Umbria · Perugia
Magione
A hill town east of Trasimeno built around a medieval Order's fortified base.
By Peter Benei
Written about. No. 60.
The letter
Magione got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 20 min from Perugia
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 14,680
- J10°
- F12°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N15°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Magione sits on a hill east of Lake Trasimeno, fifteen kilometers from Perugia. The name comes from the Knights Hospitaller, who built a hospital here in the mid-twelfth century dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and called their convent Maison in their own language. The original nucleus stood on the Perugia-Tuscany route and grew into the fortified base that still anchors the town today.
The lower town is organized around two medieval poles: the castle complex near the old route, and the quadrangular tower rising thirty meters over the settlement, built in the same period by the same Order. The vineyards on the surrounding hills lie between 250 and 350 meters above sea level, and the town's territory extends down to the lake's eastern shore. In October 1502, the castle hosted a plot against Cesare Borgia: his own captains and allies conspired against him inside its walls.
Niccolò Machiavelli, sent by Florence to offer Borgia its support, watched him dismantle the conspirators within months. A hospital, a tower, and a plot against a Borgia: the town's history reads as a sequence of episodes gathered around the same fortified point on the road between Perugia and Tuscany.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 54 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 35 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 20 min, Siena 1 h 19 min or Florence 1 h 40 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Perugia? Magione is about 17 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello dei Cavalieri di Malta
The fortified complex built by the Knights Hospitaller stands as the town's anchor, its walls the setting where the Conspiracy of Magione was plotted against Cesare Borgia.
Torre dei Lambardi
Thirty-meter quadrangular tower built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by the Gerosolimitani Knights, three floors and a summit terrace.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Chapel inside the castle walls, dedicated to the saint of the original Hospitaller foundation.
Lago Trasimeno
Magione's territory reaches the eastern shore, with Isola Polvese 4 km offshore reachable from San Feliciano frazione.
From the guides
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.
Osteria Rosso di SeraTrattoria
Osteria Rosso di Sera carries two Gambero Rosso prawns.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Magione meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 14,680 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Perugia, a city of 162,050, is 20 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 14,680, down 1.3% since 2015
- Nearest city Perugia, 20 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Perugia, 16 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €820 to €1,050 per m² to buy, €2.50 to €3.60 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 65% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Perugia airport (PEG), 28 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Perugia, 20 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 75 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. There are 236 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 24% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Perugia province ranks 37th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Perugia, 16 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. The nearest IB school is International School of Siena, 76 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Assisi International School, 33 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €11,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Umbria spends about €2,310 a month, €550 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €677 a year for water, on the Umbria average. In Perugia, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.23, a meal in a pizzeria €12.04 and a man's haircut €20.47.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, under 1% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
KNIGHTS OF MALTA
Twelfth-century Hospitaller maison still owned by the Order, the source of the town's name and its medieval economy.
CONSPIRACY OF 1502
Cesare Borgia's captains plotted his overthrow inside the castle; within months the conspirators were liquidated, with Machiavelli, Florence's envoy, at Borgia's side.
OLIO TRASIMENO
Città dell'Olio member, olive groves on the hills between the lake's eastern shore and Perugia at 250-350 meters.
Common questions
- What is Magione known for?
- Magione is a hill town east of Trasimeno built around a medieval Order's fortified base.
- Where is Magione?
- Magione is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria, at 299 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Magione?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Perugia (PEG), about 28 min by car.
- Can you get to Magione without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Magione?
- About 20 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Magione?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Magione?
- Assisi, Monteprandone and Fiesole.
- How many people live in Magione?
- 14,680 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Magione a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Magione is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Perugia, is 20 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Perugia, 16 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 65% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 299 m
- Population: 14,680
- Surface area: 129.73 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Magione appears in
- The 6 best olive oil towns inside a nature park in UmbriaUmbriaolive oilinside a park6 towns · smallest 937 residents
- The best hidden towns inside a nature park that eat well in UmbriaUmbriainside a parkeats wellhidden6 towns · smallest 2,493 residents
- The best olive oil towns you can reach by train in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceolive oilby train6 towns · smallest 2,316 residents
- The best hidden hill towns you can reach by train in the province of PerugiaPerugia provincehill townby trainhidden7 towns · smallest 2,316 residents
- The best hidden olive oil towns that eat well in UmbriaUmbriaolive oileats wellhidden7 towns · smallest 2,493 residents
- The best hidden towns you can reach by train that eat well within 90 minutes of PerugiaNear Perugiaby trainwithin 90 mineats wellhidden7 towns · smallest 5,115 residents · closest 23 min away
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 61.
Passignano sul Trasimeno
Province: Perugia
A near-peninsula on the northern shore of Lake Trasimeno, on the road Hannibal closed when he ambushed the Romans in 217 BC.
15 min by car
- Written about. No. 59.
Castiglione del Lago
Province: Perugia
Trasimeno's western promontory, once the lake's fourth island, fortified in 1247 and later frescoed for a marquis of Corgna.
13 km away
- Written about. No. 84.
Paciano
Province: Perugia
Walled hill town of 937 people at 391 meters above the lake, three parallel streets, eight towers and three medieval gates intact.
17 km away
The letter
Magione got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.