The town rises on a calcareous promontory, which once formed the fourth island of Lake Trasimeno (304 m a.s.l.). A number of archaeological findings bear witness that it was populated in Etruscan times and, later, in Roman times.
Today, the mediaeval walls and the ancient castle are still well preserved, and connected by a long covered path lit by loopholes to the sixteen century Town Hall, built on an earlier construction by Ascanio della Corgna, Marquis of Castiglione and Chiugi, nephew of Pope Julius III. He distinguished himself as one of the most valiant commanders during the battle of Lepanto in 1571.
The main floor of the palace houses frescoes painted in the second half of the XVI century, in Roman Renaissance style, by Giovanni Pandolfi from Pescara and the Florentine Salvio Savini.
In the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, of Greek-cross plan, with fine stucco-work by Piervittori and a neoclassic pronaos, a panel by Eusebio da San Giorgio (1580) may be seen. Every two years, the international kite-fliers' meeting is held here, called "Let's colour the skies".
Rocca del Leone (The Lion Fortress)
Completed in 1247, probably to the plan by Friar Elia Coppi, it is in the form of a pentagon with four corner towers, plus the Mastio, triangular in shape. The building, one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture in Umbria, is located on a chalky promontory, providing complete domination over Trasimeno Lake.
Palazzo della Corgna (The Della Corgna Palace)
The building, planned by the Arch. Alessi, is tucked between the Baglioni houses and the pre-existing walls of the town. The proximity of the Palace to the Rocca, (the two are connected by a charming passageway), confers on the complex a typically feudal character. Notable among the important features is the extensive pictorial interior decoration, begun by Niccolò Circignani (known as "Il Pomarancio") in 1574 in the Room of the Exploits of Ascanio della Corgna.
Ristorante Bar La Fontana
P.zza Mazzini 6
06061 Castiglione del Lago (PG)
075951077
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