Lago di Nemi, Nemi

Lake Nemi is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy 30km south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, that overlooks it from a height.
The lake is famous for its sunken Roman ships. These ships were very large and technologically advanced for their time.
The lake was sacred to the goddess Diana Nemorensis and the site of the festival Nemoralia. Near the sanctuary of Diana were found a number of diminutive bronze statues of draped women and men, each holding libation bowls and incense boxes. Four of these figures are now in the British Museum's collection. Emperors Caligula and Tiberius sailed Lake Nemi not merely to cool off in summer, but to assert themselves as Nemorensis, rulers aligning with the Stars, wedded to Earth's perpetual life-force.
Near the temple of Diana was the sacred grove of Aricia. Here there was a priest called the Rex Nemorensis who would reign until he was killed by a challenger. This practice is described in the opening chapter of The Golden Bough by James George Frazer. With our international travel planner, Nemi attractions like Lago di Nemi can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away.