Olaszfalu: Churches, History and the Bakony

Olaszfalu brings together themes from cultural history and nature. Its cultural heritage includes a Baroque church and a statue of Ferdinánd Villax. Its natural surroundings include the geological features of Eperjes-hegy and the forests of the Bakony.

Churches and history in Olaszfalu

The Holy Trinity Church stands in the village centre and faces east. Its sanctuary is narrower than the nave and ends in a polygonal apse. A tower with a pyramidal roof stands above the western entrance portal; ancillary rooms are located on both sides of the sanctuary. North of the church, a Calvary with 14 stations was built along the boundary wall in the second half of the 19th century. The description thus combines details about the church’s orientation and architectural form with the location and historical period in which the Calvary was built.

Another trace of history is the ruin of Alsóperei templomrom. It is a protected monument and an archaeological site. The ruin is associated with a church built in the 13th century in the former village of Pere; no medieval written records about this church have survived.

Natural surroundings and local products

The geological features of Eperjes-hegy and the forests of the Bakony are part of Olaszfalu’s natural surroundings. Local food production offers another facet of the village: Olaszfalui Házias Ízek makes fresh cabbage salads and sauerkraut on its own premises.

More themes in the broader destination of Northern Lake Balaton

In the broader destination of Northern Lake Balaton, Tapolcai-tavasbarlang offers boat trips and the guided “Csodálatos karszt” (“Wonderful Karst”) exhibition. The cave is part of a cave system beneath Tapolca that has so far been explored to a length of 14.6 kilometres. Another geological feature is Hegyestű, a 337-metre-high mountain between Zánka and Monoszló. There, the inner face of a basalt volcano that was active around eight million years ago is exposed. At the western edge of the quarry site, visitors can identify the surrounding hills from a viewpoint with the help of a panoramic information board. Hegyestű also has a rock garden featuring characteristic rock types from Transdanubia, the western half of Hungary.

Badacsony also offers distinctive landscape and geological features in the broader destination of Northern Lake Balaton: the volcanic mountain has hiking trails and panoramic views for hikers; its unusual formations are known as basalt organ pipes. Special grape varieties are grown on its slopes and used to make Badacsony wine. Culture enthusiasts can visit the Pannon Csillagda in Bakonybél, with its interactive exhibition on space exploration and astronomy. The Herend Porcelain Museum features a permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions on the history of the manufactory. In workshops at the mini-manufactory, visitors can handle porcelain paste and a brush for painting.

Finding Olaszfalu in your hotel search

This makes it possible to distinguish the local themes of churches, ruins, nature and local products from the broader destination’s other cultural and geological themes.

Discover more destinations: Csetény, Pénzesgyőr, Eplény, Borzavár, Lókút, Csesznek, Zirc, Bakonynána.

For the broader travel overview: Zirci.