Anguillara Sabazia (a town of approximately 18,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Rome. 40km northwest of Rome on the eastern shore of the Lago di Bracciano, at 276m altitude on the medieval promontory that projects into the lake from the eastern Bracciano shore) is the most visually impressive of the three lakeside towns of the Lago di Bracciano (the lake whose three principal waterfront settlements. Bracciano, Trevignano Romano, and Anguillara Sabazia, each offer a different relationship with the volcanic lake): the specific Anguillara Sabazia quality that distinguishes it from Bracciano (the castle town) and Trevignano Romano (the beach town) is the medieval urban form on the promontory, the compact historic center that the promontory position has preserved in its medieval fabric, with the streets and the stone houses arranged on the specific narrow spur that projects into the lake from the eastern shore, visible from the opposite Trevignano shore as the most dramatically positioned of the three lakeside towns.
The Lago di Bracciano (the volcanic crater lake, the second largest lake in Lazio at 57 km², formed by the caldera collapse of the Sabatini volcanic complex approximately 400,000 years ago, the same volcanic complex that created the Colli Albani, the Alban Hills, and the Castelli Romani): the lake water quality (EU "excellent" classification, consistently clean and swimmable throughout the summer season, the lake that Rome's aqueduct historically drew from, the Aqua Traiana of 109 AD) and the specific volcanic lake character (the deep blue-green color, the depth of 160m maximum, and the stable temperature of 20-22°C in summer) make Bracciano the most swimmable lake within 50km of Rome.
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Anguillara Sabazia: Medieval Center, Waterfront, and Lake
The Medieval Promontory
The Anguillara Sabazia historic center (the medieval village on the promontory. Corso Umberto I as the main street running the length of the promontory spur, the Torre Medievale (the medieval tower on the promontory tip, the specific Anguillara landmark visible from the lake), and the waterfront promenade (the Lungolago, the pedestrian path below the medieval walls, at the water level, with the lake on one side and the medieval walls above)): the promontory walk (30-45 minutes for the complete circuit, the main street, the tower, the waterfront path, and the viewpoints from the medieval walls over the lake) reveals the specific Anguillara Sabazia quality that the promotional photographs capture but that the physical experience makes immediate: the sensation of a medieval town floating on a volcanic lake, 40km from Rome.
Lake Swimming and Boat Access
The Anguillara Sabazia lake swimming (the public beach area at the base of the promontory, the Lido di Anguillara, with the free and paid beach sections, the specifically swimmable Bracciano lake water, and the summer boat rental from the Anguillara waterfront): the Bracciano lake is the best freshwater swimming within day-trip distance of Rome, and the Anguillara waterfront (the boat rental, the paddleboard hire, and the kayak access to the lake from the Anguillara lido) provides the full lake activity program from the most historically interesting of the three lakeside towns.
Q&A: Anguillara Sabazia
How does Anguillara Sabazia compare to Bracciano and Trevignano?
Bracciano (the castle town, the Odescalchi castle on the hill above the lake, the most impressive single monument of the Bracciano lake circuit): visit for the castle. Trevignano Romano (the beach town, the specific sandy beach and the boat access to the lake center, the most resort-like of the three towns): visit for the beach. Anguillara Sabazia (the medieval promontory town, the most architecturally complete historic center and the specific lake promontory beauty): visit for the medieval atmosphere and the waterfront walk. The complete Bracciano lake circuit (all three towns in a single day, accessible by car on the circumlake road in under 2 hours) is the most complete single-day Lazio lake experience from Rome.
Internal Links
- Lago di Bracciano: Il Nuoto a 40km da Roma
- Lago Bracciano in Autunno: Anguillara Senza Folla
- Fotografare Anguillara: Il Promontorio Medievale
- Lazio Lacustre: Anguillara e il Lago Vulcanico
- Lago di Bracciano in Camper: Le Aree Lakeside
- Come Arrivare ad Anguillara: Treno FL3
- Bracciano con Bambini: Nuoto e Castelli
