How to best explore Lake Bolsena

Italy is a highly rich country, at least as far as travelers are concerned. When you are walking through the streets of small Italian towns or even villages, it almost feels like you are part of an old, vintage movie and nothing has changed. Everything surrounding you, from the architectural style of the buildings to the small groceries built right on the street, everything is simply enchanting, hard to describe in words. If New York and Las Vegas are cities full of speed, lights and technology, Italy is at the opposite side. So, what should any traveler do to really discover the beauty of this country, to be dazzled by simplicity rather than luxury? The answer is simpler than you might expect. Agritourism is the type of traveling you should try. If you wanted to visit Italy, then you most likely have heard of the enchanting area of Lake Bolseno. Located in the center of the country, near the sunny and warm Tuscany, this volcanic lake seems to draw a surprising number of tourists year after year. However, for one reasons or another, you won’t find an overwhelming number of Lake Bolsena hotels.

This fact reveals a secret, one that that you should be aware of, if you are thinking of visiting this destination. There is no better way to see the beauties of this land other than by choosing an agriturismo Lake Bolsena accommodation option. These are usually establishments that are built on the notion of tradition, of culture. Agritourism offers a completely different understanding of the concept of traveling. You will be taken away from the modern lifestyle, from the noisy streets, filled with fast moving cars, from the long lines to get into museums, from fast food restaurants and of hotels without any personality. When choosing a farmhouse holiday, you are given the opportunity to enjoy the simple lie. You can swim in the lake Bolsena, without being accompanied by a great number of people you don’t know. Each day, you have the chance to walk on stony roads, organize a picnic in the woods, visiting vineyards and seeing the center of Montefiascone with different eyes.

As far as the actual accommodation is concerned, you should know that you are welcomed in traditional houses and apartments that fit in perfectly with the rest of the buildings in the surrounding area. You will no longer be accommodated in the typical hotel room. As you can easily see, agritourism does bring something completely special, it brings a new experience, one through which you can fully understand a culture, a specific tradition. In fact, this is the true way one should travel. In the end, the goal is find the differences in cultures, not necessarily the similarities. Originality rests in differences, so make all efforts to discover them. If Lake Bolsena is the area that has convinced you, then focus on finding the right agritourism company to work with, one that can offer you a truly revealing experience and the chance to enjoy nature at its best.

If you want to find out more about agriturismo Lake Bolsena and about a different kind of Lake Bolsena hotels, please click on these links!

Traveling In Italy – Be Train Smart

Think about traveling in Italy and the mind immediately begins to reach for the airline timetables. Think again. Traveling to and around Italy by train is kinder to your bank account and kinder to the environment. The journey time from London Kings Cross on Eurostar takes just over two hours and costs around forty quid. When you take into account the time spent lolling around the airport, suddenly the train doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Considering, also, the train has one tenth the impact on your carbon footprint compared to flying, everybody wins.

Once on the continent, there are three options for reaching your destination in Italy by train. The Artesia TGV arrives in Milan or Turin from Paris by late evening; the cost is GBP 30.30.

If you have a little extra time to spare and want to treat yourself to some stunning scenery at stunning speeds, the Lyria TGV will transport you to Zurich at 198 mph. The letters ‘TGV’ stand for ‘Trains a Grande Vitesse’, meaning, somewhat less grandly, ‘high speed train.’ The EuroCity pendolino train takes you in the morning through the Swiss Alps to Milan and from there make a connection to Florence, Venice, Naples or Rome. Alternatively, the Artesia sleeper train will carry you direct to Rome, Florence or Venice.

Want to see more of Italy? Milan to Turin or Genoa are short journeys. You can train from Venice or Verona to Siena or Pisa via Bologna. Further down the coast, zip across the country to Rome from Pescara or Naples. Curl around the west coast from Naples right down to the tip of the toe of Italy’s boot and cross the straits to Sicily on the boat train.

Hopping across the Straits of Messina to Sicily is an experience in itself. All trains get shunted onto the ferry for the half-hour crossing.

Sleeper trains have a range of carriages at a price to suit everyone. The couchettes are the cheapest, albeit less private. First Class couchettes have four berths and Second Class, six. They are mixed gender, although women traveling unaccompanied are allowed to book spaces in female-only accommodation. One does not undress at bedtime, but remains in regular clothing. There is one attendant for each pair of cars to convert the coach into it’s bedtime shape, provide pillows, sheets and blankets and to serve drinks and continental breakfast in the morning.

The more comfortable compartments in T25 and Standard Sleeper cars are carpeted and convert to a private sitting room for early evening and morning use. Each room has a washbasin and a bed fully made up. There is one attendant per car. Some of the longer routes, for instance from Milan to Naples, have luxury ‘Excelsior’ cars with one and two-bed compartments with en suite toilet and shower.

There are, of course, highways in Italy if that’s what you prefer. The minimum age for driving a car is 18, insurance is mandatory and traffic fines are on the spot and fierce. You may also be required to convince the authorities that you have written permission to drive the car if you cannot prove that you own it outright.