The town of Bolsena is often listed as one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy. Driving between scenic hills to the lakeside town is all you need to be convinced. Entering the village provides an immediate view of Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara, a medieval fortress that stares out across the blue waters. Residents around Lake Bolsena take pride in living near Europe’s largest volcanic lake. It’s Lake Bolsena that the surrounding wineries have to thank for their mineral-rich soil. This is thanks to a relatively recent volcanic eruption that happened around 200,000 years ago. The high-minerality in the terrain gives local wines a structured balance, known for their long aging potential.
Thanks to its water reserves and strategic location, Bolsena has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and is primarily renowned for its Etruscan settlement.
Known as Volsinii during the Etrusco-Roman times, it gained prominence as a trade city and cultural center. Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara is a beautiful fortress from which to watch the sun set behind the lake. For archeology nerds, the Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena awaits within. The museum guides would-be excavators through artifacts that detail Bolsena’s long history. The final portion is dedicated to the battle that took place during the Second World War. After the Allies kicked the German Panzer out of Rome, Bolsena was the site of a final battle between forces. Just above the medieval historic center sits Poggio Moscini. Here you’ll find well-preserved ruins from the ancient Volsinii Forum.
Can We Eat Yet?
The most popular spot to find yourself on a weekend night is surely Retro Gusto di Roberta Perosillo. Filled from floor to ceiling with local confections, Retro Gusto’s main catch is its pay-by-the-pound plates of locally sourced artisan cheeses, cured meats, and bottles of wine to wash it down.
Every Saturday night, live music flows through a crowd of hungry customers chattering amongst friends. Roberta floats between guests as she entertains regulars and pours local wine at the bar.
Most of the wine comes from friends in the industry who live throughout Tuscia. The styles vary across the spectrum of natural and traditionally made wine. The unifying feature is that almost all are made locally and with care to support the winemaker.
Warm, friendly, and always delicious, Retro Gusto is the type of classic Italian deli I always imagined myself frequenting before I moved to Italy.
If you’re craving flavors that hit a little closer to home, Pizzeria Tanaquilla has the best pizza in town. Pub-style food is served in a tavern and summer Biergarten with Belgian beer on tap. It’s a hangout presumably designed with the summering Northern Europeans in mind.
Spots like this become harder to find the further south you go into the Italian countryside. Tanaquilla quenches the thirst of those dried up from wine and craving small comforts of home.
Bolsena might be one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon in Tuscia. Vast blue waters almost trick one into believing they’ve made it to the Mediterranean coastline. But the air is a little bit fresher and the pace a little less chaotic. Although popular for those in the know, Bolsena never feels overly crowded the way some Italian villages do. I’d argue that this helps retain so much of the charm
One evening is all it takes to imagine why the town has been a coveted destination for over a millennium.
All photographs by Alyssa Richter. Used with permission.
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Perhaps by now it’s no secret that Umbria is one of Italy’s sacred gems. Literally within the heart of Italy, right in the center, Umbria is a land of rolling hills, quaint towns, and slow-moving people. Often overshadowed by its powerful neighbors like Florence and Rome, only in the past few decades has Umbria become a region sought after on its own terms.
One of Umbria’s most astounding cities is Orvieto. A city on a hill, the spectacular town is believed to be the ancient Etruscan site of Velzna, Latinized to Volsinii in Roman times. Once a major center of wealth and culture in Etruria, Volsinii’s official location is disputed. However, many believe it to be the modern-day Orvieto, crediting archeological evidence and geographical placement.
The city center rises above the ground on a tuff hill, a type of volcanic ash weathered into soil over a span of centuries. The most notable structure is the Orvieto Cathedral that towers above the quintessential medieval town like a catholic castle. It easily rivals the Florence Duomo in beauty and grandeur.
Soft beauty contrasts this architectural giant in hidden streets overflowing with flowering trees and stone walls that hide grand villas. While strolling, you might be caught off guard by a sudden panorama of the Umbrian countryside, which encompasses the rock from every side.
Walking Orvieto, I often find myself imagining that I’ve been planted into a romantic fairytale from a different era.
Let’s See the City
The Duomo
The Duomo di Orvieto was completed between the 13th and 14th centuries by several prominent architects. It stands today as one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture.
Many prominent sculptors and artists contributed to the Duomo’s construction. Most notable is Lorenzo Maitani, credited as the cathedral’s primary architect. It’s easy to spot similarities between the Orvieto Cathedral and those of Florence and Sienna. Many of the architects, sculptors, and Masters of the Works had previously worked on the duomos for Florence and Sienna. Their influence, therefore, completes a theme across north-central Italian architecture, making a blueprint for Renaisance design.
At sunset, the intricately laid gold and stained glass reliefs glitter against the waning rays. Even from miles away, you can glimpse the bright cathedral shining in the last lights of day.
Inside the cathedral is a staggering cornucopia of religious structures.
Marble statues of the Twelve Apostles line the way to the altar. Each man holds iconography related to his teachings and martyrdom. If you really want to challenge your Roman Catholic trivia knowledge, see how many of the apostles you can guess, using their assigned symbols as clues. I once spent an entire afternoon researching each one and can attest that it makes future museum visits more engaging.
The gothic frescoes that surround the altar were once the largest series of frescoes in all of Italy. They depict the life of the Virgin Mary, one of the primary figures dedicated by the cathedral.
The reason for commissioning such an imposing religious structure is due to the religious relic housed within it. In 1263, a priest pondered the validity of transubstantiation, otherwise known as the transformation that occurs during communion. The bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine, the Blood of Christ. As the priest doubted the ritual’s literal meaning, the sacramental bread began to bleed with the Blood of Christ, staining the cloth it sat on.
This cloth, known as a corporal, was taken to the Pope at Orvieto, where the incident was heralded as the Miracle of Bolsena. The sacred corporal is preserved within the Chapel of the Corporal on the north side of the church.
To the left, you’ll enter the Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio, a bright room featuring a multitude of religious reliefs by Luca Signorelli, which depict scenes from Revelation. These include The Preaching of the Antichrist, End of the World, and the Resurrection of the Flesh.
The Underground
A ticket to the Duomo includes access to the Orvieto Underground. Being set upon a volcanic cliff presents some challenges to expanding for storage and waste. The solution often found is to carve caves out of the malleable soil. Thus, there exists a vast cave network beneath the city’s surface dating back from Etruscan times, to medieval, to the recent past. Even today, the people of Orvieto use caves beneath the city as storage.
Mercato di Piazza del Popolo
Between 8 am and 1 pm, every Thursday and Saturday, you’ll find the city bustling with buyers and sellers at Orvieto’s farmers’ market. Artisans and farmers unite to sell their wares beneath the Palazzo Del Capitano Del Popolo.
It’s a great place to purchase seasonal produce and handmade jewelry to remember Tusica by.
Time to Eat!
Bars, Cafes, and Restaurants
Caffè Montanucci
Known as one of the best cafes in Umbria, Montanucci serves up a fresh breakfast of housemade pastries. My personal favorite is the pasticiotto topped with in-house amarena cherries.
At lunchtime, take your pick of ready-made plates typical of an Italian bar. It’s common to find insalata di couscous, panzanella, and verdure al forno.
Caffè del Teatro
A quaint theater cafe, part of the Teatro Manicelli. The spot is charming enough to stand out against the more standard bars while remaining within a comparable price range for classic coffee and cocktails.
The gentle breeze that flows through the loggia adds to the allure during hot summer months, while the slight elevation above the street makes for optimal people watching.
FE3.0
One of the few dining restaurants that serves real food between Italian lunch and dinner hours. Typically, restaurants close between 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
Designed as the Italian answer to a gastropub, FE3.0 serves craft beer, big burgers, and upscale American bar favorites.
Bottega Vera
You’ll pass several shops while walking along the main road to the Duomo. One of the most notable is the Bottega Vera, a two-room enoteca-deli combo perfect for a light aperitivo.
Bottega Vera is the best place to pop into for local wines from Orvieto. Other notable tastings include popular wines from countryside neighbors that include Montefalco, Maremma, and Chianti.
Enoteca Barberani
Cantina Barberani is established as one of the best examples of high-quality Orvieto wine. While their actual cantina requires a car to reach, the enoteca sits just in front of the cathedral.
Barberani makes their organic-certified wine using biodynamic practices. This translates to “natural wine” made with considerable attention to environmental regeneration. Spontaneous fermentation gives the wine a vibrancy that you don’t typically taste in wines from the area.
Ristorante Il Cocco
A small, family-owned restaurant that serves classic dishes from the region. Ask for their seasonal offerings featuring regional produce and local specialties like umbricelli al tartufo or scafata di fave. The chef makes the best bacala all’orvieto (cod fish cooked with tomatoes, pine nuts, and golden raisins) I’ve yet to try.
Order a regional white like Grechetto to satiate every dish.
Arso
As one of the more recently opened restaurants, Arso welcomes a modern dining climate that preserves the traditional farm-to-table philosophy. In a town known for its love of the past, Arso’s chef and founder, Tommaso Tonioni, turns the rural table into a gastronomic design.
Ethically sourced prime cuts and seasonal produce fill the menu, ensuring that sustainable cuisine remains the focus of this culinary project.
Ready to explore Orvieto on your own?
Are you ready
to start?
Immerse yourself in the greeneries of Tuscia
and learn from the experts in fields.