This lake in north Lazio lies at a height of 507 m at the bottom of a large volcanic crater in the Cimini mountains. Mount Venere, on the north side of the lake, rises from this crater and was once surrounded by water. The lake, with a surface area of 12 sq km, is well-stocked with fish and surrounded by dense vegetation. Its banks are mainly wooded and uninhabited, except for the south-east where the tourist centre of Punta del Lago has grown up. An artificial underground outlet carries the lake water into the River Vicano, a minor tributary of the Tiber, and this has had the effect of reducing the area of the lake and drying out the north part of it.