What is Castiglione del Lago known for?

Pentagonal Hohenstaufen fortress of 1247, one of the best preserved military structures of central Italy. Eight rooms of late-Mannerist frescoes in Palazzo della Corgna, painted 1574-1590 for Ascanio della Corgna. Western shore of central Italy's fourth-largest lake, ferry base for Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese.

Where is Castiglione del Lago?

Castiglione del Lago is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 53 kilometers from Perugia.

Umbria · Perugia

Castiglione del Lago

Trasimeno's western promontory, once the lake's fourth island, fortified by Federico II in 1247 and frescoed by Pomarancio for the Corgna marquises.

53 km / 33 mi

Nearest hub (Perugia)

15,137

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Castiglione del Lago sits on a limestone promontory on the western shore of Lake Trasimeno, thirty kilometers from Perugia. The promontory was the fourth island of the lake in antiquity before the strip of water separating it from the mainland silted in. Federico II di Svevia commissioned the Rocca del Leone in 1247, the pentagonal fortress that still anchors the southern end of the centro storico. In 1563 Ascanio della Corgna received the title of marquis and commissioned the Palazzo Ducale on the older Baglioni structure. Between 1574 and 1590 Niccolò Circignani, called il Pomarancio, frescoed eight rooms with the marquis's heroic deeds and mythological scenes. A covered passage links the palazzo directly to the Rocca: one museum complex, two buildings, four centuries apart. The town is the largest commune on the Trasimeno, the western base for the ferries to Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese, and the only one of the lake's shore towns that holds Borghi più belli status.

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Gallery

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Known for

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.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months the Trasimeno shows best: the lake holds the light, the ferry to Isola Maggiore runs full schedule, and the lungolago at evening fills with locals and not yet with day-trippers. July and August push into the low thirties; the lake breeze helps, but weekends draw heavy traffic from Perugia and Florence. November through March is quiet. Ferry runs thin, some lakeside restaurants close, and the Rocca walks empty under low sun. The autumn fog over the Trasimeno is the local photograph, taken from the Belvedere della Rocca toward Isola Polvese.