Lake Bracciano is just about an hour’s train ride from Rome and makes for a great getaway to a quaint town, beautiful castle and the lake! If you have a car, even easier and a great opportunity to explore the towns around the lake.
Quick Facts
Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 kilometres northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.
Lake Bracciano – The lake is an important tourist attraction situated near Rome. As it serves as a drinking water reservoir for the city of Rome it has been under control since 1986 in order to avoid pollution of its waters. The use of motorboats is strictly forbidden (exceptions being made for a few professional fisherman and the authorities), and a centralized sewer system has been built for all the bordering towns in order to avoid any spoiling of the water quality. This makes Bracciano one of the cleanest lakes of Italy. The absence of motorized navigation (apart from police boats) favours sailing, canoeing and swimming.
- is Italy’s 8th largest lake.
- It has a circular perimeter of approximately 32 km (20 mi)
- Three towns border the lake, Bracciano, Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano
The Castle: Castello Orsini-Odescalchi
THIS is the famous castle where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married
It was built in the 15th century, and combines the functions of a military defence structure and a civilian residence of the feudal lords of the period, the Orsini and Borgia, both papal families. As one of the largest and best-maintained castles in Italy, it also houses a museum; as a centre of cultural events, the Castello has hosted several high profile weddings.
The historical museum within the castle premises has valuable artwork from the Middle Ages of over six centuries rule of Popes and Kings, consisting of ancient weapons, furniture and paintings, books and manuscripts, frescoes and decorations. It was opened in 1952 by Prince Livio
Photo Tour
(photo captions describe the how to get around by foot :))
Map/Location
Getting to Bracciano by Train:
It is very easy to get to Bracciano by train from Rome. Check the Trenitalia website for schedules.
- Roma Ostiense Station– travel time approx. 1 hr 6 minutes. Ticket cost one-way 3€ (2014)
Once you arrive in Bracciano, it’s an easy walk to town, just look for the ‘Centro’ signs. It’s a small town, hard to get lost. Just look for the big castle and head towards that. From center you can also easily walk down to the lake. Check out the photo gallery for details to get to the lake.
