Sunday, February 17, 2013

Lake Martignano: a hidden gem near Rome

Lake of Bracciano,with  tiny Lake Martiginano  to the right


During the more than 35 years that I lived in the city of Rome on a typical spring weekend we would  drive  north along the Via Cassia to visit one of the medieval towns or beaches on the lovely  lakes of  Bracciano, Vico  or Bolsena. I had barely heard of, and never visited,  the tiny volcanic lake  of Martignano, adjacent to Bracciano and  now part of  a protected  Regional  Park that is  13 years old.

a stretch of Etruscan road  leading to Lake Martignano 
Off the radar for contemporary  Romans, Martignano was popular with  ancient Romans such as  Emperor Augustus who had an aqueduct built to carry  water to the inhabitants of Rome's Trastevere quarter, 33 kilomtres away. 


Lake Martiginano in winter 
 Then for centuries the lake was off limits, incorporated into one of those huge estates belonging  to papal nobility such as the Odescalchi who also owned Bassano Romano .  

 These centuries of seclusion meant that Martignano remained virtually unknown and  unvisited, allowing it to remain in pristine condition and making it today the perfect getaway for nature lovers,  bikers, trekkers and birdwatchers.
the ruins of the original farm buildings  and  the  lawn beach 


During our visit, besides the two park rangers who narrated a bit of the Park’s  history, we also met the  mythical Giorgio
Giorgio  and the park rangers 
 who  ran the canoe and boat concession back in the 80s  when the only living beings around the lake were grazing sheep and cattle and the occasional migrating wildfowl.
Beach entrance : one  for people and one for dogs


 Now the area comprised in the Natural Park (and bordering  towns of Anguillara, Bracciano, Trevignano,Cesano and Campagnano) plays host to  numerous  groups of sailing, horsebackriding, biking  and  birdwatching groups.
horses await  riders at the Casale di Martiginano 


learning about the  lake 
On the day we visited the lake and the spectacular Potrero Grande  Agriturismo,



with Livia, owner of Potrero Grande 
Livia  shows us around the luxury  apartments 

entrance to Potrero Grande


 we ran into bikers, couples  on horseback and  a group of more than 50 birdwatchers who were walking around the lake, counting, photographing and designing 
wildlife artist  Federico Gemma 

 the bird species they encountered. 
antipasto - salumi and cheeses  produced on site 
wine  awaiting the diners 

Fulvio, Santino, Alessio and Alessandra  enjoy the  abundant  buffet at Casale di Martignano 
soft cantuccini, home made, of course ..
...and  crostate  for dessert 
  At  lunch time we all  convened at Casale di Martignano for a buffet lunch followed  by a seminar  on one of the rare species that inhabits the lake.  


Have you been to Lake Martignano?  Do you know of other  natural areas where one can  practice sports, birdwatching close to Rome ?  Please  leave comments and suggestions of  things to do in this area, so close to Rome, yet  immersed in the beautiful countryside. 

11 comments:

  1. Looks like a nice day trip from Rome.

    Do you know the distance from Bracciano to the park? Is it walkable or do you need to take a bus? Assuming you can take a train to Bracciano from Rome.

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    Replies
    1. The station of Anguillara is the closest but Martignano is rather distant, a good hour's walk. However, if you have a bicycle, you can take it on the train and voila'! From central Rome the lake is easily accessible by road in about 40 minutes via Cassia bis/Cesano/Via di Baccanello/Via di Porta Corrazza, this last road a beautiful winding narrow route through gentle rolling hills and pretty vistas. Vehicles need to be left at a clearly marked carpark where shuttle buses provide all day service to the not too distant lake. No private cars are permitted anywhere close. That virtually untouched Lake Martignano is a miracle of survival, there is no doubt! It is a genuine rural retreat offering pristine waters, a forest with its hidden Etruscan tombs, some very relaxing inexpensive eateries with simple seating under the acacia trees. Giorgio (the guy in the picture with the rangers) IS a character and if asked, will happily go into great detail regarding the lake's history and so forth. He also organises moonlight canoe trips, even for the uninitiated, an enchanting experience in this silent wonder. He can be found at Nauticlub Martignano, on the southern bank (the word "club" is cute there being only a little gazebo and a dozen sailing boats). He also rents out daybeds and umbrellas on a beautifully tended lawn.

      Delete
    2. The station of Anguillara is the closest but Martignano is rather distant, a good hour's walk. However, if you have a bicycle, you can take it on the train and voila'! From central Rome the lake is easily accessible by road in about 40 minutes via Cassia bis/Cesano/Via di Baccanello/Via di Porta Corrazza, this last road a beautiful winding narrow route through gentle rolling hills and pretty vistas. Vehicles need to be left at a clearly marked carpark where shuttle buses provide all day service to the not too distant lake. No private cars are permitted anywhere close. That virtually untouched Lake Martignano is a miracle of survival, there is no doubt! It is a genuine rural retreat offering pristine waters, a forest with its hidden Etruscan tombs, some very relaxing inexpensive eateries with simple seating under the acacia trees. Giorgio (the guy in the picture with the rangers) IS a character and if asked, will happily go into great detail regarding the lake's history and so forth. He also organises moonlight canoe trips, even for the uninitiated, an enchanting experience in this silent wonder. He can be found at Nauticlub Martignano, on the southern bank (the word "club" is cute there being only a little gazebo and a dozen sailing boats). He also rents out daybeds and umbrellas on a beautifully tended lawn.

      Delete
  2. Thank you so much for posting this! Will make a mental note to check it out one day!

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  3. Anonymous, take a look at the link (in the story) to the park's website and you can get an idea of distances.It seems that the station of Anguillara (not Bracciano) is the closest to Martignano.

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  4. Hi Mary! good article! I hope to see you again in Bracciano e Martignano Park! the wildlife artists in rome are very active and they often go to draw in these biutiful places... let's stay in touch!

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    Replies
    1. grazie elisabetta, è stata una bellissima giornata e un buon pranzo -spero di incontrarti di nuovo , magari a Vetralla per un po di Birdwatching with Roberto Gildi..

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  5. Anguillara is the closest station but it is a good hour's walk to the lake. However, you can take a bicycle on the train and voila'! By car it is a convenient 40 minutes drive via the Cassia Bis/Cesano/Via di Baccanello/Via Di Porta Corrazza. This last narrow winding road passes through rolling hills and pretty landscapes and eventually leads to the clearly marked carpark where shuttle buses are provided for access to the lake. No private cars are permitted. Lake Martignano has survived all the ugly development around Rome miraculously unscathed. It is a little shangri-la offering pristine waters, a forest with soaring oaks and hidden Etruscan tombs, and a sweet green landscape. Giorgio, the guy in the picture above with the rangers, IS a character and will happily chat about the history and so forth (in English). He also arranges moonlight canoe trips, even for the uninitiated, and these can be quite the enchanting experience. You can find him at a little gazebo marked "Nauticlub Martignano" overlooking daybeds and umbrellas set up on a well tended green lawn and a little fleet of sailing boats.

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  6. You can take the train to Anguillara and then a bus towards the lake (Bracciano), get of at the roundabout and then walk to Martignano (about one and a half hours there), it's a beautiful walk. I tried it by bike once, but the road is too bad. In the summer there is a bus up to the lake, not sure if it runs in the winter.

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  7. Take a train from Valle Aurelia, Rome to Anguillara, they are usually every half hour except for Sundays. A little yellow bus waits for most of the trains outside the station, get of at the new roundabout on the main road. It will take you around one and a half hours and it is a beautiful walk. You could take a bicycle on the train and cycle there although the track/road is quite bumpy.

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  8. It looks a wonderful place to visit. Thank you for introducing me to it. Living in Le Marche its a little too far for a day trip but I think we should definitely find the time to spend a weekend, I'm sure it would be worth it.

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