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Bolsena's Lake
View of Bolsena's lake - Photo taken from Wikipedia
"Lake Bolsena (Italian: Lago di Bolsena) is a crater lake of central Italy, of volcanic origin, which began to collect 370,000 years ago following the formation of a caldera in the Vulsini volcanic complex. […]. Lying within the northern part of the province of Viterbo that is called Alto Lazio ("Upper Latium") or Tuscia, the lake has a long historic tradition. The Romans called it Lacus Volsinii, adapting the Etruscan name, Velzna, of the last Etruscan city to hold out against Rome, which was translocated after 264 BC, and its original location today has not been securely identified. The lake is bordered on one side by updated forms of the Roman consular road Via Cassia. In addition to the historic sites of all periods, Lake Bolsena is currently surrounded by numerous tourist establishments, largely for camping, agrotourism and bed and breakfasts.
One third of the lake was donated to the Catholic church by the noble family Alberici of Orvieto. In recognition of the donation the Alberici family was honored with a ceremony three times a year performed by the Bishop of Orvieto.” [2].
Civita di Bagnoregio
Civita di Bagnoregio - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“Civita was founded by Etruscans more than 2,500 years ago. Civita was the birthplace of Saint Bonaventure, who died in 1274. The location of his boyhood house has long since fallen off the edge of the cliff. By the 16th century, Civita was beginning to decline, becoming eclipsed by its former suburb Bagnoregio.
At the end of the 17th century, the bishop and the municipal government were forced to move to Bagnoregio because of a major earthquake that accelerated the old town's decline. At that time, the area was part of the Papal States. In the 19th century, Civita's location was turning into an island and the pace of the erosion quickened as the layer of clay below the stone was reached in the area where today's bridge is situated. Bagnoregio continues as a small but prosperous town, while Civita became known in Italian as il paese che muore ("the town that is dying"). Civita has only recently been experiencing a tourist revival.
The town is noted for its striking position atop a plateau of friable volcanic tuff overlooking the Tiber river valley. It is in constant danger of destruction as the edges of the plateau collapse due to erosion, leaving the buildings to crumble as their underlying support falls away. As of 2004, there were plans to reinforce the plateau with steel rods to prevent further geological damage.
The city is also much admired for its architecture spanning several hundred years. Civita di Bagnoregio owes much of its unaltered condition to its relative isolation; the town was able to withstand most intrusions of modernity as well as the destruction brought by two world wars. The population today varies from about 12 people in winter to more than 100 in summer.
The town was placed on the World Monuments Fund's 2006 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, because of threats it faces from erosion and unregulated tourism.” [11].
Video about Civita di Bagnoregio
Vico's Lake
View of Vico's Lake and Venere's Mount - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“Lake Vico (Italian Lago di Vico) is a caldera lake in the northern Lazio region, central Italy. It is one of the highest major Italian lakes, with an altitude of 510 m. Administratively, it is part of the municipalities of Caprarola and Ronciglione. The lake is surrounded by the Cimini Hills, in particular by the Fogliano (965 m) and Venere (851 m) mountains. It is part of the Lake Vico Natural Reserve.
According to legend, the lake was created by Hercules, who defied the local inhabitants to wield his club. When he did this, a stream sprung up and formed the lake. Lake Vico occupies the central caldera of Vico Volcano. A volcanic cone was built up in a series of eruptions that occurred 258,000 to 305,000 years ago. Later, the eruption of voluminous pyroclastic flows and volcanic ash caused the progressive collapse of the volcanic cone to create the caldera, in which Lake Vico now lies, by about 138,000 years ago.
The lake is drained by the River Vicano. Before the construction of a tunnel by the Etruscans, the lake was probably deeper than today, the Monte Venere constituting an island within it. The area is famous for its extensive beech forest, which is one of the most southerly in Europe. The elevation, plus the surrounding sides of the crater, create cool enough conditions for the continued survival of the trees. A large part of the northern side of the crater is a nature reserve to protect this forest.” [3].
[3] Source Wikipedia
La Quercia - Basilica Santa Maria della Quercia
“The sanctuary of S. Maria della Quercia is named after an image of the Virgin Mary which in 1417 a peasant placed between the branches of an oak (It. quercia or querce) on his farm; the sacred image was visible from the road which linked Viterbo to Bagnaia and it soon became the object of popular devotion. In summer 1467 the inhabitants of Viterbo made a short pilgrimage to that farm to pray for the end of a pestilence, which actually ended a few weeks later; this event prompted the building of a small church to house the sacred image; a few years later the construction of an imposing sanctuary began. S. Maria della Quercia can easily be reached by foot from Viterbo in half an hour along a straight road which starts at the north-eastern corner of the walls and which retains interesting monuments of the past.
The sanctuary was built between 1470 and 1525, mainly at the initiative of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84) and his nephew Pope Julius II (1503-13). Maybe their interest in the sanctuary was due to Della Rovere, their surname, which means "of the oak", because rovere is a species of oak (sessile oak); their coat of arms shows an oak with twined branches [...].
The neat facade of the church and the bell tower were designed by a series of capomastri (master builders) and sculptors who are not included among the greatest architects of the Italian Renaissance, yet they were surely familiar with the works of the Sangallo family. The large relief on the tympanum shows the Della Rovere oak between two lions representing Viterbo; it is one of the first examples of heraldic symbols which were used as a decorative motif; this practice was adopted by many popes to ensure their role in the construction of a building was not forgotten.
Luca della Robbia was a Florentine sculptor who developed a pottery glaze which made his terracotta sculptures more durable; his nephew Andrea improved the technique by adding the use of colour, mainly for small details, such as the palm leaves of the martyrs; the fame of his works was not limited to Tuscany and he was asked to decorate the three portals of S. Maria della Quercia which are included among his masterpieces [...]. The design of the interior is attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo, a Florentine architect who worked in Rome for Pope Julius II; it is believed that Sangallo was inspired by Filippo Brunelleschi's interior of S. Spirito in Florence” [4].
[4] Source romeartlover.it
Bagnaia - Villa Lante
Gardens of Villa Lante - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“Villa Lante at Bagnaia is a Mannerist garden of surprise near Viterbo, central Italy, attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. The villa is known as the "Villa Lante". However, it did not become known as this until the villa was passed to Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere, Duke of Bomarzo, in the 17th century, when it was already 100 years old.
The Villa Lante is formed by two casini (houses), nearly identical but built by different owners in a period separated by 30 years. Each square building has a ground floor of rusticated arcades or loggias which support a piano nobile above. Each facade on this floor has just three windows, alternating round or pointed pediments. Each window is divided by pilasters in pairs. An upper floor is merely hinted at by small rectangular, mezzanine type, windows above those of the piano nobile. Each casino is then crowned by a tower or lantern in the summit of the pantiled roof. These elaborate square lanterns too have pilasters, and windows both real and blind [...].
The gardens of the Villa Lante features cascades to fountains and dripping grottoes. The visual and harmonious choreography of water and the mechanical perfection of its flow was only achieved after Tommaso Ghinucci, a hydraulics engineer and architect from Siena, was called in; it is thought that his role was to oversee the hydraulics and building work. Although the renowned antiquarian and architect Pirro Ligorio was also consulted, it seems likely that the success of the water features is due to Ghinucci's expertise which ensured that water lives and flows through the gardens to this day.
The Quadrato is a perfectly square parterre. The twin casini stand on one side, on the remaining three sides the garden is enclosed by high box hedges. In the centre, low box is sculpted and formed into decorative patterns around small fountains and sculptures. The main feature of this parterre is the complex fountain at its centre, formed of four basins, separated by parapeted walks, the parapets decorated with stone pineapples and urns that intersect the water. At the heart of the complex, a centre basin contains the "Fontana dei Mori" by Giambologna: four life-sized moors stand square around two lions; they hold high the heraldic mountain surmounted by the star shaped fountain jet, the Montalto coat of arms. This is the focal point of this unusual composition of Casini and parterre [...]” [5].
[5] Source Wikipedia
Monti Cimini
“Monti Cimini are a range of densely wooded volcanic hills approximately 56 km (35 mi) north-west of Rome. They are part of the Antiapennine range, facing the Apennines main range towards the Tyrrhenian Sea. They are situated in the centre of Tuscia Viterbese, the highest point at Mount Cimino, 1,053 m (3,455 ft) above sea level. Lake Vico, a volcanic crater lake, is situated in the hills. The vegetation is predominantly beech forestation. The area is renowned for its hot springs, renaissance villas and Etruscan ruins" [6.1].
"The whole area of the Vico caldera is the chosen site for growing Cimini Mountain hazelnuts belonging to the Tonda gentile romana variety PDO.
The soil in the hazelnut groves used to grow Roman hazelnuts is loose, cool, with a tendency to be acidic and rich in organic substances. The product is harvested from mid August through to mid November, using techniques that make it possible to guarantee the product's quality.
Experts attribute a lower fat content to the round-shaped hazelnut grown in the Viterbo area compared to hazelnuts grown in the Middle-Eastern areas. Subspherical in shape, when tasted, the light and compact pulp reveals a delicate flavour typical of this variety [...]” [6.2].
[6.1] Source Wikipedia
[6.2] Source visitlazio.com
San Martino al Cimino
The abbey - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“San Martino al Cimino, a few miles south of Viterbo, was a small medieval village around an abandoned Cistercian abbey when in 1645 Pope Innocent X donated it to Olimpia Maidalchini, the widow of his elder brother Pamphilio Pamphilj. Olimpia Maidalchini was given the title of Princess of San Martino and she promoted a radical renovation of the village; with the help of Roman architects she turned it into a small town which is regarded by art historians as an almost intact example of modern urban design. After the death of Pope Innocent X the princess chose to live in her fiefdom, rather than in her Roman palace in Piazza Navona. Olimpia Maidalchini wanted to be buried in the church of the former abbey; the design of her gravestone reflects the fashion of the time for Memento Mori, symbols of Death [...]. IXth century records indicate that a Benedictine monastery existed in the area of San Martino, but the abbey and the church were built in the early XIIIth century by the Cistercian Order which originated from France, hence the dedication to St. Martin of Tours; the two bell towers were added in the XVIIth century; some sources attribute them to Borromini, other sources to De Rossi.” [7].
[7] Source romeartlover.it
Ferento archaeological site
Ferento amphitheatre - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“Just a few kilometres from Viterbo is a highly interesting archaeological site: Ferento, first an Etruscan settlement, then an urban, political, and commercial centre of Ancient Rome.
In some ways, this site answers the riddle as to the origins of Viterbo, whose urban fabric shows no significant traces of its Etruscan founding or of Roman civilization.
Viterbo was built on tuff stone in the Middle Ages, and has conserved all the characteristics of that time. Continuity with the earlier past is provided by nearby Ferento, just six kilometres away. Ferento's proximity to the always larger and more important city of Viterbo created increasingly serious conflicts between them until the 11th century, when Ferento was destroyed by the Viterbese who accused it of heresy.
The archaeological area is a rather recent discovery. Excavations, begun in the early twentieth century and soon abandoned, were resumed a few decades ago. Currently, the amphitheatre, Augusteum, forum, and baths may all be easily seen. All around are the remains of Roman dwellings and roads, in addition to a fascinating necropolis with Etruscan-era tumuli and Roman tombs.
Most of the statues unearthed in the excavations are on display at Viterbo's City Museum, along with other invaluable finds. The theatre's excellent state of conservation allows live performances and concerts to be scheduled in the summertime, all staged in a splendid setting of archaeology and nature.” [8].
Bomarzo – Parco dei Mostri
Orcus mouth - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“The Sacro Bosco "Sacred Grove", colloquially called Park of the Monsters "Parco dei Mostri" in Italian, also named Garden of Bomarzo, is a Manieristic monumental complex located in Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio, Italy. The gardens were created during the 16th century. They are composed out of a wood located at the bottom of a valley beneath the castle of Orsini, and populated by sculptures and small buildings among the natural vegetation [...].
The park's name stems from the many larger-than-life sculptures, some sculpted in the bedrock, which populate this predominantly barren landscape. It is the work of Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino (1523–1585), a condottiero and patron of the arts, greatly devoted to his wife Giulia Farnese, not to confuse her with her maternal grandmother Giulia Farnese, the mistress of Pope Alexander VI. When Orsini's wife died, he created the gardens to cope with his grief. The design is attributed to Pirro Ligorio, and the sculptures to Simone Moschino.
During the nineteenth century and deep into the twentieth, the garden became overgrown and neglected, but after the Spanish painter Salvador Dali made a short movie about the park and completed a painting actually based on the park in the 1950s, the Bettini family implemented a restoration program throughout the 1970s, and today the garden, which remains private property, is a major tourist attraction” [9].
[9] Fonte Wikipedia
Montefiascone – Basilica di Santa Margherita
Basilica of Santa Margherita - Photo taken from Wikipedia
“Montefiascone Cathedral or the Basilica of Santa Margherita is a former Roman Catholic cathedral in Montefiascone in the province of Viterbo, Italy, dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch [...]. It is one of the most important churches in the area, and has one of the largest domes in Italy (27 m of diameter), which is visible from most of the towns of the Viterbo area.
When Pope Urban V established the Diocese of Montefiascone in 1396, the church that was the most popular and most central was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese, after which major reconstruction began.
The building from the crypt up to the base of the dome dates from the 15th and 16th centuries and was undertaken by the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli, probably with the help of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. At this time the lower church was created, and the plans for the upper church drawn up, although for economic reasons this phase of building stopped at the level of the roof, and the cathedral remained open to the elements until 1602 [...].
The bell towers and west front were designed and added in 1840 by the architect Paul Gazola, using very simple elements of decoration: the statues of Saint Flavian and Saint Margaret of Antioch, the principal saints worshipped in Montefiascone, and a classical tympanum supported by Ionic columns and surmounted by the arms of Cardinal Macchi.” [10].
[10] Source Wikipedia
Thermal springs
Piscine Carletti - Photo taken from tuttocitta.it
Viterbo is situated in an area rich in thermal springs, famous for their qualities. They can be found especially in the areas of Bullicame, Bagnaccio and Carletti. The main feature of this highly-treasured natural resource is its bicarbonate-calcium components. These thermal waters have many therapeutic applications for the physical wellbeing of the guests, ranging from acquaculture to external balneotherapy treatments, as well as other therapies (vaginal or rectal irrigation).
The high temperature of the waters can be adapted to a variety of treatments and is particularly beneficial for the cardiac and circulatory systems. For the skin or internal detox there are natural saunas and mud baths in shining white mud, full of valuable minerals. Sulphate waters around the area of Bullicame contain a high amount of sulphur and are also extremely beneficial, especially for the liver and hair, when used in similar treatments. Hydrogen sulphate is a major component of sulphate waters and it is this which gives the water its characteristic smell of boiled eggs rather than rotten eggs because of its greater concentration of sulphur. It is a natural cosmetic, particularly effective for the detoxifying action it has on the skin. For centuries the thermal springs of Viterbo - from the hot bath "specialists" in Etruscan and Roman times to today's modern spas - have alleviated chronic sickness like osteoarthritis and respiratory disease, ear, nose and throat conditions, skin pathologies, gynecological problems and general metabolism disorders. There are many benefits to be enjoyed for those suffering of psoriasis, varicose ulcers, ichthyosis, vasculitis, thrombophlebitis, neuritis, joint pains, acne and hyperhidrosis disorder, allergice and chronic sinusitis and rhinitis, to name but a few of the most common diseases.
Viterbo and its thermal springs are tangible proof of nature's power, which releases its energy for the body's ultimate wellbeing. The temperature of 40°C, or higher, is a reminder of the waters' volcanic origin. This can then be used beneficially to improve skin or peripheral circulation when mixed or alternated with cold water. The health circle is completed when thermal treatments are followed by refined mud baths, which are the product of the local specialists' knowledge and creativity. These treatments are truly holistic, for in their succession and addition they maximise health and natural benefits. The power of the vulcano and the care of the therapeutic treatments meet within this natural and artistic setting. This unique union have been, are and will be in the future, the founding base to rediscover the meaning of life and the soul's reflection in the outer body.
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