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00 Bolsena
Stemma di Bolsena

Lazio · Viterbo

Bolsena

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

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 35 min from Perugia
Population
3,708

Known for

  • MIRACLE OF 1263

    Eucharistic miracle in the Basilica di Santa Cristina that prompted Pope Urban IV to extend the feast of Corpus Domini to the whole Church.

  • LARGEST VOLCANIC LAKE

    Lake Bolsena, 114 square kilometers, the largest volcanic lake in Europe, formed by the collapse of the Vulsini caldera.

  • VOLSINII NOVI

    Roman town founded after the destruction of the Etruscan Volsinii in 265 BC, with surviving walls, baths and amphitheater.

  • PROTECTED PRODUCTS

    The commune lies inside the Pecorino Toscano DOP, Tuscia DOP and Patata dell'Alto Viterbese IGP production zones.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J10°
  • F12°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J32°
  • A31°
  • S25°
  • O20°
  • N15°
  • D11°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Cristina di Bolsena, 24 July

Why come

Bolsena stands on 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.

The Sunday letter

Bolsena is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Bolsena comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Bolsena in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 2h 27m by car.

Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 3 hours away.

By car from the centre of Perugia 1h 35m or Siena 2 hours.

Bolsena, photo 1
Bolsena, photo 2

What to see

  • 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.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Bolsena fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Sagra delle Bontàfood festival

    usually held in August. TrovaSagre

Living here

  • Population 3,708
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 27 min drive
  • Regional capital Roma, 1 h 52 min drive

Common questions

What is Bolsena known for?
Bolsena is a medieval town at 350 meters on the eastern shore of Europe's largest volcanic lake, where a Bohemian priest reported a Eucharistic miracle in 1263.
Where is Bolsena?
Bolsena is a comune in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio.
What is the nearest airport to Bolsena?
Rome (FCO), about 2h 27m by car.
How long is the drive from Perugia to Bolsena?
About 1h 35m by car.
When is the best time to visit Bolsena?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Bolsena?
Yes. Sagra delle Bontà. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Bolsena?
Castel Gandolfo, Bellano and Passignano sul Trasimeno.
How many people live in Bolsena?
3,708 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 350 m
  • Population: 3,708
  • Surface area: 63.57 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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