Lake Nemi's Roman Boats and the Goddess Diana

Not far from Rome, south in the Alban Hills, lay two lakes in the area known as Castelli Romani. One is known as a retreat for the pope, Castel Gandolfo on Lake Albano. However, there's another crater lake known in the ancient world for its famous temple to Diana, Lake Nemi, which has few visitors anymore. Those that do visit are usually there to visit the Museum of the Ships. The unusual thing is that the Museum of the Ships' ships were burned at the end of World War II, locals contending it was the retreating Nazis acting on orders to burn everything. The Museum of the Ships contains items retrieved from the two boats as well as objects that did not burn in the fire. 
Earlier this month work began at Lake Nemi to uncover a supposed third boat that Mussolini's team thankfully did not undertake to recover. The third boat is thought to be larger and is located in the deeper part of the lake. 
Divers are using scanners to look for the 400 foot boat in the lake. If a boat is found there, the Museum of Ships will once again have a Roman ship. 
Suetonius described Caligula boats as having ten banks of oars, constructed of cedar wood containing sculpture, fountains, baths, and adorned with jewels, alabaster, vines and fruit trees.

a hypothetical reconstruction of what the Caligula's boats looked like (from the Museum of the Ships)

marble mosaic decorative floor 

The Museum of the Ships has some interesting artifacts that survived the fire, including statues and bronze remenants.

Lake Nemi

view of Lake Nemi from the village of Nemi

the picturesque village of Nemi

A Roman road runs through the museum. This road led from the city about lake crater, through the current Museum of the Ships and on to the temple to Diana, which lays against the wall of the crater, below the current town of Nemi.

There's a reason Caligula choose Lake Nemi for his pleasure boats. Lake Nemi has been the home to the temple to Diana for thousands of years. In fact, it is speculated that one of the burned boats was in fact a floating temple to Diana.

temple to Diana photo collage

However, for more than 1,500 years, the Temple to Diana was the center of cult to Diana in Italy, one of most popular shrines in the ancient world.

columns from the temple to Diana

statues were probably placed in the niches that line the hill while the town of Nemi towers above

Diana Nemorensis: Diana of the Wood, who has three faces

43 BCE Denarius of P. Accoleius Lariscolus with triple Diana

Huntress - Diana protects the animals with the dark just as she helps the hunter with the moon's light. She has a dog or a stag with her. Sometimes there's a quiver or a bow.
Moon Goddess - Diana is represented by the moon.
Goddess of the Underworld – Diana’s priest at Lake Nemi is Rex Nemorensis, King of the Wood, who must be a fugitive slave that cuts a branch from a tree and challenges the current priest (a former slave) to the death in order to take the priesthood. Bloody, yes. But this doesn't mean that some priests didn't reign long. For example, the same priest was at the temple during the time from Augustus to Caligula.

If you go to Lake Nemi, be sure to try the little strawberries grown in the area and have a porchetta sandwich.