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Lake Bolsena – Lacus Volsiniensis or Lacus Volsinii – located in the province of Viterbo, is the largest volcanic one in Europe; its formation dates back over 300,000 years ago.
With low and sandy coasts, sometimes marshy, it features an almost completely uncontaminated natural environment and is one of the few big Italian lakes where people can swim anywhere they like.
Its incredibly clear waters host a rich indigenous fauna which includes pike, tench, big-scale sand smelts, common rudds, flathead grey mullets, the South European nase, crayfish, freshwater crab and eels.
Other species have been introduced by man: sun perch fish, catfish, whitefish, the royal perch fish, the largemouth bass, carps, and the agone.
The surrounding flora is also extremely interesting and variegated: amongst reeds and meadows on the banks are
black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) and white hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium), the very rare lesser water plantain (Baldellia ranunculoides), the ranunculus (Ranunculus spp.) and the amphibious water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia), the horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustris) and Sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus).
In deeper waters, shining pondweed (Potamogeton lucens) and spiny naiad (Najas marina) develop.

Human settlements are mostly found along the eastern and southern coast, in Bolsena, Marta, and Capodimonte.

The traditional and evocative “Infiorata” festival celebrates the Feast of Corpus Domini (Corpus Christi) every year. It commemorates the miracle that occurred in 1263 to a Bohemian priest, traditionally known as Peter of Prague. Doubtful about Jesus Christ, he embarked on a long pilgrimage of penance and meditation to Rome, to pray on the tomb of St. Peter. On the way back, along the via Cassia, he briefly stopped in Bolsena near the church of Santa Cristina, where he asked to celebrate the Holy Mass. During the celebration, a miracle occurred when the consecrated host turned into blood.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)