What is Bolsena known for?

Eucharistic miracle in the Basilica di Santa Cristina that prompted Pope Urban IV to extend the feast of Corpus Domini to the whole Church. Lake Bolsena, 114 square kilometers, the largest volcanic lake in Europe, formed by the collapse of the Vulsini caldera. Roman town founded after the destruction of the Etruscan Volsinii in 265 BC, with surviving walls, baths and amphitheater.

Bolsena is a comune in the province of Viterbo, Lazio region of Italy, about 95 kilometers from Terni.

Lazio · Viterbo

Bolsena

A medieval townon the eastern shore of Europe's largest volcanic lake, where a Bohemian priest reported a Eucharistic miracle in 1263.

95 km / 59 mi

Nearest hub (Terni)

3,708

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Bolsena standson the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena, the largest volcanic lake in Europe at 114 square kilometers. The site sits on the old Etruscan town of Volsinii, razed by the Romans in 265 BC; the survivors were resettled here as Volsinii Novi. In 1263 a Bohemian priest, doubting the doctrine of transubstantiation, was celebrating mass in the church when the host bled onto the corporal. The cloth was carried to Urbino, then to Orvieto, and Pope Urban IV extended the feast of Corpus Domini to the universal Church the following year. The Basilica di Santa Cristina, where the miracle is said to have occurred, holds the original altar stone and an early Christian catacomb. The Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara, a fourteenth-century fortress of the Orvietan family, dominates the upper town and houses the Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena. On Corpus Domini the streets fill with floral mosaics for the Infioritalia network.

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Gallery

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Known for

Basilica di Santa Cristina
Eleventh-century basilica with the altar stone of the 1263 Eucharistic miracle and an early Christian catacomb beneath the apse.
Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara
Fourteenth-century fortress of the Orvietan Monaldeschi, dominating the upper town and housing the Museo Territoriale.
Lago di Bolsena
Largest volcanic lake in Europe at 114 square kilometers, with two small islands and a continuous swimming and fishing tradition.
Volsinii archaeological site
Remains of the Roman Volsinii Novi north of the town, including walls, baths and an amphitheater on the lake terrace.
Infiorata di Corpus Domini
Floral mosaics laid along the streets between San Francesco and Santa Cristina, part of the national Infioritalia network.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months on the lake, when the water is clear, the chestnut woods on the volcanic slopes are full, and the swimming temperatures hold. The Infiorata for Corpus Domini, usually in late May or June, is the most photographed weekend. July and August push the basin into the low thirties; the lake stays cool enough to swim through the heat and the upper town keeps shade between the Rocca and Santa Cristina. November through March is quiet. Many lakeside restaurants close, the basilica crypt holds its temperature, and the fortress gives the cleanest winter views across the caldera.