Museo territoriale del Lago di Bolsena

About the museum

The museum was inaugurated on 5 May 1991 in the medieval Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara; in 2011 the nearby Palazzo Monaldeschi was added. It is part of the museum system of Lake Bolsena (Simulabo), promoted by the Lazio Region.

The collection presents the geological, archaeological and natural history documentation of the Bolsena area. In the Rocca, the entrance is preceded by Roman funerary and votive monuments and dominated by a Roman marble sarcophagus; there follow rock samples, finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages, mostly from the lake bed, and the funerary goods of the Etruscan period from the La Capriola necropolis. On the upper floor are displayed ceramics, architectural terracottas and frescoes from the Roman city of Volsinii, and the famous Trono delle Pantere (Throne of the Panthers).

On the ground floor of Palazzo Monaldeschi are the archaeological section on research in the Volsinian territory and the medieval section, with ceramics found in the rubbish pit (butto) of the Rocca. On the first floor are the section on Ars Wetana, the Orvieto lace tradition, and the section on the lake's wrecks, from Bronze Age dugout canoes to the remains of a bomber that crashed in 1944.

Highlights

• Trono delle Pantere (Throne of the Panthers) from the Roman city of Volsinii
• Roman marble sarcophagus at the entrance to the Rocca
• Etruscan funerary goods from the La Capriola necropolis
• Bronze Age finds from the lake bed
• Lake wrecks, from dugout canoes to a bomber of 1944
• Section on the Ars Wetana lace

Permanent exhibitions

• Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara: geologia, archeologia e Volsinii – Rocks, Bronze and Iron Age finds, Etruscan funerary goods and Roman materials from Volsinii, with the Trono delle Pantere.
• Palazzo Monaldeschi: medioevo, Ars Wetana e relitti del lago – Archaeological and medieval sections on the ground floor; Ars Wetana lace and lake wrecks on the first floor.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Comune di Bolsena

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The Rocca Monaldeschi is at Piazza Monaldeschi 1, in the historic centre of Bolsena; Palazzo Monaldeschi is at Piazza dell'Orologio 7.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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