Largest volcanic lake in Europe
Sunday at the shore of Lake Borsena
Located in the province of Lazio, 80 km north of Rome, Lake Bolsena is the fourth largest lake in Italy and the largest crater lake in Europe. In summer, the lake is very crowded with tourists from Rome and other European countries who come to enjoy their vacations. In the fall and winter, however, the lakeside scenery returns to its quiet and peaceful state. Many people stop by on their way back from visiting Civita Bagno Reggio, a beautiful town by the lake with a long history. The drive from Orvieto to Lake Bolsena is about 23 km on a beautiful country road, only about 20 minutes away.
Yesterday, I had some business nearby, so I took a leisurely stroll along the lakeshore. As you can see in the photo, the black sand and pebbles that cover the lakeshore are crushed volcanic rocks. The bottom of the lake is pitch black, but the water is clear and beautiful. I was lucky enough to meet a fisherman on the side of the road who was introduced to me by an acquaintance, so I asked him to share some corgone (a freshwater fish like a trout in the salmon family) with me the next time I caught some. Grilled corgone is a staple of the menu at lakeside restaurants. The nearby village of Capodimonte holds a big corgone festival every fall.
Lake Bolsena is the largest caldera lake in Europe. The main catch is a trout-like fish called corgone (Salmonidae) and eels. Since it was a beautiful day, we took a side trip to Lake Bolsena and had lunch by the lake after finishing our errands. The photo shows the grilled corgone we ordered. The corgone was freshly caught this morning by a fisherman in the lake and lightly grilled in olive oil. The Italians like to grill their eel with laurel leaves in between to give it an aromatic flavor. I heard that pike and sea bass are also caught, but I have never seen them in restaurants or on fish trucks at morning markets, so I assume that fishing is regulated. In summer, Lake Bolsena is crowded with vacationers from European countries. I will tell you more about Bolsena, a small town by the lake, next time.