There where friars, popes and nobles have found beauty and exclusive relaxation. Now theBisentina Islanda treasure trove of art and nature, is open to everyone. From 2 July to 8 October the greater of the two islands of the lake of Bolsena becomes accessible for guided tours of ancient buildings and contemporary works site specific. An almost spiritual journey, in honor of the esoteric tradition of the place, which also includes a unique natural habitat, made up of centuries-old trees and native flora, mixed with imported species.
A rebirth project wanted by the Rovati family, the last owner of this patch of land of about 17 hectares in the middle of the largest volcanic lake in Europe.
It is from 2017 that the Rovati Foundation has started the restoration of the monuments in collaboration with the Superintendence for Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape and the Municipality of Capodimonte.
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So you can already visit them three of the seven chapels built between the 15th and 16th centuriesunited by a devotional path that dates back to the presence of the Friars Minor on the island since 1431. Today, this itinerary of history and art is accompanied by a path of contemporary works, created by Tearose as part of the “Cultivating Art” initiative, in which artists from various disciplines are called to deal with issues related to nature, its silences and sounds, as well as its protection.
On the island you can admire the works The Golden Fleece from Federico Gori, Tunes from José Angelino And Welcome Wanderer from Matteo Nasini.
What to see on the Bisentina Island: the chapels and the Malta of the Popes
The Bisentina also has its own “dome”: the lead one that stands out on the church of SS. Giacomo and Cristoforo, the largest monument of the island, and which can also be seen from the shores of the whole lake. The Franciscan convent is annexed to it, where the Friars Minor, the only inhabitants, stayed for centuries.
The church, in the form of a Greek cross, was commissioned in 1588 by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese based on the architect’s project Giovanni Antonio Garzoni from Viggiù, which worked on the remains of previous buildings. Its internal walls have also housed precious paintings of Annibale Carracci and various important artists but the works were later transferred by Pope Clement XI to the Vatican.
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However, there are other treasures, left on the island, to be admired in the three chapels that can currently be visited: the octagonal chapel of Saint Catherine attributed to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, which stands on a 22 meter high rock spur; there chapel of the Crucifix or of Monte Calvariowhich preserves precious frescoes attributed to the hand of Benozzo Gozzoli; finally, the chapel of Santa Concordia. The other four chapels (the Transfiguration, San Francesco, San Gregorio, Monte Oliveto) will soon be accessible and will be revealed one by one over time.
And there is also great expectation to return to enter the so-called Malta of the Popesunder the Mount Tabor, the highest point of the island: it is a deep tunnel dug into the tuff, with an underground chamber of about 6 meters, probably of Etruscan origin, at the center of which there is a well now filled with earth. A mysterious place, used in the thirteenth century as a life prison for heretics and already mentioned by Dante.
Curiosities and mysteries on the Bisentina Island
Legends, esotericism, religious cults, literary and cinematographic suggestions intertwine on the paths of the island. Starting with the number Seven, which hovers among the chapels: many were built over time, in imitation of the historic seven churches of Rome. And each of them faces one of the seven coastal towns of the lake. The path that unites them has the meaning of a spiritual journey: precisely the union of the seven churches with the largest (7 + 1) leads to the number 8, a symbol of the infinite and of the inner evolution towards the divine.
Another fascinating place, full of mystery, is there Malta of the Popes: it was mentioned by Dante in Paradise (canto IX, vv. 52-54) as a perpetual prison and in the late nineteenth century Madame Blavatsky, animator of a theosophical parlor, thought it was one of the secret entrances to the underground kingdom of Agarthi, “the inaccessible”.
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Not even directors and writers have escaped the fascination of the Bisentina Island: over the years, it has been the set of films The mask from Fiorella Infascelli, The sense of vertigo from Paolo Bologna, Tonight at Alice’s house from Carlo Verdone, Arianna from Carlo Lavagna And The wonders from Alice Rohrwacher.
And a good part of the novel is also set here Nature is innocent from Walter Siti.
The history of the Bisentina Island
A millennia-long history, that of the Bisentina Island. Starting from the Bronze Age, which dates back to a pirogue object of an archaeological find. It owes its name to the ancient Bisentiuma thriving Etruscan-Roman city on the southern shore of Lake Bolsena, although it was called for a period Urban Islandunder the imposition of Pope Urban IV, who conquered it by annexing it to the claimed domains around Bolsena.
The presence of the Friars Minor was fundamental: in 1431, Pope Eugene IV entrusted the whole island to them, authorizing the construction of the main church and the Franciscan convent. And during the period of residence, the friars gradually built the seven oratories as well.
Many vicissitudes and changes of hands, until 1912, when the island became princess property Beatrice Spadawife of the duke Vincenzo Ravaschieri Fieschi, viveur which inspired the figure of the protagonist Andrea Sperelli in D’Annunzio The pleasure. After the family Of The Dragonthe island was acquired by the Lombard gods Rovatiin 2017. Who have now decided to give it back life and open it to everyone.
Bisentina Island: how to get there, access dates and prices
Access to the island is allowed from 2 July to 8 October. The transport service by lake, active every Saturday and Sunday, is operated by two independent companies (Navigate Bolsena And Upper Lazio navigation). The cost of the ticket to access the island is divided into 20 euro for the boat trip e 15 or 22 euros for a guided tour of the island. Facilities are provided for minors up to 15 years of age and for the disabled.
For info and reservations: isolabisentina.org
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