Bracciano is a typical Italian town not far from Rome, if you go in the direction of Viterbro. The city is very popular among tourists – thanks to the luxurious castle of Orsini-Odescalchi, built in the early Renaissance, an unusual volcanic lake and sights that can be seen with your own eyes during a tour.
Orsini-Odescalchi Castle
The Castle of Orsini-Odescalchi and the surrounding streets and alleys with houses built of lava stone is one of the most beautiful locations in Roman Tuscia, impressive in size and looking like a set from a historical film. Here are some interesting facts about the castle:
- The first part of the name – Orsini – is given in honor of the founders of the castle, a wealthy and powerful Roman aristocratic family. Construction of the castle began in the 13th century. And in the 15th century, during the Renaissance, it was significantly expanded.
- In 1481, when Rome was hit by an epidemic of plague, Pope Sixtus IV found refuge under the walls of the castle. The castle preserved the library, which, in honor of this fact, received the name “papal library”.
- In the 17th century, the castle fell into disrepair because the Orsini family had financial problems. The castle was sold to the Pope’s nephew, Innocent XI, Prince of Odescalka. His descendants still own the castle.
- At the beginning of the 20th century, Prince Baldassarre of Odescalchi, with the participation of the architect Raffaello Oggetti, carried out a large-scale restoration of the complex, an important part of which was the huge, incredibly difficult work of restoring the interiors.
- In 2006, the Orsini-Odescalchi castle was rented for the wedding of two movie stars. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married here according to a Scientology ceremony, because the Catholic Church refused to conduct a marriage ceremony. However, this is not the first wedding celebrated in the castle. Even earlier, Eros Ramazotti and other media personalities had a wedding here.
Lake Bracciano
If you come to Bracciano, you just have to see another, no less famous local wonder, this time – of natural origin. Volcanic Lake Bracciano – an almost regular round shape known for its crystal clear water – is nothing more than the flooded crater of an extinct volcano. Its area is about 50 square meters. km, and the greatest depth is 300 m.
Here are some interesting facts about Lake Bracciano that you may not know yet.
- In ancient times, the lake was called Sabatinsky. On its western bank was the forum of Clodius, which served as one of the main points of the Clodius road.
- In 1938, the submerged ruins of the early Neolithic settlement of La Marmotta, which was one of the centers of ancient weaving, were found at the bottom of the lake.
- The lake was formed as a result of intense tectonic and volcanic activity. The collapse of the main magmatic cell after the volcanic eruption formed a depression, which was filled with water from underground sources.
- The water in the lake is extremely clean, its quality has been monitored since 1989. Today, Lake Bracciano is one of the sources of drinking water supply for Rome. This is why it is called the “well of Rome”.
The lake and the surrounding area is a protected area. The use of any motorized means of water transport is prohibited here. If you are very lucky, you can see and even feed wild swans while walking along the shore. One of the interesting features of local beaches is sand of an unusual dark color, which contains minerals of volcanic origin.