Our summer season of exploration continued with a day trip to Bracciano, a medieval town 30kms from Rome, overlooking a large volcanic lake.
The availability and diversity of great places to visit within an hour or two of Rome is truly astonishing. After our trip to Gondolfo, also seated atop a volcanic lake, we decided to give Bracciano a go and were definitely not disappointed.
Arriving just before noon on a sunny Saturday, we strolled the medieval alleyways in the hilltop Centro Storico. We looked for viewpoints of the lake, got lost in the historical architecture and pushed the stroller around some very narrow streets, all before sitting down to a well-earned pasta lunch.
Bellies full, we turned to Bracciano’s main terrestrial draw, the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, which provided stunning views of the panorama below and also stunningly difficult quarters for stroller movement! My cousin mentioned that Tom Cruise was once married at this castle and it’s easy to imagine either medieval or modern celebrations taking place here early into the morning hours.
Our final stop in Bracciano was at the beach! Beach hopping around Rome has been one of my treasured summer past times here and we thought it would be nice to try a freshwater dip rather than the salty and sometimes choppy coastal waters.
Again, aside from the challenging walk down and then up the hill to and from the beach, it was an absolutely lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The cool clean crispness of the lake was a welcome reprieve to the hot Italian sun and Dalia enjoyed a long leisurely swim in the serene environment.
Overall, Bracciano was another great find and so easy to access from Rome. We’ll keep it in mind for future trips with visitors or when needing a break from the salty waves of Ostia.
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