Information about the Lake Trasimeno area in Italy
The Trasimeno Area page contains information about the towns:
Castiglione del Lago (in a pdf file), Corciano, Magione, Passignano, Tuoro sul Trasimeno and Panicale
Go back to the clickable map of Umbria to see the other areas
The holiday villas and apartments in the Lake Trasimeno area in Umbria Italy are listed on the right side of this page. Clicking on the picture or name will bring you to the details of that holiday rental.
You can see the pdf file with information about Castiglione del Lago here
Corciano is a medieval town situated at 408 metres above sea level on a hill covered with olive groves. It still retains the layout of the original castle enclosed by 5th-century walls with towers.
WHAT TO SEE
The central Piazza Coragino with a 16th-century well, the parish church of S.Maria, which holds a painting of the Assumption by Perugino (1513), the Church of S.Cristoforo, with a small museum of sacred art, the Museum of the Farmhouse, the Town Hall, previously the 16th-century residence of the Della Corgna family, with a collection of archaeological finds, and the Church of S.Francesco. Nearby: the former monastery of S. Agostino, the castle of Pieve del Vescovo, restored according to a design by Galeazzo Alessi, and the Etruscan necropolis of Strozzacapponi.
WHAT TO TASTE
Torta al testo (a kind of focaccia), torta di Pasqua al formaggio (a savoury cheese pie), bruschetta with olive oil, crostini with chicken livers.
EVENTS
Primavera dell'Artigianato, Spring Festival, April-May.
Agosto Corcianese, Corciano Festival held in August.
Antichi Sapori, Food and wine festival, December-January.
From Perugia by car, in fifteen minutes (12 km on the Bettole-Perugia ring road) you reach Magione, a town dominated by the majestic Castle of the Knights of Malta and known for its production of embossed beaten copper.
WHAT TO SEE
Castle of the Knights of Malta (1150- 1170) with church dedicated to S. Giovanni Battista and the Torre dei Lombardi. Parish church commis-sioned by the Knights of Malta in the 16th century. Church of Madonna delle Grazie built in 1209. Museo della Pesca, with an interesting historical anthropological exhibition on Lake Trasimeno. Nearby is the autodrome of Magione, a venue for important auto racing events.
WHAT TO TASTE
Carpa Regina in porchetta (stuffed carp) and stewed eel with fresh tomatoes. DOP olive oil and Colli del Trasimeno DOC wine.
EVENTS
Olive Oil Festival, from late November to early December, offering high quality food and wine tasting, with visits to the oil pressing facilities in the towns along the lake, which is renowned for its olive oil.
"Congiura al Castello", the first ten days of August, a theatrical piece performed inside the Castle of the Knights of Malta.
Passignano is an important crossroads since ancient times, its name comes from the Latin Passinianum, or place of the pass.
WHAT TO SEE
Torre di Ponente, 14th c., an important vestige of the medieval walls that encircled the town.
Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Oliveto (late 1500s).
Parish church of S. Cristoforo (10th-11th c.), with fine frescoes of the saints (ex voto).
In the vicinity of Passignano, at Castel Rigone, the Temple of Santa Maria (late 1400s), one of the masterpieces of the Umbrian Renaissance, is worth a visit.
WHAT TO TASTE
Royal perch fillets, latterini fritti, baked tench with wild fennel, and other lake fish specialties. Not to miss: the typical fagiolino del Trasimeno, a prized small bean that once risked extinction due to its long and difficult cultivation, still today done manually. Today, the fagiolina has been recognised as a Slow Food "Presidio".
EVENTS
Palio delle Barche, in July, in commemoration of the last battle of the Perugian civil war. The contest has three stages: rowing, from the lake to the bank; on land, where contestants carry the boat, running through the historic district along the steep streets and stairways; and the last stage, with the boat again in the water.
From Passignano, after about 10 km along the Bettole-Perugia road, you reach Tuoro sul Trasimeno. An ancient Etruscan town, subsequently occupied by the Romans, it made history as the site of the decisive battle between the armies of Caius Flaminius and Hannibal. From Tuoro you can take a boat to Isola Maggiore, one of Lake Trasimeno's three islands.
WHAT TO SEE
Palazzo Capra, built during the Renaissance over the tomb of the Roman commander Caius Flaminius. Not to miss in the vicinity: Campo del Sole, at Punta Navaccia. An architectural complex of 27 column-sculptures made by famous contemporary artists of various nationalities using the Pietra Serena that is extracted in the local quarries. Church of S. Lucia at Vernazzano Alto, with S.Michele Arcangelo e S.Lucia by the local painter Anton Maria Garbi. Isola Maggiore, the only one of the three Trasimeno islands that is still inhabited, preserving the 15th-century fishing village. In 1213, St. Francis of Assisi went to Isola Maggiore for a Lenten retreat. A chapel commemorates the saint's visit and the place where he stopped to pray.
WHAT TO TASTE
In addition to the excellent lake fish dishes and DOC wines, it is mandatory to taste torciglione, a serpentine sweet made with ground almonds, sugar, and egg.
EVENTS
Missione Annibale, in July-August. Theatrical re-enactment of the Battle of Trasimeno in 217 B.C., in memory of the first defeat suffered by the Romans at the hands of the Carthaginian army.
The small town of Panicale is situated amidst the gently rolling hills that descend to Lake Trasimeno.
WHAT TO SEE
Church of S. Sebastiano (14th-15th c.), with two frescoes by Perugino: Martirio di S. Sebastiano and La Madonna in Gloria. The fountain built in 1473, the old town cistern. Church of S. Michele Arcangelo (10th-11th c.), which houses in the apse L'Annunciazione, a fresco attributed to Tommasino Fini, known as Masolino (1383-1447). Teatro Cesare Caporali, one of the smallest theatres in Umbria, built between the 17th and 18th centuries and renovated by the architect Caproni in 1858. Tulle Museum (housed in the former Church of S. Agostino, 14th-16th c.). Remains of frescoes attributed to the school of Perugino provide the backdrop for the numerous embroidered pieces, typical examples of local handicraft.
WHAT TO TASTE
Olive oil, honey, sweets made with chest-nut, and DOC wines (red and white).
EVENTS
Grape Festival, in September, with a rich parade of decorated floats.
Castagnata, in November, with tastings of woodland products and local sweets.
CORCIANO
Corciano is a medieval town situated at 408 metres above sea level on a hill covered with olive groves. It still retains the layout of the original castle enclosed by 5th-century walls with towers.
WHAT TO SEE
The central Piazza Coragino with a 16th-century well, the parish church of S.Maria, which holds a painting of the Assumption by Perugino (1513), the Church of S.Cristoforo, with a small museum of sacred art, the Museum of the Farmhouse, the Town Hall, previously the 16th-century residence of the Della Corgna family, with a collection of archaeological finds, and the Church of S.Francesco. Nearby: the former monastery of S. Agostino, the castle of Pieve del Vescovo, restored according to a design by Galeazzo Alessi, and the Etruscan necropolis of Strozzacapponi.
WHAT TO TASTE
Torta al testo (a kind of focaccia), torta di Pasqua al formaggio (a savoury cheese pie), bruschetta with olive oil, crostini with chicken livers.
EVENTS
Primavera dell'Artigianato, Spring Festival, April-May.
Agosto Corcianese, Corciano Festival held in August.
Antichi Sapori, Food and wine festival, December-January.
MAGIONE
From Perugia by car, in fifteen minutes (12 km on the Bettole-Perugia ring road) you reach Magione, a town dominated by the majestic Castle of the Knights of Malta and known for its production of embossed beaten copper.WHAT TO SEE
Castle of the Knights of Malta (1150- 1170) with church dedicated to S. Giovanni Battista and the Torre dei Lombardi. Parish church commis-sioned by the Knights of Malta in the 16th century. Church of Madonna delle Grazie built in 1209. Museo della Pesca, with an interesting historical anthropological exhibition on Lake Trasimeno. Nearby is the autodrome of Magione, a venue for important auto racing events.
WHAT TO TASTE
Carpa Regina in porchetta (stuffed carp) and stewed eel with fresh tomatoes. DOP olive oil and Colli del Trasimeno DOC wine.
EVENTS
Olive Oil Festival, from late November to early December, offering high quality food and wine tasting, with visits to the oil pressing facilities in the towns along the lake, which is renowned for its olive oil.
"Congiura al Castello", the first ten days of August, a theatrical piece performed inside the Castle of the Knights of Malta.
PASSIGNANO SUL TRASIMENO
Passignano is an important crossroads since ancient times, its name comes from the Latin Passinianum, or place of the pass.
WHAT TO SEE
Torre di Ponente, 14th c., an important vestige of the medieval walls that encircled the town.
Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Oliveto (late 1500s).Parish church of S. Cristoforo (10th-11th c.), with fine frescoes of the saints (ex voto).
In the vicinity of Passignano, at Castel Rigone, the Temple of Santa Maria (late 1400s), one of the masterpieces of the Umbrian Renaissance, is worth a visit.
WHAT TO TASTE
Royal perch fillets, latterini fritti, baked tench with wild fennel, and other lake fish specialties. Not to miss: the typical fagiolino del Trasimeno, a prized small bean that once risked extinction due to its long and difficult cultivation, still today done manually. Today, the fagiolina has been recognised as a Slow Food "Presidio".
EVENTS
Palio delle Barche, in July, in commemoration of the last battle of the Perugian civil war. The contest has three stages: rowing, from the lake to the bank; on land, where contestants carry the boat, running through the historic district along the steep streets and stairways; and the last stage, with the boat again in the water.
TUORO SUL TRASIMENO
From Passignano, after about 10 km along the Bettole-Perugia road, you reach Tuoro sul Trasimeno. An ancient Etruscan town, subsequently occupied by the Romans, it made history as the site of the decisive battle between the armies of Caius Flaminius and Hannibal. From Tuoro you can take a boat to Isola Maggiore, one of Lake Trasimeno's three islands.WHAT TO SEE
Palazzo Capra, built during the Renaissance over the tomb of the Roman commander Caius Flaminius. Not to miss in the vicinity: Campo del Sole, at Punta Navaccia. An architectural complex of 27 column-sculptures made by famous contemporary artists of various nationalities using the Pietra Serena that is extracted in the local quarries. Church of S. Lucia at Vernazzano Alto, with S.Michele Arcangelo e S.Lucia by the local painter Anton Maria Garbi. Isola Maggiore, the only one of the three Trasimeno islands that is still inhabited, preserving the 15th-century fishing village. In 1213, St. Francis of Assisi went to Isola Maggiore for a Lenten retreat. A chapel commemorates the saint's visit and the place where he stopped to pray.
WHAT TO TASTEIn addition to the excellent lake fish dishes and DOC wines, it is mandatory to taste torciglione, a serpentine sweet made with ground almonds, sugar, and egg.
EVENTS
Missione Annibale, in July-August. Theatrical re-enactment of the Battle of Trasimeno in 217 B.C., in memory of the first defeat suffered by the Romans at the hands of the Carthaginian army.
PANICALE
The small town of Panicale is situated amidst the gently rolling hills that descend to Lake Trasimeno.
WHAT TO SEEChurch of S. Sebastiano (14th-15th c.), with two frescoes by Perugino: Martirio di S. Sebastiano and La Madonna in Gloria. The fountain built in 1473, the old town cistern. Church of S. Michele Arcangelo (10th-11th c.), which houses in the apse L'Annunciazione, a fresco attributed to Tommasino Fini, known as Masolino (1383-1447). Teatro Cesare Caporali, one of the smallest theatres in Umbria, built between the 17th and 18th centuries and renovated by the architect Caproni in 1858. Tulle Museum (housed in the former Church of S. Agostino, 14th-16th c.). Remains of frescoes attributed to the school of Perugino provide the backdrop for the numerous embroidered pieces, typical examples of local handicraft.
WHAT TO TASTE
Olive oil, honey, sweets made with chest-nut, and DOC wines (red and white).
EVENTS
Grape Festival, in September, with a rich parade of decorated floats.
Castagnata, in November, with tastings of woodland products and local sweets.
