Italians, volcanic people with volcanic lakes

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Italian people are known to be very warm, chatty and boisterous sometimes, in a certain sense volcanic people… in a volcanic land. That’s not a joke, not only beaches and mountains characterize Italy’s nature. Apart from active and apparently dead volcanoes, central and southern Italy are dotted with beautiful lakes originated by ancient volcanoes, today stage of magic landscapes. In the next stop of our blog’s travel we discover the two biggest of these lakes: Trasimeno, in Umbria region, and Lake Bolsena in Lazio region, not far from Rome.

Lake Trasimeno

Lake Trasimeno is located in the green heart of Umbria, amidst beds of reeds and charming white water lilies. It is a true natural paradise home to wild ducks, cormorants, kites and kingfishers.

Beyond the downward slope, gentle hills form the backdrop to the lake, along with sporadic woods and sunflower and corn fields, vineyards and olive groves.

Agriculture here is still carried out following traditional techniques and the coast is dotted with several medieval towns and castles, while of the three islands contained in the lake two are inhabitated and one, Polvese, is used as a public park and is home to a monastery.

Lake Bolsena

Lake Bolsena, in the region of Lazio, is the largest volcanic lake in Italy, having a circumference of 43km. It is known for a strange phenomenon, known locally as “sessa”, which causes tidal-like movements in the lake. Its formation began 370,000 years ago following the collapse of a caldera of the Vulsini volcano, which stayed active until 104 BC.

The two islands in the southern part of the lake were formed by underwater eruptions. Its coast, dotted with small villages of medieval origins is the perfect place for relaxing, surfing, sailing and swimming in the lake and enjoying the local cuisine.