Day Trip From Rome to Lake Bracciano, Calcata and the Cascate di Monte Gelato

Bracciano

Bracciano is one of three villages located on the shores of Lake Bracciano, one of the largest and most attractive lakes in central Italy. Brecciano, compared to the other villages in the area, is also a small and lively town with a nice council square and various viewpoints. You can get lost for several hours among the alleys of the town and eat in one of the local restaurants, where they serve special dishes, including fresh lake fish. In the center of Brecciano, you can’t help but notice a large castle, which you can visit, and it is called “Odescalchi-Arossini Castle” after the families to which the castle belonged until the fifties of the 20th century, when it passed into the ownership of the state. The castle is built on several levels and still hosts private events, parties, cocktails, movie shoots and lavish weddings. Among other things, it was used for the wedding of Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes several years ago, and many more.

In general, Brecciano is a completely quiet place and is an ideal destination for those who want a little break from the noise and murderous pace of Rome, the traffic jams, sirens and crowding in the city center. Many Romans visit the town, especially on weekends during the summer and spring. Barciano offers you peace, clean air, a direct view of the lake, and of course you can also go down to bathe in the cool waters of the lake, or go for a boat ride.

Calcutta and Montgelato Falls

After the stop in Bracciano, we strongly recommend another village in the area, which is about 45 minutes away by driving towards the east – the village of Calcutta – “Cat Village”, a tiny place where a total of 920 people live. Calcutta is mainly famous among connoisseurs of Italy, and less known among tourists coming from outside Italy. It is a small village located in the heart of a mountainous area, within which traffic is on foot. From the moment you arrive at the village, you cannot help but notice the large number of cats. The cats are actually the owners of the village and have become an institution in it. The cats are not alone, the whole village is actually known as a kind of concentration of special people, artists, beauties, fortune tellers, card and palm readers and witches, and the atmosphere is mystical and special. The smells, the people, the cliffs and the spaces give the place the character of an ex-territory – a special transcendental aspect. There is nothing like Calcutta to get out of the city and connect to a different and special atmosphere for a few hours.

We will finish the trip with a special dessert, and as we started at Lake Brecciano, we will finish with the water motif at one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Italy – the “Cascate di Montegelato” (“Frozen Mountain”) site. The site, located in the heart of the nature reserve of the Treja Valley, Valle di Treja, also has an ancient Roman villa from the first century BC. The falls create a wonderful tiny lake, an ideal ending to a special day.

At the end of the trip we will go back to Rome, the trip will take about an hour and the end point will be the doorstep of your hotel or apartment in Rome. The trip includes a car and an attached driver for a full day – up to 9 hours.