About a kilometer from the town, along the Via Cassia that leads from Bolsena to Montefiascone, is a very rare geological monument, represented by prisms driven into the rock that remind us of some phases of the volcanic activity in the area.
These are prisms of volcanic rock that emerge from the ground and are close to each other in order to look like basalt spears embedded in the ground.
Geologically they are lava flows whose lower part has cooled over longer times assuming an unusual appearance with the pentagon or hexagon shaped base.
But for the inhabitants of the place they are the "flung stones" and a legend concerning Etruscan or pre-Etruscan populations tells their story.
It is said that in this area there was a sacred temple near the lake of Bolsena, which for the Etruscans was one of the entrances to the ways of the underworld. This god had very precise rules on how to perform propitiatory rites but men did not take these rules into account.
The god was furious and began to send lightning onto the temple until a girl sacrificed herself to save those of the men.
Moved to compassion the god turned his lightning into stone and saved the girl. To support part of this legend, in the area were found the ruins of an Etruscan temple.
The area has a great geological interest and the site of the 'flung stones' is among the Sites of Community interest and is a Special Protection Area (SIC-ZPS code: IT6010008).
Follow us