Arcadia Italy

by ilaria d'onofrio, program assistant, summer 2018

The Bracciano lake, or even called Lago Sabatino, it’s a volcanic lake situated on the north of Rome. It’s 20 miles norther than the city, so you can easily get there in an hour by car or by train. The lake is a great heap of water, around 56,5 km², and inside you can find a multitude of fish and sea plants. A regional law has forbidden any sealing of motorboat, apart from fisherman who has a license, preserving the quality of the water and the sea life in it. Moreover, even though on the coast of this lake has been built some cities, the flora has remained intact. In fact, around the lake you can walk through amazing woods and forest, which form the Regional Natural Park of Bracciano - Martignano.

Apart from the naturalistic beauty of this zone, we have the multitude of cities and villages situated around the lake, which are placed on the rest of ancient villages probably formed during the Neolithic era! The archaeological excavation brought back to light some ceramic potteries and ancient boats. The largest towns on this area are currently three: Bracciano, Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano.

The city of Bracciano was founded during the 10th century, as a small village of fishermen and farmers. During the 15th century and the arrival of the Orsini noble family, the village became a real and flourishing city. It’s main attraction is the beautiful castle Orsini-Odescalchi, built during the 15th century and recently opened to the public for visit and private parties. The castle is full of unique pieces of art and its special position, on the top of the hill, allows the visitors to enjoy a breathtaking view of the whole lake.

Than we have Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano, both small towns which are very popular touristic destination for their beautiful beach and their characteristic medieval center, with narrow alleys and picturesque corners. In this places you can spend your day lying down on the beach, swimming in the lake or even renting kayaks and peddle boats. During the evening I recommend you to have a walk on the seafront, usually full of places to eat very good food.

Obviously all this places (apart from maybe Bracciano that is bigger) are small and not always full of people or event to attend, especially during the winter. So keep in mind that you can’t expect a crazy lively vacation if you go there, more a relaxing and cultural one, which I totally recommend you to do.