Capodimonte

The territory:

The town of Capodimonte is placed in the south western part of the lake of Bolsena.  

Thanks to the beneficial infuence of the lake, the winters are always myths with moderate rains and most insufficient snowy precipitations, while the summers are warm but not sultry for the constant presence of the breeze. Therefore the exceptionally favorable climate has contributed to the ideal reproduction of numerous faunistic and floreal species and to the development of the tourism.

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A Lot of species characterize the aquatic flora: a well known between the fishermen is the potamogeto perfoliato (in slang: lojja) and the aquatic ranuncolo (in slang: marajja), among the fish we had to remark the good ones coregoni exalted roasted in the fair, not to forget, the lattarini, the lucci, the trouts and the appetizing eels remembered from Dante Alighieri in the Divine Commedy (song XXIV of Purgatorio).

Potamogeton perfoliatus Tratto da: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potamogeton_perfoliatus

Potamogeton perfoliatus Tratto da: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potamogeton_perfoliatus

Ranuncolo Acquatico Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_aquatilis

Ranuncolo Acquatico Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_aquatilis

Coregone Lavaretus Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coregonus_lavaretus

Coregone Lavaretus Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coregonus_lavaretus

Anguilla Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anguilla_anguilla

Anguilla Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anguilla_anguilla

 

Latterino Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherina_boyeri

Latterino Tratto da: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherina_boyeri

The history:

In speaking of the past we can assure that the territory of Capodimonte has been attended since the remoter ages, like widely demonstrated by the most important discoveries of prehystoric age (numerous objects going back to the Paleolitic age), the protohistoric piroga monoxile of the dimensions of mt 6,25 X 0,70, currently in restoration in a room opportunely adapted by the citizens, soon exposed in the museum actually in building. Numerous reperts of villanoviana, Etruscan, and roman age coming from the city of Vesentum, that it rose on the Bisenzo mount, where today have been realized a naturalistic archaeological park.
Vesentum, moreover marked from the Latin historian Plinio the Young in the list of the greater Etruscan cities, is particularly famous to the students for the archaeological reperts found in the sepolcreti of the necropoli around the acropolis of the Bisenzo mount, with several king ofipogei, realized in the shape of cassa, fossa, with or without sarcofago, Many of this objects, escaped to the despoliation of the clandestines, constitute some collections exposed in numerous and famous museums of great cities of all the world (New York, Chicago, Buffalo, Paris, Copenaghen, Basel, Ascona etc.) and in the most important archaeological museums in Italy among them the museums of Villa Julia and Pigorini of Rome, the Gregorian Etruscan museum of the Vatican and in the museums of Florence, Siena, Grosseto, Viterbo etc..
Some important archaeological researches, (still in course), have been documented the uninterrupted continuity of life of Bisenzo since the age of the Recent Bronze (interesting are the rests of inhabited structures going back to the X° century b.C.) until the V° century b.C., period in which Vesentum it endured the fates of other Etruscan cities, decaying quickly after the destruction operated by the Roman until the late republican age when it rose with the constitution of a Municipium, ascribed to the Sabatina tribe; subsequently with the arrive of the Christianity it was elected to episcopal center until the destruction carried out by the Longobardi in the VIII century with consequent transfer of the diocese to Castro.
After this destruction many inhabitants survivors were sheltered in the surrounding zones originating some countries between which Capodimonte, that only in 1102 was erected to christian center. In 1254 was built up a fortified castle incorporating an old tower, in 1269 it passed under the Patrimony of Saint Peter for wanting of Bonifacio VIII° and in the course of the XV century it passed under the lordship of the Farnese family.
Thanks to this noble family, the most remarkable artists of that period have left important works of a high artistic and historical value. Between them there are the octagonal size of the Rocca, restructured in years 1510 – 1513 from Antonio Giamberti said the Sangallo the Young, in Bisentina isle we find the church of the S.S. Giacomo and Cristoforo attributed to Jacopo Barozzi said the Vignola, realized in the vicinities of the “Malta”, a prison made to build up by the Cardinal Albornoz for the heretical ones and remembered from Dante in the Divine Comedy. Always in the Bisentina isle, are found the two existing of the seven small churches decorated with fresco and realized by painters of the 1400, perhaps of the school of Benozzo Gozzoli, (some critics attribute the designs of the nail head of the Trasfigurazione to Melozzo the Painter from Forlì).

Capodimonte today:

Today Capodimonte is articulated in two parts, the village and the new town. The village, of medieval period, is situated on the cape that comes down on the lake, where is built the Rocca Farnese, the church, where there is the image of the Madonna delle Grazie, attributed from some critics to the school of Neapolitan painter Sebastiano Conca, the Bourgeois palace, currently communal center and the Puniatowski palace, built up on plan of the Valadier.
The new zone has been developed mainly in the plain terrain, in front of the beach of the lake, summery goal of numerous tourists, preferred for its water, for the cooling shadow of the trees and the cleaning. The mass tourism is placed side by side to the cultural one, and is favorited not only by the climate and the beauty of the places, but also from the numerous historical, artistic and folkloristic attractions.

Capodimonte

Capodimonte

Touristic attractions:

As a traditions that last for twenty years, on the First Sunday of August is realized the festival of the Coregone, in which the fish is cooked on the live coal and accompanied by the good local wine.

Moreover is celebrated the festivity of Saint Rocco during the half of August with the organization of numerous manifestations between which spectacular fireworks on the lake and the festivity of the Madonna delle grazie with the traditional “infiorata”.

In the restaurants and the trattories of Capodimonte is possible to taste some of local gastronomical products based also on the fish of the lake such first plates: zuppa of fish of lake, pasta in brodo with eggs of tinca, and the acquacotta of the fisherman (in slang: sbroscia); second plates: frittura of lattarini, marinata eel or to the vernaccia, roasted carpa, coregone to the cartoccio, etc.

An underwater manger is realized in locality Giardinetti, in the Naturalistic Archaeological Park in Loc. Bisenzio has been realized a pedestrian tour that, dipped in the green of the park, combines the camping to the historical center. From some years beyond to the traditional fair of goodses of the forth Sunday of August, during the summery Sundays in the public walk of the Lungolago and the historical center has been organized a market of the handicraft and the antique.

Photos by   Stefano Manetti