Le Calle

Le Calle is situated at about ten minutes’ walking distance from the centre of Bolsena. You reach it via a romantic footpath along the lakeside. The lake is at a distance of only 100 metres from the camping site. It has a beautiful black sandy beach.

Lying in the rolling hills of the Monti Volsini, Bolsena, the important summer resort, crowns the north-eastern shore of the Lago di Bolsena. Apart from tourism Bolsena’s main branches of economic activity are agriculture and fishing. And not without reason, as the Lago di Bolsena with its 270 square kilometres is the largest and deepest volcanic lake in Europe.

The two biggest cities to visit in the vicinity are Rome and Siena, both located at a distance of about 110 km from Bolsena. Compared to these famous cities the little village of Civita di Bagnoregio remains still an insiders’ tip. Situated on a small rocky plateau, this mediaeval village was deserted by its inhabitants at the beginning of the 20th century. Later on it was revived as apartments for artists were built there. Passing through Montefiascone where the famous Italian wine “Est-Est-Est” originates from (a short stop at the church where the nobleman supposed to be linked with the “Est-Est-Est” is buried) you reach the papal city of Viterbo. Behind a perfectly well-preserved city wall hides a mediaeval city full of genuine Italian everyday life. Besides Orvieto, Viterbo was one of the popes’ preferred places of refuge.

A memorable event in the religious history of Bolsena is the so-called miracle of the Corpus Domini that happened there in the year of 1263 during a Mass celebrated by the Bohemian priest Pietro da Praga. During the elevation a few drops of blood fell from the housel onto the marble floor and onto the liturgical vestments which since 1693 have been preserved in the Cappella del Miracolo of the church San Cristina founded in the 11th century. Thereupon Urban IV introduced the Corpus Christi Feast in remembrance of the miracle of Bolsena. To commemorate the day of the miracle (18th June) a magnificent flower festival dedicated to the Eucharist takes place in the streets of the town till this day. Whereas in the evening of 23rd July Bolsena celebrates its patroness Saint Christina by the representation of tableaux from her martyrdom (“Mysteries of Saint Christina”).

An event by no means to be missed is the fishermen’s festival taking place on the lakeside on 2nd July. Natives and tourists meet there and sit together in comfortable atmosphere.

Underneath the hill, beside the buildings of the church and the Cappella del Miracolo you find the catacombs dating from the period between the 2nd/3rd and the 5th centuries. Along the road to Orvieto the Etruscan city wall from the 4th century is stretching on the Poggio Moscini. The wall has a length of 4 km and contains the remains of diverse monuments. The castle – today’s Castello Monaldeschi – was built by the people of Orvieto in the 12th and 13th centuries and dominates the centre of Bolsena. In the Middle Ages it was established to defend the town against foes from the inland. On the Piazza Monaldeschi you see the Gothic church San Francesco. Placed on the wall, near its entrance, the crucifix from the school of Pastura is noteworthy.