It is set on a promontory extending into Lake Bolsena to
form a small peninsula just across from the island of Bisentina. In the summer,
it is a delightful vacation spot with tree-lined avenues and a picturesque
historic centre. The town is dominated by Palazzo Farnese and from here,
you can admire a breathtaking view of the lake. The current layout of the
palace is attributable to the work of Sangallo the Younger (1510-1516). Popes
(Alexander VI, Julius II, Leo X, PauI III and Gregory XIII), sovereigns and
artists of various ranks have stayed here. The adjacent collegiate church
of Santa Maria Assunta is decorated with lovely stucco work, an arch
attributable to the students of Vignola and an eighteenth-century painting
from the Neapolitan school portraying Our Lady of Grace.
In a room next to the church, there is a small religious
and historical museum with sacred paraments, books, codices, prints, objects
and other items. Also worth visiting are Palazzo Borghese (now City
Hall), Palazzo Poniatowski (also called "Palazzaccio")
and the small harbour that is equipped far pleasure boats. In the summer,
small boats and motorboats leave from this harbour for the island of Bisentina.
In the outlying areas, under the hill of Bisenzio, there are several tombs,
some of which have yet to be explored, that have yielded precious artefacts
from the Neolithic, Villanovian, Etruscan and Roman eras.
A prehistoric pirogue was discovered on the lake floor
across from the town and it is currently being restored at the
ex-slaughterhouse.
In the waters under the historic centre, a crèche with
cement statues has been set up at a depth of four meters.
This attraction for skin divers can also be seen from the
terraces of a lovely lookout point.
The ancient pirogue
This boat was carved 2700 years ago from a single beech
trunk and it was discovered in 1987 by a skin diver off the coast of Bisentina
island. It is currently being restored in a small workshop at the
ex-slaughterhouse.
In order to conduct the delicate restoration work, which is
still under way, a water tank was built to hold the artefact (to visit the
workshop, contact City Hall of Capodimonte).
It is interesting that the Pirogue was made from a beech
wood that cannot be found in this area.
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