Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena

Bolsena's Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena occupies the medieval Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara. Its collections trace the territory from Bronze and Iron Age material recovered from the lakebed to Etruscan tomb goods and Roman finds from Volsinii.

Why it matters

The museum brings together objects from the lake and its shores, tomb groups from Etruscan cemeteries and sculptures and fresco fragments from the Roman city at Poggio Moscini. A branch at Palazzo Monaldeschi adds the area's lace tradition, medieval ceramics and material from wrecks in the lake.

What to notice

At the entrance is a Greek-marble bathtub sarcophagus of the second or third century AD, decorated with scenes from the cult of Bacchus, including the god and Ariadne. Bronze and Iron Age material includes finds from the underwater settlement of Gran Carro, where waterlogged conditions preserved wood and fibre. Etruscan rooms present finds from the La Capriola necropolis, used from the late eighth to mid-seventh century BC, and a third-century-BC chamber tomb at Melona. The Roman section includes the Throne of the Panthers, a Dionysian monument from the Casa delle Pitture, and fresco fragments from Volsinii. An aquarium presents the lake's ecosystem.

Context and history

The municipality created the museum to present the territory's history from prehistory onward. Its location in the Rocca returned the fortress to civic use after centuries as a stronghold, prison and garrison. The Palazzo Monaldeschi branch extends the collection with Ars Wetana lace, lake wrecks spanning the Bronze Age to the Second World War, and medieval and Renaissance ceramics recovered from the Rocca. The Soprintendenza's underwater archaeology service continues research connected with Gran Carro; its land-based hub and 3D stations link to the museum's displays.