A Day Trip to Bracciano, Italy

September 30, 2023

The day before today, my roommates and I spontaneously planned a day trip to Bracciano, Italy to go view its magical castle and crystal blue waters. After an hour and a half train ride from Trastevere, we arrived in Bracciano. We instantly got a table at this adorable cafe that overlooked a piazza that had many small vendors selling their products and an even more impressive view of the castle on Bracciano called Castello Odeschalchi. We then walked to the castle and purchased tickets for €8 each that allowed full access into it. Upon entrance, I was mesmerized. Not only was the overlook from the castle windows of the lake, Lago di Bracciano, breath-taking, but the castle itself was completely preserved. It wasn’t set up in a museum type of layout, it genuinely felt like you were walking through a castle that was left untouched. I loved it. We were able to walk around the courtyards, the kitchens, bedrooms, and at the very top there was a staircase that lead to the highest point in the castle with the best view of the lake. As we found our way out of this historic castle we grabbed lunch at ”Enjoy’s” after winding up and down the old, rustic, quiet streets of Bracciano. Then in a 20 minute walk we were at the lake! The water was super refreshing and the beaches were very clean and quiet. It made for a very relaxing day! Many hours later we trekked back uphill toward the town and sat at a viewpoint and talked about our favorite parts of the day.

Bracciano was an amazing day trip and one of the quaintest and quietest towns I have visited in Italy. The main street may appear to be busy, but back deeper into the heart of the town is nothing but peace and quiet. There is so much to see here and plenty of time to see it all in a day if you plan your schedule around it. I loved my trip here and I know you would, too!

Check out my YouTube video of my visit here!