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Rione Castello in Bolsena: the Medieval Quarter Overlooking the Lake
Rione Castello is the oldest quarter of Bolsena, perched on the tuff cliff that towers over the northern shore of Lake Bolsena. It was first occupied in the 6th century AD, when the inhabitants of the Roman city of Volsinii, in decline following the incursions of the Visigoths and Lombards, climbed up to the cliff and settled there.
From the Via Cassia to the Monaldeschi
This area of raised ground was already close to the road that would become the Via Cassia, and in Roman times it was enclosed within the walls of Volsinii. The settlement visible today is medieval. The two main streets - Via Medici and Via Adami - cut through the quarter from end to end, opening onto views that seem unchanged in 500 years. Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara dates back to 1156, when Pope Adrian IV had the towns along the Via Cassia fortified against Frederick Barbarossa. The main tower was built at that time. In 1295 the Orvietans added the other three towers, and the Monaldeschi family transformed the fortress over the centuries.
What to See Today
The Rocca houses the Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena, featuring Villanovan, Etruscan and Roman artefacts, as well as a freshwater aquarium. A section dedicated to medieval and Renaissance ceramics is located in the nearby Palazzo Monaldeschi. Walking down Via delle Piagge - once an escape route to the town walls - one encounters the former Chiesa del SS. Salvatore (Church of the Holy Saviour, 13th century), with its distinctive dome-shaped bell tower clad in polychrome majolica tiles.
