If you crave water this is only a 50 minute drive and apparently is where Hannibal’s last elephant is!
There is a great place for kayaking and water sports. There are several islands which can be reached by the ferry service and you can have lunch.
Passignano sul Trasimeno ( Passignèno ntol Trasiméno in Perugino dialect ) is an Italian town of 5 712 inhabitants in the province of Perugia in Umbria . It stands on a promontory located on the northern shore of Lake Trasimeno and is part of the Monti del Trasimeno mountain community and the Association of the most beautiful villages in Italy
History
The oldest part of the city maintains the appearance of a fortified village, still visible today and enclosed within the medieval walls, of which the access gates and towers survive, such as the so-called Torre di Ponente, which still holds the emblem of the Common.
At the highest point of the city rises the Rocca, built in the Middle Ages, which houses the Boat Museum, where some boats of Lake Trasimeno, Piediluco and the Padule di Fucecchio are displayed, while the town developed above all in modern times , between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries . In the 16th century, both the church of San Rocco, in Renaissance style, and the sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Oliveto, probably designed by Mariotto Radi, were born.
Among the buildings of artistic value there is the Church of San Cristoforo, church of the cemetery, ancient Pieve built before 1000 on the ruins of a previous pagan temple, the fifteenth-century Church of San Rocco, of the Church of San Bernardino and the Oratory of San Rocco.
In the XVIII century the Bourbon of Sorbello built, as a summer residence, a few kilometers from the village, the eighteenth-century Villa del Pischiello .
The sixteenth-century Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Uliveto, preserves valuable paintings and sculptures such as the sandstone Madonna with Child by Ascanio da Cortona.
In the small village of Castel Rigone, there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Miracoli, considered one of the masterpieces of the Umbrian Renaissance.
Events
In the last week of July the town of Passignano sul Trasimeno welcomes tourists and organises one of the most interesting popular events in the area: the Palio delle Barche, a historic event that aims to recall the ancient rivalry between two noble families of Perugia, that of the Baglioni and that of the Odds. The Palio delle Barche recalls the last act of hostility between the noble Perugian families of the Baglioni and the Oddi, a bloody battle that saw Passignano at the centre of military operations in 1495, when, a small army of the Oddi family had to flee, boats on their shoulders , from the castle, pursued by the Baglioni and Della Corgna militias. On the last Sunday of July the four districts of the country, the historic center, the Centro Nuovo or Centro Due, the Oliveto and the San Donato, face off in a competition that involves three phases. In the first, the boats of the districts compete in the water until they reach the jetty of the town. From here boats on their shoulders begin the very fast race, almost all inside the historic centre, with a tortuous and difficult journey through steep alleys and stairways. Returning to the pier, the competitors then take via del Lago again to finish the race. During the previous week the districts of the country organise taverns in which visitors can taste typical dishes of the Trasimeno and where they are entertained with shows and historical representations in costume. From Monday to Thursday the trials of the individual Rioni participating in the competition take place while on Friday the General Test is held. On Saturday night the Lords of the Districts meet in the square for the Launch of the Challenge. The Rione that holds the Palio challenges others to a new race. Among the most anticipated events of the whole week, followed by thousands of spectators, is “The Fire of the Castle”, a unique firework display in Umbria of its kind, due to the particularity of the light plays to the rhythm of music.