Municipality of Capodimonte
Lat. 42.543251 Long. 11.918480
Piazza della Rocca, 4
01010 Capodimonte (VT) Italy
Tel. ++39 0761870043
(61,25 kmq con 1700 inhabitants: Capodimontani)
Capodimonte, pleasant touristic centre of Bolsena lake, rises 334 m. above sea level on a small picturesque peninsula of the south northern coast which is 25 km. far from Viterbo. The sixteenth-century imposing “Rocca” Farnese with its octagonal plans is its most important monument.
Also the wonderful Bisentina isle belongs to its common and it represents an interesting excursion being connected with the village by an efficient motor-boat’s service with touristic guide on board. It owns a furnished port for sailing and motor-boats that, together with the beautiful beach and the full of history land, is an attractive point for the summer tourism. Capodimonte, Bolsena lake’s gem, is an old village situated on a promontory which rises 334 m. above sea level on a small peninsula of the south northern coast of the lake. It’s territory, morphologically discontinuos, was shaped by the volcanic activity which ended in the antique quaternary period; it’s mostly composed by sweet hills,rarely steep, which rise at max 150 m above sea level.
The hydrography is composed by: the lake which marks the boundary to the north with a coast of over 6 km. from Marta river which forms the boundary with the nearby common for some km. and by a few streams, only flowing in the winter time. The mild climate, thanks to the lake’s influence, brings winter times with rare snowfalls, while the summer times are warm and constantly aired by cheering breezes. Capodimonte is historically the heir of the ancient Vesentum, an important umbrian etruscan city; to its wide necropolis belong a large number of archaeological finds, some of them are real treasures of the Neolithic, villanoviana, Etruscan and roman age and they are now showed in museums of Rome, Forence and Viterbo.
The city was destryed in 280 B.C. and it was found again the roman Visentium which briefly became town council and diocese from the beginning of Christianity. In the middle of VIII century it was destroyed again from Longobard and its population dispersed, part of it took refuge east on the promontory and formed the first group of Capodimonte that, in 1102 became parish. On the other hand, another group preferred to rebuild on the ruins creating the medieval castle of Bisenzio. Capodimonte was in XI century subjected to the Lords of Bisenzio, in XIII century to the town council of Orvieto, in 1369 to the Montefiascone’s episcopal seat, in 1385 to the Farnese lordship of Castro’s duchy and to the church from 1649 till the accession of the Italian kingdom in 1870.
The Farnese family, who, with its magnificence left indelible traces overall in the duchy’s territory, let Antonio from Sangallo, the young build, in the sixteenth century, the imponent octagonal Rocca on the ruins of a preceding building belonging to the Lords of Bisenzio. The Palace became its favorite seat and furthermore aspired place from numerous Pontiffs, sovereigns, artists and italian and foreigner politicians remained there extoling the magnificence of it. Later raised further monuments: the church Collegiata of S.Maria Assunta in a panoramic position where is venerated the image of the “Madonna delle Grazie” painted by the napolitan talented painter Sebastiano Conca; in the small nice place on the right of the church, there’s the Borghese Palace, now municipality seat; furthermore we can find the Puniatowski Palace, by by Valadier, all this to represent the ancient medieval village.
The new part of the village is situated on the flat land on the lake-front a few meters from the promenade facing the long beach that is skirted by secular planes. Because of the safe soundings and the cleaning of the beach daily effected by a cleaning machine, this place is the favourite destination of the lake’s bathers. The remarkable urbanistic growth of this area has been helped from the population’s moving that gradually sold the small habitations of the ancient village to roman people which uses them as secondary home. The young people’s emigration towards the cities Rome and Viterbo where they manage to find a job easily, let it be that the residential polulation now counting 1700 units, is gradually aged older.
The tourism, the most economy source of the city, is always developping supported by the pleasantness of the background and from the numerous historical attractions. As soon as the receptivity will be more sufficent, the tourism will grow more and more; in fact if we leave out the secondary abitations, the Houses for rent and rooms and the growing up agriturismo, the receptive capacity are a little more than 500 persons, welcomed in the municipal camping and in the small hotels of the area. The farming, practised by small farms is, except the tourism, the most important incoming source.
The missed cooperation which caused a hard properties’ fragmentation doesn’t stop a good production of oil, cereals, vegetables and wine (Cannaiola and EST! EST! EST!). A remarkable part in the commerce belongs also to the sheep-farming that, with its products supplies with typical cheeses some artisans working in dairy-farmings. Another important incoming source are the public and commercial shops depending bly by the touristic seasonal’s flow.
The professional fishing, that represents the sustenance for many families in Capodimonte, has been fully abandoned and it is now solely concentrated in the village Marta; on the other hand, the sporting fishing still attracts many passionates because of the fair fish’s presence also if it’s opposed by some “professional fishermen” and by some poachers who mainly operates in the night. A very good incentive for the fishing would be a park, sheltered till 200 m. from the coastline, fully equipped for the sporting fishing including the port, the promontory and the place Mergonara. Capodimonte, further than the environmental beauty, presents interesting places to visit: The historical centre with the above already mentioned monuments.
The Bisentina isle (guided excursion with motor boat leaving from the port) The archaeological park of Monte Bisenzio. By the cultural centre “Vittorio Fanelli” takes place the monoxile piroghe dating back to Paleolithic found in the middle of the 80’s. (at the moment it’s being restored) The historical and religious museum situated in Rocca street. The underwater holy crib near the little gardens in Rocca street.
