Things to Do Around Lake Trasimeno

Cover image by Expedia

Nestled in the heart of the Italian countryside lies the enchanting Lake Trasimeno, a hidden gem that captivates visitors with its beauty and rich history. Surrounded by picturesque landscapes of rolling hills, olive groves, and charming villages, this idyllic lake offers a tranquil escape from the bustling cities. Whether you are just passing by or spending more time in the area, there are a lot of things to do around the lake. Follow me and let’s discover both the most famous and the less touristy ones!

With its 128 km², lake Trasimeno is the 4th Italian lake by extension and comes right after Garda, Maggiore and Como lakes which are located in the Alps in Northern Italy. Unlike those, the origin of lake Trasimeno is linked to the rise of the Apennine mountains of Central Italy and thus it’s not a glacial lake. For this reason the lake is very different from the ones on the Alps, as they are deeper and surrounded by higher mountains.

While lake Trasimeno is only about 4 meters deep, the landscape is very different: you will be captured by the green of trees on the surrounding hills and the red/violet shades of summer sunsets which reflect on the water. Lake Trasimeno is a National Park, which means nature is the king here.

The lake sits on the western border of Umbria, right next to Tuscany. This is a great place to be as it’s easily reachable both from Florence and Rome. The A1 motorway from Naples to Milan is just a few kilometers away. If you have a car I would suggest to exit at Val di Chiana – Sinalunga, take the freeway towards Perugia and you will be at Trasimeno in about 20 minutes, but depending on where you should go, the Chiusi exit is also a good choice.

Another option to get to the lake would be from Perugia airport near Assisi. You could rent a car right inside the airport or book a taxi. You will ride through Perugia taking the freeway and it takes about half an hour.

Form Trasimeno is also really easy to get to other interesting places in the area both in Umbria, like Perugia, Assisi, Marmore falls and in Tuscany, like Siena, Pienza and Val d’Orcia. But, of course, you have the advantage that Umbria is cheaper than Tuscany and still untapped.

Why is it called Trasimeno?

The origin of the name is lost in history but, according to the legend, it comes after prince Trasimeno, as the Roman mythology says. Trasimeno was traveling around Central Italy and on an hot summer day he came by the lake. He decided to rest and take a bath. Meanwhile nymph Agilla sees him and is so struck by his beauty to the point she wants to seduce him.

She start singing from the center of the lake trying to lure him. Trasimeno is so stunned and confused by her voice that, overwhelmed by emotions, drowns into the water. The body was never found.

It is said that since then, on August evenings, if you can feel a light breeze over the waters of the lake, it is Agilla still looking for her prince.

Towns around Lake Trasimeno

Before briefly walking you through the towns around the lake we have to say that while all places around the lake are worth a visit, to be fair, we should mention that the north to the south eastern coast are more touristy than the west side. One main reason is that on the east side of the lake you will find many hills that look out on the water, whereas the coast on the west is mainly flat.

In the north, east and south east you will find much more accommodations both right on the shores and on the hills, and many more activities right next to the water like campings, beaches or restaurants. So this area is more requested. Also worth a mention is that in summer, from the east coast, you could have a wonderful sunset view with the sun sinking right behind the water.

Starting from the north and going clockwise you will find Tuoro sul Trasimeno, famous for the battle between Hannibal an the Roman army in June 217 A.D. Here you will find a small museum inside the town, uphill, while driving in direction of Cortona you will see some spots marking where the battle was fought.

Probably Passignano sul Trasimeno is one of the most chosen destinations on the lake and rightly so. It is a really nice town where, besides one of the main pier for the ferries, you will find a beautiful public garden right on the shore with many bars and gelaterie to have a relaxing walk right next to the lake. There are a lot of restaurants and pizzerie here. Walking inside the historic center please find the clock tower and head to the medieval fortress. Here you can stop by the characteristic terrace above the lake. Don’t forget to loose yourself among the narrow alleys you will encounter: many of them have steep steps facing the lake. You can take good photos here.

Continuing clockwise to the east on the main road turn right following the directions for San Feliciano and you will have Torricella and Monte del Lago. In Torricella you can find another pier (a wooden one, good pics at sunset here) and is a useful entry point to the freeway. Monte del Lago is particularly exquisite in the evening: it overlooks the water, is a nice spot for the sunset and has an iconic panoramic view. San Feliciano instead is a really quite village. You can have good ice cream and here you will take the ferry for the Polvese Island.

San Savino instead is a bit up on the hill. It is a small town but nonetheless it is worth a stop. Please have a walk around the medieval alleys and pass through the ancient arch, the entrance to the old castle, then turn back and don’t miss the chance to take a picture of the lake inside the arch. The Polvese Island will be in front of you slightly on the right. If you enjoy nature, ecotourism and wildlife please take some time to visit La Valle natural reserve. There is a ticket and you can visit it by yourself or book a guided tour.

Past San Savino you will get to Sant’Arcangelo. This is not an historic place like the others and there is not much to visit except for the pier if you turn right before the stoplight, coming from San Savino. Anyway please stop by the two viewpoints (belvedere) on the lake just before the town and right after it.

Continuing on the main road please follow the directions to Castiglione del Lago. It is the main town on the west coast of the lake. Don’t get fooled by the first sight as the best parts are inside the historic center. You can park next to the shore (darsena) and then do some steps to get inside the ancient city walls. Please start from the rocca, its gardens, and Della Corgna palace. Then follow the main street and you will get to the ancient city stone arch. Once passed trough it you could see, on a clear day, the town of Montepulciano from far away (it’s in Tuscany) sitting on its magnificent hill. The straight road in front of you will guide your eyes.

Now you can continue following the directions to Cortona, then turn right on the freeway or the country side road heading towards Tuoro and Passignano. You have successfully completed a loop around the lake.

While not directly overlooking the lake, I think the following towns just nearby are worth a visit.

Magione, on the east, is a major town in the area, and is not very touristy. You can visit the Templar Castle and its cellar here. Also the surrounding area is really nice, as you are not so far from Solomeo (Brunello Cucinelli’s town). Please look for a small village called Montecolognola which sits just between Magione and Monte del Lago. The road going down to Monte del Lago is just something beautiful.

Also Castel Rigone is really on a hilltop. You can get there from outside Passignano following the small road to Umbertide. Once you get to the small town you can admire a beautiful view of the lake. I personally think the road from Castel Rigone to Passignano is one of the most iconic over the lake.

We need to also mention Paciano and Panicale, which are located on the south area of the lake. Both are really nice medieval villages worth a visit, maybe to have a lunch or dinner.

Take the ferry to visit the islands

Yes you guessed it, lake Trasimeno has islands. Three to be precise: Polvese Island, Major Island and Minor Island, but only the first two are visitable. Despite the name Polevese Island is the biggest one among the three. Here you can find a nice natural park with an ancient castle and a monastery. It is a nice place to have a walk in the summer and you may encounter many rare animals here.

The Major Island instead is the only inhabited island on the lake. Once you get off the boat you can have a nice walk around the small village, as there are a couple of bars and restaurants. Then you can head towards the old castle and get to the old mill’s ruins on the hilltop amongst the natural park.

At the time of this writing you can take the ferry to Polvese Island only from the town of San Feliciano, while to get to Major Island you can take the ferry form Passignano sul Trasimeno, Tuoro and Castiglione del Lago. Please double check the time tables and lines here.

Rent a boat or book a boat trip

A good way to have an uncommon view of the lake is to have a free ride over its waters. One place to start could be by renting out a small boat which doesn’t require a driver license. To do this you can go to Passignano and meet Benni at the main dock of the town, or get in touch with him through his website where you can have more infos.

Another nice thing to do could be having a boat trip with the guys of the Cooperativa Pescatori del Trasimeno (Trasimeno Fishermen’s Guild) of San Feliciano. They organize an interesting boat trip from S. Arcangelo where a guide will show and teach you how to fish like traditional Trasimeno’s fishermen did. They also have a well known fish restaurant right on S. Arcangelo pier where you could also taste what you have just fished. Find out more about how to book this on their website.

Swimming in the lake

Can you swim in the lake? This is something that confuses a lot of people, and rightly so. The answer is that generally it is not advisable to swim in the lake because it is really dangerous. The bottom of the lake is muddy and there is a good chance to be trapped down.

However there are some organized beaches where you can bath safely with a lifeguard service. The main ones are Tuoro Beach near Tuoro, Zocco Beach near San Feliciano and Sualzo Beach in Passignano.

If you are into water sports, these three above give you the option to rent water sport equipment like kayaks, paddle boards and so on too. Interesting is the day trip from Tuoro Beach to the Major Island with a kayak or canoa. If you like kite surf you should check out Kitemaniak too.

If you’d like to have a refreshing bath during an hot summer day, it could also be a nice idea to check out Laguna Park and its big pool.

Cycle around Lake Trasimeno

Trasimeno is a wonderful place for bike lovers. Depending on your likings, there is a good chance you can find a route that suites you. For sure mountain bike lovers can go and explore trails on the surrounding hills, and for the less adventurous ones there is a marked cycle path that coasts the shores of the lake. You can bring your own bikes or rent them on the place. For example here from RentyBike.

Hiking trails nearby

No surprise that Umbria is a really good place for hiking and trekking. For sure the funniest trails are not right next to Trasimeno, but you can get there with a day trip and it could take from 1 hour to a couple to get there. I’m talking about Mount Cucco or the Sibillini Mountains, especially Mount Vettore and Mount Bove, but they are located on the east of Umbria on the border with Marche. So if you are around Lake Trasimeno these ones could be not easy for you to go.

Anyway if you don’t have much time and would like something closer to the lake, I’d suggest to hike on Mount Tezio or Mount Acuto. They are near the lake and quite easy paths, still with a wonderful view.

Rent a Vespa, a Fiat 500 or a Quad

Yes you read it right! You can actually live an Italian dream by renting out a Fiat 500 or a Vespa. It could be really fun to circle around the lake with both of them, just like you were in the ‘60s!

For the more adventurous ones there are also many quad renters. For example you can try Umbria in Quad, or many others you can find directly on site in the most touristy places like Passignano.

Wine tours and cellars

How could you be traveling Italy without having a taste of local wine? No way! Of course if you have some time to spend I would suggest you to visit Montefalco, as it’s very famous and the whole village is surrounded by cellars. But, of course, you can find many cellars all around Umbria. Trasimeno area is no exception and the following are the most notable ones.

Castello di Magione is templar castle with an amazing history. Built in the Middle Ages, it’s the place where a conspiracy against Cesare Borgia took place. This is also mentioned in “The Prince” by Macchiavelli. Wine production has been strong here since the foundation of the castle. Nowadays you can have a wine tasting tour inside the castle. As you may guess it is located in Magione.

Vineria del Carmine is a relatively new cellar and is located about 15 minutes from Passignano, direction Umbertide. Sitting on an hilltop you will find a nicely restored church and traditional stone buildings here. Besides wine tasting you could also have lunch or dinner at the restaurant or sleep at their farmhouse. This one is really english speaking people’s friendly.

Madrevite is another cellar which is gaining much popularity lately, especially among young people. They organize a really nice wine tasting experience right on the hill of the cellar, during sunset. As it is placed right on the border with Tuscany the sun will drop behind Lake of Chiusi making it really spectacular.

The last one worth a mention is Cantina Berioli, located in Montesperello near Magione. They are wine makers since 1912 and are very focused on biological wines. Also, the tasting tour is accompanied with traditional local food like cold cuts, cheese and local olive oil.

Best sunset spots on the lake

Who doesn’t love a nice summer sunset? Here on the lake you could have some good ones. As mentioned earlier in this post, the east coast of the lake is a natural theatre for beautiful sunsets as you can witness the sun sinking right behind the lake, creating mesmerizing shades of reds and violets. Monte del Lago is a nice spot with its stone walls overlooking the waters. Other good spots are the wooden piers you can find in San Feliciano or Torricella. They are so cinematic.

Another wonderful spot I personally like a lot is La Puntabella near Tuoro. Here you can have a really tasty dinner while watching the sun sinking behind the hills of Tuscany.

Eat local food

Let’s be honest, you can eat really well anywhere you go around Italy. Genuine food and ingredients make it really easy to have a tasty meal. As you may know every Italian region has its food specialties. Actually every area inside a region has its own variations of a recipe, and for the Trasimeno (and Perugia) area the main traditional dish is the Torta al Testo. The Torta is a thin bread cooked on an hot stone (called “testo”) which can be filled with cold cuts, cheese, sausages, vegetables and many other things you could like.

Around the lake you can find two main places where you can eat Torta al Testo which are Faliero and Ristoro La Pineta. The first one is the main institution for this and is well known all around the area. The other one is a good choice too, it’s a bit far from the main towns as it’s located on the hilltop of Castel Rigone, but this is a nice to have in hot summer days as it is a bit more fresh up there.

Of course we don’t only eat Torta al Testo here and you can find many restaurants and pizzerie around. Especially in major towns, you can find many places just next to the water, like in Passignano, or inside the historic center, like in Castiglione del Lago.

Art, History and Festivals

Umbria is well known for its festivals. Every major town has at least one during the year, where usually the town’s neighborhoods compete with each other to win some sort of prize. Other types of festivals could be historic recalls or music ones. The Trasimeno area follows this too.

Among many others you can find Palio delle Barche in Passignano, Barbarians Festival in Castel Rigone, Tulip Flower Show in Castiglione del Lago, the Hannibal Trasimeno Battle in Tuoro. Especially during summer there are many music festivals around.

The famous Umbria Jazz in Perugia is just some minutes away from the area and could be a nice idea for a night, but there are also many music events that takes place on Polvese Island or at the Lion’s Fortress In Castiglione del Lago.

Enjoy the lake

If you read so far you probably have guessed that there are many more things to do than what you think. We scratched the surface of an area that is really alive. I hope I gave you some insights on what to do around the lake.

I know it’s not so easy to find informations and timely responses to everything you would like to know, but that comes with that fact that Umbria is still untapped and hidden to mass tourism.

This in turn makes it a perfect place to visit if you don’t like crowed places or you are up to exploring around. The Trasimeno area is one of the most beautiful in Umbria and one of the most visited. Enjoy it!