View of Lake Bolsena from the top of Montefiascone

In November of 2019 we used Montefianscone as our home base for doing some exploring. For a few years now we have been looking at the areas of Northern Lazio, Southern Tuscany and Umbria in hopes that one day (very soon..yay!) we could buy a home. We spent just over a week in Montefiascone and while we were there we traveled all around the lake, visiting some of the smaller towns like Bolsena, Valentano and Ischia di Casto. We also traveled further out to the towns of Viterbo, Orvieto, Pitigliano, Civita di Bagnoregio, and even visited the thermal baths of Saturnia.

This is a collection of the photographs I took in Montefiascone and around Lake Bolsena. It is a charming and beautiful non touristy part of Italy that is definitely worth visiting. With quaint little untouched villages and medieval hill towns, kind people and some really delicious cuisine, you will wonder why you haven’t heard more about this fantastic piece of La Bella Italia!

All of the photos below can be clicked on to be expanded

Montefiascone, Lazio

Montefiascone is located just to south of Lake Bolsena, about 2 hours north from Rome. It sits high up on a hill giving way to some pretty majestic scenery of the lake and surrounding hills. At the highest part of the historic center sits a large public park with 360 degree views. The perfect spot for an unforgettable picnic and if you have kids there is even a small playground. The historic center is worth a stroll with it’s lovely domed cathedral and colorful main piazza adorned with a perfectly classic Italian fountain. If you have a bit of time for a cappuccino and cornetto, a snack, an aperitivo or glass of wine (try Montefiascone’s Est Est Est white wine), than Bar Il Caffe in the main piazza is where you want to go :)

Bolsena, Lazio

Bolsena is a lovely town along the eastern shores of Lake Bolsena. There are 2 parts to this town. The lower area that sits at the waters edge and feels a bit newer with hints of a town that sits by a lake. And then there is the more historic center who’s Etrsucan roots sits up on a hill overlooking the water filled valley. Its picture perfect medieval streets are lined with flowers and it’s quaint tucked away corners will make you want to stop and linger. A walk along it’s 12th century castle’s walls will proudly show you the most spectacular views of the lake yet.

Valentano, Lazio

This sweet hilltop town boasts a great fortress at the top of the hill that was built by the Farnese family. If you like exploring authentic and non touristy hill towns than this one is for you. For some fantastic rustic home cooking with great prices, stop and have lunch at Locanda La Voltarella in Piazza della Vittoria :)

Ischia di Castro, Lazio

There really isn’t a lot in this sleepy small town’s historic center except some nice walks with lovely views. We stayed here for a few nights in 2017 so we were able to do a bit of exploring. It was all very wonderful and quiet and we kind of felt like we had the place to ourselves. Not a bad town to stay in as a home base for exploring the region :)

Lake Bolsena, Lazio

Lake Bolsena is one of the largest lakes in Italy and has volcanic origins. In fact, it is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. Ancient Roman records say that it’s last activity was around 104BC. Crazy to me that they still have those records :) This lake was glorious to drive around and very doable. To do a complete circle without stops will take you about an hour. Of course you might want to add a few minutes to that if you feel like driving at a more leisurely pace. And if you really want to have a lovely day obviously you need to stop at some of the fantastic towns that line the lake like Bolsena, Marta and Capodimonte. For those of you that have little kids, there is a playground on the northern part of the lake that was the perfect spot to relax for a bit or bring a picnic! I have marked it on the map below.

Civita di Bagnoregio, Lazio

Named the most beautiful villiage in the world, Civita di Bagnoregio is a place like no other! With enchantment and breathtaking views around every corner, it is worth every second of your time. Civita is just a short 20 minute drive east from the town of Bolsena. >>HERE<< is a blog post I wrote about visiting. It has lots of beautiful photographs and all the information you need to get you dreaming of your visit.

Cascate del Mulino - The thermal bathes of Saturnia, Tuscany

The perfect place to sit in magical healing waters and unwind :) About a 45 min drive from the west side of Lake Bolsena. The natural thermal bathes of Saturnia are also called Cascate del Mulino (waterfalls of the mill) because the springs come bursting from the earth right behind an ancient mill. These thermal bathes are free to visit and a great place to bring kids too. >>HERE<< is a blog post I wrote about visiting. All the information you need along with lovely photographs :)

Pitigliano, Tuscany

About a 25 min drive from the west side of Lake Bolsena, this is an incredible hill top town to spend the day in or stay in as a home base in Southern Tuscany. Sitting high up on a tufa rock ridge Pitigliano offers breathtaking views, restaurants, shops, fountain filled piazzas and so so much charm. >>HERE<< is a blog post I wrote about visiting. It has all the information you will need for your visit along with photographs of the lovely town.