An Unforgettable Day in Capodimonte, Italy

Hello friends. I want to share my trip to the town of Capodimonte with you. Before returning to the city of Bari from the Lazio region, we came here for lunch. We sat in a restaurant with a wonderful view.

My friend ordered spaghetti with mussels, which looked delicious and appetizing. However she added Parmesan cheese, which I think doesn't belong on this dish. But she said, It doesn't matter I love it and ate it.

Here people are cycling, walking with their pets and children. It's a perfect place to relax. This area is called Lago di Bolsena. Many beaches around this lake have this type of sand because the lake was formed in the craters of extinct volcanoes. There are two islands in the lake, one can be seen from the shore, the other is hidden behind it.

We also swam in the town of Bolsena, but the beach there was small and we didn't like it much. Here however, there's a wide and long beach with enough space for everyone. There are trees where you can lie on the grass in the shade. There's also a large playground for children. And you can see the old town of Capodimonte, with Rocca Farnese Castle standing out. It's visible from everywhere and offers a beautiful view.

We took a short tour of the old town, looking for a restaurant, but everywhere was full. This town attracts many foreign tourists: Americans, French, Germans and people from many other countries. Of course many Italians also come here.

Afterwards we walked around the town of Capodimonte a bit. It's a wonderful town. We passed by the harbor, where there were many sailboats and yachts. We saw places selling refreshing treats like granita and yogurt ice cream.

Capodimonte is a small town and then we moved on to the town of Marta, another lakeside town. The weather started to warm up again, it had been cool during our stay here, around 21-25 degrees. When we arrived from Bari it was very hot there, but we found relief here. I understand why people prefer to go to the mountains in the summer because it's cooler at higher elevations than at sea level.

When exploring a new place I'm most interested in the architecture. I love old towns. That's why castles and ancient churches attract me. You might be wondering, Where are all the people? Everyone is at lunch. It was 14:20 and at this hour nobody goes outside, everyone is eating. That's why there was no one around.

We went to the most beautiful and notable building here, Rocca Farnese Castle. This castle is famous for its clock tower. In the historic center, the buildings are generally two or three stories high. It seems quite deserted compared to other towns. We were in Orvieto and Viterbo in the previous days and there were many tourists despite the lunchtime. Locals usually stay at home at this hour, but tourists wander around.

We went inside the church and visited the temple. Then we toured the castle. We walked a lot by the lake; my friends and I took thousands of steps every day and these steps were not just flat, they were up and down. We enjoyed the lake.
It's really a beautiful place. There are many butterflies flying here, which we don't often see in Bari. The slope leading up to the castle is lovely. The lake view is amazing, with Isola Bisentina island in sight. Both islands in this lake were formed on the remnants of extinct volcanoes. This region once had many volcanoes and when they became inactive, rainwater filled the craters, creating this lake. This is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. The water level varies depending on the amount of rainfall. The scenery is very impressive. There are places more beautiful than the sea. This place is surrounded by hills and I really liked the hilly landscape.

Looking at the lake from the top of the church here was a wonderful feeling. A light breeze was blowing; it was a hot day, but this breeze brought coolness. As the Italians say, there was peace, serenity and love here. It was our first time coming here, but it definitely won't be the last because this place really impressed me. This lake and all the towns we saw enchanted me and I will want to come back here again and again.

I will end my travel story here. I hope you enjoyed it. See you on the next trip.