The surroundings of villa Il Piratello in Umbria
No further than a hundred kilometers from Il Piratello are 20% of Italy’s artistic heritage (Rome, Florence, Arezzo, Siena, Cortona, Chiusi, Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Gubbio, Spoleto, Tarquinia, Spello…). Most Renaissance and Middle-Ages towns and archaeological sites are available as one-day trips.
LakeTrasimeno is Italy’s 4th lake in size, has tectonic origins and is fed mostly by rain and a few streams. The entire Trasimeno area was declared a National Park in March 1995.
Together with lake Balaton, Trasimeno is one of the few “laminar” lakes in Europe, and is an exceptionally valuable damp area due to its rich flora and fauna.
The wide reed areas, its shallow depths and the absence of pollution make this lake one of Italy’s most favorable for fishing.
The lake is surrounded by medieval and Renaissance little towns which still preserve all the charm and the history: Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Castiglione del Lago, Passignano.
Tuoro sul Trasimeno is a little town is immersed in the green heart of Umbria, on a small hill stretching over the lake’s southern plane. Its name comes from the Latin term “torus”, originally meaning “swelling-protuberance”, which indicates an important fishing technique adopted by the locals – the so-called “tori” fishing.
Tuoro and the lake hillsides was the scenario of the famous battle in which the Carthaginians, following their commandant Hannibal, defeated the Romans in 217 BC.
Isola Maggiore is one of the 3 natural islands of the Trasimeno Lake in Umbria.
The island is connected to the mainland by a ferry service to and from Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Passignano sul Trasimeno and Castiglione del Lago.
The island is covered by a dense network of pathways, crossing patches of olive trees, oaks, pines, cypresses, poplars and other Mediterranean species.
Places to visit
- Via Guglielmi, the town’s main street was restructured in the 50’s according to the original design with red bricks.
- Chiesa del Buon Gesù (15th century), in pseudo-Baroque style, created as an oratory for the Company of the same name;
- Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (14th century), or Building of the Old Clock, the summer residence of the Capitani del Popolo;
- Guglielmi Castle (14th century, 1891), or Isabella Castle, built over the foundations of the previous Franciscan convent annex to the church.
- Church of St. Francis (14th century), with a precious chestnut choir;
- Church of St. Michael Archangel (13th century), on the highest point of the island.
- Church of S. Salvatore (12th century), in Romanic-gothic style, bearing the coat-of-arms of Frederick I Barbarossa on the façade;
- St. Francis’s rock (1211) this is where, according to tradition, St. Francis found shelter during his stay on the island.
Castiglione del Lago
Castiglione del Lago’s history dates back to an Etruscan settlement and is now a popular (but not overwhelmingly so) tourist destination. In the 7th century, the town became an important defensive promontory for the Byzantine Perugia.
It was fought over and traded between the papacy, the emperor and various territories for about 1000 years.
An ancient ducal palace, Palazzo della Corgna houses an important series of 16th-century frescoes by Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and Salvio Savini. It was built in the 16th century and incorporated parts of ancient houses once owned by the feudal Baglioni family from Perugia.
A covered passageway connects the palace with the 13th-century Rocca del Leone (Fortress
of the Lion), a pentagon-shaped fortress built in 1247 and an excellent example of medieval
military architecture. Seen from the lake, rearing up on a rocky promontory, it cuts a striking pose.
Passignano is a fortress town located on a rocky promontory on the north side of Lake Trasimeno. Its history has always been connected to that of the fortress, whose Torre di Ponente still dominates the town and stands out on the coat-of-arms of the commune, together with the two remaining towers.
Gastronomy of the Lake
Strictly related to the particular environmental characteristics and to the use of precious ingredients, such as the olive oil from the hills of the Trasimeno, the local cuisine recalls typical fishermen traditions.
One of the typical appetizers is the “agoni fritti” (fried lake fish) marinated in vinegar, white wine and herbs. Fish stock, spaghetti or rice with white sauce made with bass and eel fillet, spaghetti with catfish, rice with eel, peas and parsley, gnocchi with northern pike, risotto with doctor fish are some of the local tasty and rich first courses.
Roast and fried fish, carp “in porchetta”, stuffed doctor fish, boiled fish with herbs, stewed northern pike and eel, the “tegamaccio” are some of the numerous dishes offered by the local restaurants.
The flavors of the lake cuisine are further embellished by local DOC white and red wines of the Trasimeno hills.