Lake Alviano Nature Reserve is a 15 minute drive from The Yellow House, here you can enjoy guided tours of the reserve, birdwatchers are welcome.

Lake Bolsena is a 30 minute drive from the house, it is the largest volcanic lake in Europe.  Here you can enjoy swimming, peddelos, waterskiing and windsurfing.  Most activities can be booked via the restaurant La Spiaggetta, tel: (0039) 0761 798536. 

The town of Bolsena is a beautifully kept medieval town with some fascinating historical sites including Etrustan remains, it also has many very good lake-side restaurants and bars.  If you have had enough of swimming you an explore the area by foot or bicycle.  Fleur Kinson describes some stunning routes that take you off the beaten track.  Details of routes can be found in her book "Bolsena everything you need to know"  ISBN 0-954794-0-0

Boat trips on Lake Bolsena several excursions from the marina in Bolsena, see time table for details.

Festivals in Bolsena

The feast of Corpus Christi (Infiorata) is held each year on the 9th Sunday after Easter and celebrates the miracle of the Eucharist.  In 1263 a priest called Peter was said to have observed blood dripping from the Eucharist bread as he broke it while celebrating mass in the Church of Bolsena.  Each year the streets of Bolsena are lined with millions of flower petals arranged in intricate moseics.  A procession follows the path of flowers.

Hyrangea festival end of June.

Fish festival 2nd weekend of July.  Each year fish from the lake are cooked on barbecues along the shore of the lake accompanied by music and dancing.

Mysteries of Santa Christina 23rd and 24th July.  Santa Christina is the patron saint of Bolsena.  In the early 4th Century Christina's father attempted to drown her and she was tortured in an attempt to dissuade her from following Christianity.  On the evening of 23rd and the morning of 24th July silent scenes (tableaux vivants) from her life are presented on wooden stages around the town.  At the end of the second day, an image of Santa Christina is seen floating away on the lake with the backdrop of fireworks.

The Monsters' park (Parco dei Mostri) - Bomarzo is an extraordinary mystical garden.  Its origins are from the 16th Century and is filled with giant statues of animal, gods and mythical creatures.  It is only a 30 minute drive from the house and only 10 minutes from Villa Lante so both can be visited comfortably on the same day.

Villa Lante - Bagnaia, Viterbo has one of Italy's finest gardens.  Its creation began in the 16th Century and has been open to the public in recent years.  It is the perfect place to visit for a day or in combination with Monster's Park which is only 10 minutes away. 

City of Viterbo is a beautifully preserved example of a walled, medieval city.  In the 13th Century it was once home to the Pope.  There are many spectacular buildings to see, including the Gothic Palazzo Papale and the cathedral, Chiesa di San Lorenzo.  Viterbo is a 40 minute drive from The Yellow House.  The main shopping street Corso Italia is a great place to shop for clothes, antiques and all things Italian.

Thermal springs of the Popes (Terme dei Papi) - Viterbo.  The spa at Termi dei Papi offers a wide range of natural beauty treatments but is best known for the thermal baths.  The main bath consists of a huge outdoor pool made of limestone and filled contstantly with natural hot water.  It is a wonderful place to relax.  Terme dei Papi is just west of Viterbo city on Strada Bagni.

Farnese Palace - Caprarola, just south of Viterbo is an immense pentagonal building contrtucted in the 16th Century for Alessandro Farnese, the cardinal and nephew to Pope Paul III.  Behind the Palace is a grand garden which can be reached via two bridges.  Caprarola is just east of lake Vico and a 40 minute drive from The Yellow House.

Rome is easy to reach by train from either Alviano, Orte or Orvieto stations.  Alviano station is a 20 minute drive from the house and has an automatic ticket machine in the waiting room.  Make sure you arrive in plenty of time to buy your tickets.  Trains run infrequently from here so it best to have an idea of train times before setting off.  You will need to punch each ticket before you get on the train, punching machines are on the wall in the waiting room.  Trains run more frequently from both Orte and Orvieto stations.  Orte is a 30 minute drive from the house and Orvieto 40 minutes.  For Orvieto car park, follow the signs for Funicualare (small train that takes you to the top of Orvieto town).

Orvieto is a 40 minute drive from The Yellow House.  This beautiful town and its famous stripy cathedral are visited by thousands of tourists every year. 

Cultural events in Orvieto

Goose Palio is held at the end of May and is a game of horse riding skills that takes place on Piazzo del Popolo on an earth road where cavaliers of the two ancient rival districts fight for the Palio of District and Individual Paliotto.

Palombella festival on Whitsunday was introduced in the 15th Century by the Monaldeschi family.  Each year a shrine depicting the Empyrean and a white dove is placed upon the Lantern of the Church of San Francisco.  A Gothic tabernacle portraying the Cenacle is laid on the Cathedreal steps.  At midday fireworks issue from the Empyrean while the dove descends towards the tabernacle along a wire.  Auspices for the year are drawn according to the way the ceremony proceeds.

The feast of Corpus Christi is held each year on the 9th Sunday after Easter.  A Medieval procession celebrates the Eurcharist.

Jaz festival last days of December and into the new year.

Pitigliano - Tuscany is an impressive town raised high above the ground on a base of tufo and where the houses appear to grow out of the rock.  It is floodlit from below and particularly beautiful at night.  It takes approximately one hour to drive from The Yellow House and 30 minutes from Bolsena.

Saturnia hot spring is an extraordinary geological phenominum.  Warm water appears as if from nowhere and cascades down the hillside providing a beautiful place to bath, massage one's neck in the many warm waterfalls or cover oneself in mud from the bottom of the stream.  This is a must for the adventurous traveller and is very popular with all age groups.  There is no charge to enter the cascades and there is a small cafe nearby.  It is best to avoid the midday sun as there is limited shade.  The journey by car takes about one and a half hours but can be slightly confusing when you arrive as signs will encourage you to go to the still hot spring with no cascades, this has a charge and is not nearly such fun.  Stick to your guns an head for the cascades.

The Island of Gilgio is a beautiful, unspoilt island just west of Mount Argentario.  With an early start you can enjoy the beaches with crystal clear water, restaurants and natural beauty of the island in one day.  The Island is only 2 miles across and 5 miles long.  It takes about 2 hours to drive to Porto Stefano on Monte Argentario from where you can take a ferry to the isalnd.  If you prefer a more leisurely approach there is plenty of accommodation on the island.