TRASIMENO a GREEN choice

Sunday 26 MAY || A hike along Via del Trasimeno – Route 1

Passignano sul Trasimeno – San Savino

Departure at 8am – Welcome Point Pier of Passignano

60% Difficulty: medium – 24Km Length – 691m Ascent – 8h 30′ duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

The 1st itinerary of Via del Trasimeno starts from the old pier at Passignano sul Trasimeno, at the Welcome Stand of Porte Aperte al Trasimeno, and winds its way through the old town centre up to the castle, after which the real hike begins. Passing by the tower of Monte Ruffiano, known as the Witches Tower, we reach a rest point with spectacular views of the lake, then we continue on through woods, olive groves and vineyards until we eventually reach the village of San Savino. Every evening this town is blessed with the most gorgeous sunsets and it is the perfect place for a last picture before we reach the end of our hike.

Monday 27 MAY || A hike along Via del Trasimeno – Route 2

San Savino – Panicale

Departure at 8am from the Welcome Point Oasi La Valle in San Savino

60% Difficulty: medium – 22Km Length – 672m Ascent – 7h 30′ Duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

The departure point for this route is at the main piazza of San Savino, a lovely town that looks out over the south-eastern portion of the lake and has a medieval castle fortress dating to 1180. The walk goes over fields to a woods, which makes up much of the hike, then through olive groves and vineyards to Mongiovino, a tiny village nestled around a castle built in 1312 as a defensive outpost for the city of Perugia. From here it is a straight line to Panicale, a member of the “Loveliest Towns Of Italy” circuit and one that boasts an Orange Flag from Touring Club Italiano.

Monday 27 MAY || Trasimeno Photo Shoot

Trasimeno Photo Shoot with a professional photographer

Panicale

Meet-up at 4pm – Welcome Point Piazza Umberto I in Panicale

Panicale is perhaps the most gorgeous natural terrace over the lake and offers visitors both the beauty of nature and plenty of historical landmarks. The town was first inhabited in about the 2nd millennium BCE. It has, over the centuries, been settled by Indo-European tribes, the Umbrians, Etruscans and Romans, all of whom left their mark as they moulded the city to their needs. The town was tied to Perugia for a very long time, as proven by the Griffon heraldic shield alongside the symbol of the castle (a tower).
A professional photographer will guide you through the narrow alleys and help you take some really great shots of your holiday in Umbria.

Tuesday 28 MAY || A Tour of the Museo del Vetro

Piegaro

From 10:30am to 12:00

Museo del Vetro, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 20

In the heart of the historical centre of Piegaro, at the feet of an imposing brick chimney, stands the ancient glassworks that is the seat of the Glass Museum. The building is a fine example of industrial archaeology and tells of hundreds of years of glassmaking in Piegaro, an industry that flourished here from the 13th to the 20th century and to which the Museo del Vetro bears witness.
The tour, reserved for guests taking part in the Porte Aperte initiatives, begins at 10:30am.

Wednesday 29 MAY || A hike along Via del Trasimeno – Route 4

Città della Pieve – Villastrada

Departure at 8am – Welcome Point on Piazza Matteotti 4 in Città della Pieve

40% Difficulty: medium – 18,9Km Length – 382m Ascent – 5h 40′ Duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

As we leave the confines of Città della Pieve, our path enters a woods that leads to the small town of San Donato and then to Poderaccio Basso, where we will take a short break. Once over the main road here, the walk continues over dirt roads all the way to Cantagallina, from which we can already spot our arrival point, Villastrada, still a half hour away.

Thursday 30 MAY || A hike along Via del Trasimeno – Route 5

Villastrada – Castiglione del Lago

Departure at 8am – Welcome Point Fattoria La Rosa dei Venti di Villastrada

40% Difficulty: medium – 25,4Km Length – 471m Ascent – 6h 15′ Duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

A dirt road leads us away from Villastrada. Soon after our departure we can already enjoy a magnificent view of Castiglione in all its haunting beauty, but the road ahead is still long. We walk through Gioiella, then Vitellino and slowly, field after field, over paths and trails, we reach the wide base of Castiglione del Lago, still a few kilometers away. The approach to town is from below, the thrill of a conquest is in the air. Castiglione del Lago sits on a promontory on the western shore of the Lake, a promontory which, when the water was much higher than it is today, was once the Lake’s fourth island. This town is also a member of the “Loveliest Towns of Italy” circuit.

Friday 31 MAY || Hike along the Via del Trasimeno – Route 6

Castiglione del Lago – Tuoro sul Trasimeno

Departure at 8am – Welcome Point at Palazzo della Corgna Piazza Antonio Gramsci, 1, Castiglione del Lago

35% Difficulty: medium – 21,2Km Length – 29m Ascent – 5h 30′ Duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

The departure point for the walk is in front of Palazzo della Corgna in Castiglione. After a walk through town, we head down to the lake’s shoreline to enjoy the route that runs closest to the lake’s water. Most of the route is a walking and cycling path, a peaceful way to enjoy all the beauty of nature nestled along the shoreline, as well as the area where in 217 BCE Hannibal’s Carthaginian soldiers defeated the Roman battalions under the Consul Gaio Flaminio in the bloody Battle of Trasimene during the 2nd Punic war. Leaving behind the battle grounds, we head towards Punta Navaccia at Tuoro sul Trasimeno, where we will catch a ferry to Isola Maggiore to enjoy the lake at sunset.

Saturday 1 JUNE || A hike along Via del Trasimeno – Route 7

Hannibal’s march

Punta Navaccia Tuoro sul Trasimeno – Passignano sul Trasimeno

Departure at 8am – Welcome Point at Piazza Parco del Sole Tuoro sul Trasimeno

80% Difficulty: medium – 29Km Length – 813m Ascent – 8h 30′ Duration

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.
There will be a shuttle bus back to the departure point that must be booked prior to the walk.

Departure for this hike is from the Welcome Stand of Porte Aperte at Parco del Sole in Tuoro sul Trasimeno. We will head up into town, located in the northern regions of Lake Trasimeno and famous for being the arena of 2nd Punic War’s infamous Battle of Trasimene. A museum commemorates the bloody struggle and we will stop in for a quick visit along our route. We then head to Sanguineto, a tiny grouping of houses, and then upwards to the panoramic road from which we can enjoy gorgeous views of the entire lake. The route takes us over the ridge that separates Tuscany from Umbria, through a woods and then to Gosparini, which boasts some of the most beautiful panoramas of Trasimeno. From here, a slow descent leads to our destination, Passignano sul Trasimeno.

Saturday 1 JUNE || The Rowers of the Palio delle Barche

The Rowers of the Palio delle Barche

Passignano sul Trasimeno

From 3 to 5pm

Meet-up at 3pm at the Welcome Point at the Pier in Passignano

The rowers of the legendary Palio delle Barche, a heartfelt historical race-cum-re-enactment, will take you out rowing on Lake Trasimeno.
In essence, the Palio delle Barche re-enacts the last struggle in 1495 between the noble Perugian families of the Baglioni and the Degli Oddi, a bloody struggle that featured Passignano as the battleground. When the Degli Oddi family soldiers attempted to flee from the castle, their boats on their shoulders, the soldiers of the Baglioni and Della Corgna families followed in hot pursuit. Now, every year on the last Sunday of July, the town’s four “feuding” neighbourhoods re-enact this battle in a variety of land and lake races. Tavernas open to the locals and visitors alike for the week before the main event so that everyone can feast on local specialities and make merry together!

Sunday 2 JUNE || Guided tour of the Oasi La Valle

Guided tour of the Oasi La Valle<

San Savino

From 10am to 12pm

The La Valle Oasis stretches over 1,000 hectares of wetlands that are of great ornithological interest. Its shallow waters and extensive reed stands are the destination of many a bird species while on their yearly migration from Northern Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa and back.
The tour includes a brief presentation of Lake Trasimeno and its eco-system, a walk over the raised pathways, bird watching with binoculars (one for each visitor) and telescopes, a visit to the water lily garden and participation in the scientific ringing of birds.