22 February 2024 – Bolsena

Miles driven today = 92

Total Miles to date = 1,585

We’ve been blessed with some fabulous weather since we have been in Italy with temperatures in the high teens and predominantly cloudless skies.  But that all changed today with much cooler temperatures, overcast conditions and some wild and wooly weather predicted for tomorrow.

This morning we took a stroll from our lakeside parking place up to the main town of Bolsena.  We walked through the walls of the medieval fortress via the Western Porta Fiorentina and on to the Fountain Square where we turned left up the steep path leading to the Castle.

At the top of the path we reached the Castle Piazza to find there are alternative ways to get there which aren’t quite so lung busting.

We headed on up the ramp where the old drawbridge would have been.  

Inside we found a courtyard and a small museum where we were relieved of €5 each for a look around.  Pride of place in the entrance is this sarcophagus decorated in scenes from Greek mythology.

The museum houses two floors of well preserved exhibits from the bronze and iron ages and also Roman times, which have been rescued from settlements subsequently submerged when the water levels in the lake have risen.

There are also lots of items which have been discovered as a result of archeological digs at a local necropolis.

Downstairs is a rather tatty aquarium with examples of what we understood to be the aquatic life which is to be found in the lake.

Lisa stayed with feet firmly planted on the ground while I climbed the spiral staircase to the castles battlements.

A great view of the Bolsena rooftops from up there with the lake beyond.

We continued wandering through the narrow medieval streets.

Eventually emerging at the Porta di San Francisco.  The deconsecrated Church of the same name is now a 300-seater Theatre.

The Basilica di Santa Christina is an odd looking amalgamation of at least 5 structures from different time periods.

Inside we found some interesting and well preserved frescos.

Judging by the ceiling, this chapel is built into the rockface.

Another €5 each allowed us entrance past some firmly locked iron gates.  This is the “Minor Church”, which is the oldest part of the Basilica.  It is said to date back as far as the 8th Century and is believed to be the site of a “bleeding host” miracle in 1263.  

Some rather ornate stairs led us down to this sarcophagus which was said to contain the remains of St Christina, who was martyred at the age of 12.  We then entered the door on the right which Lisa is about to go through.

And I had a proper "Wow" moment when we were met with this!  The ancient Christian Catacomb area.  It’s in the shape of a Christmas tree with progressively shortening lateral paths leading away from both sides of the main one.  

The oldest graves are actually at the top with the path being then dug downwards to accommodate more as time progressed.  It really was incredibly eerie down there.

In a separate side chamber are a selection of carved stones with religious inscriptions and details of the people who had been buried here.

We got back to the van at about midday, by which time the wind was really beginning to pick up.  So we had a decision to make as to whether to stay another night or put a few more miles under our wheels.

The next stopover I had pencilled in was at Ostia Antica where there are some interesting sounding ruins of the old Roman port.  So we made our way via Montefiascone, Viterbo and Ronciglione, picking up some ridiculously cheap (sub €0.70 per litre) LPG on the way.

Lisa and I had a long weekend in Rome as recently as 2018 and neither of us felt any great draw to revisit the Eternal City this time around.  So when we hit the A90, which is Rome’s equivalent to the M25, we followed it anti-clockwise until we crossed the River Tyber where we took a sharp right towards the coast.

Our destination was an intriguing sounding place called BoHo Garden, which is only a short distance from the ruins and also supposedly has laundry facilities, which we are going to be needing before too much longer.  But when we arrived there didn’t appear to be any sign of life.  There were 4 vans parked there, all at precarious angles and on dirt, which didn’t strike me as being a good idea with heavy rain forecast tomorrow.  

So we left and found our way to the nearest stretch of coast road with parking.  It’s not exactly the most salubrious of places to spend the night.  We can hear the Sea and just about see it over the roofs of the restaurants we are parked next to but there really are very few alternatives within easy reach so it will have to do for one night.  Once the blinds are shut we could be anywhere, although I’m leaving the Bierra Moretti alone tonight just in case we get an unwanted tap on the door.

23 February 2024 - Battening down the hatches