16 Giu 2026
The Fairytale that is Orvieto
Step between blossoming stone corridors and discover an ancient city built above the Umbrian hills.
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The town of Bolsena is often listed as one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy. Driving between scenic hills to the lakeside town is all you need to be convinced. Entering the village provides an immediate view of Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara, a medieval fortress that stares out across the blue waters. Residents around Lake Bolsena take pride in living near Europe’s largest volcanic lake. It’s Lake Bolsena that the surrounding wineries have to thank for their mineral-rich soil. This is thanks to a relatively recent volcanic eruption that happened around 200,000 years ago. The high-minerality in the terrain gives local wines a structured balance, known for their long aging potential.
Thanks to its water reserves and strategic location, Bolsena has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and is primarily renowned for its Etruscan settlement.
Known as Volsinii during the Etrusco-Roman times, it gained prominence as a trade city and cultural center. Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara is a beautiful fortress from which to watch the sun set behind the lake. For archeology nerds, the Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena awaits within. The museum guides would-be excavators through artifacts that detail Bolsena’s long history. The final portion is dedicated to the battle that took place during the Second World War. After the Allies kicked the German Panzer out of Rome, Bolsena was the site of a final battle between forces. Just above the medieval historic center sits Poggio Moscini. Here you’ll find well-preserved ruins from the ancient Volsinii Forum.
Can We Eat Yet?
The most popular spot to find yourself on a weekend night is surely Retro Gusto di Roberta Perosillo. Filled from floor to ceiling with local confections, Retro Gusto’s main catch is its pay-by-the-pound plates of locally sourced artisan cheeses, cured meats, and bottles of wine to wash it down.
Every Saturday night, live music flows through a crowd of hungry customers chattering amongst friends. Roberta floats between guests as she entertains regulars and pours local wine at the bar.
Most of the wine comes from friends in the industry who live throughout Tuscia. The styles vary across the spectrum of natural and traditionally made wine. The unifying feature is that almost all are made locally and with care to support the winemaker.
Warm, friendly, and always delicious, Retro Gusto is the type of classic Italian deli I always imagined myself frequenting before I moved to Italy.
If you’re craving flavors that hit a little closer to home, Pizzeria Tanaquilla has the best pizza in town. Pub-style food is served in a tavern and summer Biergarten with Belgian beer on tap. It’s a hangout presumably designed with the summering Northern Europeans in mind.
Spots like this become harder to find the further south you go into the Italian countryside. Tanaquilla quenches the thirst of those dried up from wine and craving small comforts of home.
Bolsena might be one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon in Tuscia. Vast blue waters almost trick one into believing they’ve made it to the Mediterranean coastline. But the air is a little bit fresher and the pace a little less chaotic. Although popular for those in the know, Bolsena never feels overly crowded the way some Italian villages do. I’d argue that this helps retain so much of the charm
One evening is all it takes to imagine why the town has been a coveted destination for over a millennium.
All photographs by Alyssa Richter. Used with permission.
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