsena is a picturesque resort town set on the northeastern banks of Lake Bolsena. It’s a place to explore a medieval fortress, visit the remains of an Ancient Roman city and try watersports on the town’s namesake lake. Bolsena straddles the ancient pilgrim route Via Francigena, in the Tuscan province of Viterbo. The town succeeded the Roman settlement of Volsinii, which some historians believe to have been built on an ancient Etruscan city.
Start your tour in the historic center, where twisting cobblestone lanes lead to centuries-old landmarks and café-lined squares. Looming over the town with turreted towers is Bolsena Castle. Spot Etruscan, Roman and medieval artifacts at the castle’s Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena. Also within the castle is Bolsena Acquarium, which has displays of aquatic creatures native to the lake.
Go to the Basilica di Santa Cristina, dedicated to the tortured and venerated St. Christina of Bolsena. Visit the church’s catacombs to see the saint’s sarcophagus and the tombs of her followers. Every July, costumed actors reenact scenes and legends from St. Christina’s life.
Take some time out at a pavement café or traditional trattoria and sample wines produced in the surrounding vineyards. The old town streets comes alive at the end of June when they become immersed in a multitude of colors during a festival of hydrangeas.
Make the short drive inland to the Area Archeologica di Poggio Moscini. Here you can see ruins that relate to the town’s Roman, and possible Etruscan, beginnings.
On a sunny day, do as the locals do and head to Lake Bolsena. Find opportunities to go boating, cycling, fishing and swimming. Sit at a lakeshore bench and watch pretty sunsets. Travel to Capodimonte, on the lake’s southern shores, and join boat trips around the islands of Isola Bisentina and Isola Martana.
Bolsena is a 40-minute drive from Viterbo, the capital of the province of Viterbo. Conveniently located between Rome and Siena, it’s a popular stopover on self-drive vacations of Tuscany’s hill towns and wine region.
