Umbria · Perugia
Castiglione del Lago
Trasimeno's western promontory, once the lake's fourth island, fortified in 1247 and later frescoed for a marquis of Corgna.
Known for
ROCCA DEL LEONE
Pentagonal Hohenstaufen fortress of 1247, one of the best preserved military structures of central Italy.
POMARANCIO
Eight rooms of late-Mannerist frescoes in Palazzo della Corgna, painted 1574-1590 for Ascanio della Corgna.
TRASIMENO
Western shore of central Italy's fourth-largest lake, ferry base for Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Maria Maddalena, 22 July
Why come
The town sits on a limestone promontory on the western shore of Lake Trasimeno, thirty kilometers from Perugia. That promontory was the fourth island of the lake in antiquity, before the strip of water separating it from the mainland silted in, which is why a place now solidly attached to shore still carries the memory of being an island in its layout and its name. The fortress anchors the southern end of the centro storico, and a covered passage links it directly to the ducal palace: one museum complex, two buildings, four centuries apart, joined so that a visitor can pass from medieval military architecture into a Mannerist-frescoed residence without stepping outside.
The town is the largest commune on the Trasimeno and the western base for the ferries out to the lake's islands, and it is the only one of the lake's shore towns to hold Borghi più belli status. What this adds up to is a small center where fortification and courtly decoration sit back to back, and where the lake itself, its islands, its silted-in strait, its ferries, is never far from any single building.
What to see
Palazzo della Corgna
Sixteenth-century ducal palace built for Ascanio della Corgna on a Baglioni structure, eight rooms frescoed by il Pomarancio between 1574 and 1590.
Rocca del Leone
Pentagonal medieval fortress commissioned by Federico II di Svevia in 1247, linked to Palazzo della Corgna by a covered passageway.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Parish church on the centro storico's main axis, bell tower rising to 329 meters above sea level over the lake.
Lungolago
Lakefront walk along the western Trasimeno shore, departure point for ferries to Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese.
Belvedere della Rocca
Walkway along the fortress walls overlooking the lake, the panoramic perch above the Trasimeno basin.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
L'AcquarioRistorante
A Michelin Bib Gourmand for L'Acquario, and a Slow Food snail.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Stramaialata - Sagra del Mangiar Benefood festival
usually held in August. TrovaSagre
The Sunday letter
Castiglione del Lago got its letter. One town every Sunday, free — the photo, the food, the festa.
Living here
- Population 15,137
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 24 min drive
- Regional capital Perugia, 50 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 304 m
- Population: 15,137
- Surface area: 205.26 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
More towns near Castiglione del Lago
Chiusi
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Paciano
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Walled hill town of 957 people at 391 meters above the lake, three parallel streets, eight towers and three medieval gates intact.
Montepulciano
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A Renaissance hill town at 605 meters on a limestone ridge, aging its Sangiovese-based red in vaulted cellars beneath the palazzi.
Panicale
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A walled hill town at 431 meters on Monte Petrarvella, where a 1505 Perugino fresco covers the back wall of San Sebastiano.
Cortona
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An Etruscan lucumonia at 494 meters, with two kilometers of walls older than Rome.
🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
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Acquasparta
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Roman Mevania on the Umbrian plain at 225 meters, four medieval quarters that compete every June in a reconstructed market of the 13th century.