Day Trips from Rome - Rome - page 618

VILLA LANTE
For a High Renaissance spectacle, head to the wonderful Villa Lante, 4km northeast of Vi-
terbo at Bagnaia. This mannerist drama of terraces, water cascades and gaily waving
statues forms part of the bucolic park ( 0761 28 80 08; admission adult/reduced €5/2.50; 8.30am to
1hr before sunset Tue-Sun) that surrounds the 16th-century villa. To get to Bagnaia from Viterbo,
take the bus from Viale Trieste (€1.10).

PALACE

LAGO DI BOLSENA

Surrounded by lush rolling countryside a few kilometres short of the regional border with Umbria, Lago di
Bolsena is the largest and northernmost of Lazio's lakes. The lake's main town is Bolsena, a charming, low-key
place that, despite a heavy hotel presence, retains its medieval character.
Like many Italian towns, Bolsena has its own miracle story. In 1263 a priest who had been tormented by
doubts about the veracity of transubstantiation (the transformation of wine and bread into the blood and body of
Christ) was saying Mass when he noticed blood dripping from the bread he was blessing. The bloodstained cloth
in which he wrapped the bread may be seen in Orvieto's cathedral, which was built to commemorate the miracle.
In the medieval centre is the 11th-century Basilica di Santa Cristina ( 0761 79 90 67;
www.basilicasantacristina.it ; Piazza Santa Cristina; 7.15am-12.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm summer, to 5.30pm
winter, catacombs 9.30am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm) where you'll find four stones stained with miraculous blood.
The church is named for the martyr, who was daughter of the local prefect and who was tortured and finally killed
for her faith - her story is re-enacted annually on 23 and 24 July. Beneath the basilica are a series of catacombs ,
where the young saint (aged only 12) was buried. They are also noteworthy for the number of tombs that are still
sealed.