Volcanic Lakes of Lazio

Having grown up near the beach, I used to think the idea of going to a lake instead was a bit strange. The first time I thought about this was when I visited Chicago and its great Lake Michigan. Another time I remember thinking this was when an Italian friend of mine took me to Lake Bolsena one summer day “to avoid the crowds of the beach near Rome”, he said. I wasn’t convinced. I left that day telling him I still preferred the sea. It wasn’t until recently that I really started to appreciate the tranquility that a lake offers.

Lazio, the province of Rome, has more lakes than any other region in Italy it seems, and being a highly volcanic area once, a lot of these lakes are volcanic, lakes that have formed in the craters of extinct volcanoes. It’s something very unique and a whole summer can be spent exploring these.

The closest ones to Rome are south of Rome, the ones in the Alban Hills in Castelli Romani – Lake Albano in the town of Castel Gandolfo and Lake Nemi. Lake Albano is the more developed one of the two and can easily be reached by train, while Nemi is better by car (otherwise it’s a 1.5-hour walk from the Albano Laziale train station – it can be done). The best ways to see these are either by car driving down Via dei Laghi and stopping off on the side of the road for the typical porchetta sandwich or hiking in the wooded areas of the Regional Park of Castelli Romani. These lakes are a perfect year-round easy getaway to escape the chaos of the city for a day.

North of Rome, the two biggest and best known ones are Lake Bolsena, the largest volcanic lake in Europe, and Lake Bracciano. These are also the more developed lakes in this part with towns lying on them: medieval Bolsena and wine-producing Montefiascone in the former, and Bracciano with its castle and Trevignano Romano in the latter. In the summer, you can pay for a sunbed at about half the price of the ones on the sea and enjoy a day of peace and quiet, along with pristine water and volcanic sand that doesn’t leave you all sticky like salt water does.

Next to Lake Bracciano, there’s a small, peaceful lake which is an extension of the Bracciano volcano: Lake Martignano. The special thing about this one is that there’s been absolutely no development on it, except for a farmhouse and an agriturismo. To prevent people from ruining this little sanctuary, the park has made it that you can no longer drive to the lake, but you must park at a nearby parking lot and take a shuttle or, as I did, hike. You can climb to the top of the hill on the eastern side and get a view of both lakes.

My new favorite and the most natural lake is Lake Vico. This one is pure tranquility with hardly any development on it and only woods to be found and explored. There’s not much to say about this one except that it must be visited and felt. Nearby Caprarola and its Palazzo Farnese are a must-visit and Ronciglione’s medieval village and gorge is also worth a visit.

If you still rather hit a beach, check out Beaching near Rome.