The Museum of Lake Bolsena (Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena) is housed in the Rocca Monaldeschi, a castle in the center of the town of Bolsena in the province of Viterbo.
Museum of Lake Bolsena
Useful information
Address: Piazza Monaldeschi 1 – 01023 Bolsena. Phone: +39 0761 798630. Opening hours: From 10:00 til 20:00. Admission: 5 Euros.
History and description
The “Regional Museum of Lake Bolsena” extends over three floors of the Rocca Albernoz. The museum was inaugurated in 1991.
What to see
The first floor is dedicated to the volcanic origin of Lake Bolsena, from prehistoric times to the Etruscans, a few centuries before the beginning of our era. The central part of this section displays objects from the Iron Age found in 1959 in what used to be the Etruscan-Roman settlement of Gran Carro. The site was underwater, on the eastern shore of the lake.
The basement highlights the period from the Middle Ages onward, culminating in ceramic art produced in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period. This was mainly found in the so-called butto of the castle tower. A butto was a natural or manmade cave, where waste used to be stored.
The cellar also focuses on the folklore of the region, especially fishing.
Altars and memorial stones can be seen in the courtyard.
From the castle one can also enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the surroundings and especially of the nearby excavations of the above-mentioned settlement of Volsinii. This name is a Latin corruption of the Etruscan Velzna.