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BOLSENA
BOLSENA
The Romans built this charming little town on the shore of Lake Bolsena in the 3rd century BC, after the conquest of the Etruscan town of Orvieto (Velzna). After the destruction of Velzna, the new town was rebuilt near the lake. Its Latin name (Volsinii) probably derives from the original Etruscan name of Orvieto. Situated on the Roman road Cassia, Volsinii soon became a flourishing town thanks to its strategic position. At the end of the Roman Empire, the town was slowly abandoned. In the Middle Ages Bolsena attracted the attention of the Christian world because of a eucharistic miracle which took place inside the basilica of Santa Cristina in 1263. This church was already well known for holding the relics of Santa Cristina, a young virgin who converted to Christianity. The Roman authorities killed her at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The Basilica of Santa Cristina with the catacombs and the Cappella del Miracolo is well worth a visit. The relics of Cristina are kept under a small altar in a modern shrine. Also interesting are the archaeological excavations at Poggio Moscini and the Rocca dei Monaldeschi, a medieval castle which houses a nice museum with finds from the Etruscan- Roman period to the Middle Ages.
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MEDIEVAL
