Venturing into Tuoro sul Trasimeno’s wooded areas is bound to be an interesting experience for visitors, who will be able to appreciate not only the beauty of nature, but also be fascinated by the remains of the Castello di Vernazzano.

On the slopes of Monte Castiglione, on a rocky area about 25-30 metres high, stood the ancient settlement of Vernazzano. The walls of the fortification delimited a triangular surface and were accessible only from one side, while the other two sides overlooked sheer drops. The elevated position gave the castle a certain authority and dominion and guaranteed security for the ancient village.

The earliest documents attesting to the existence of the Castle date back to 960 and show that it belonged to the Abbazia di S. Maria di Petroia.

Between the 13^th and 18^th centuries, the number of people living in the Castle varied considerably; in 1282, 52 families were recorded, a figure that was drastically reduced to 26 families by the 15^th century. At the end of the 18^th century, on the other hand, the number of inhabitants had increased to 365.

Today, only a few elements of the ancient fortress remain, such as some parts of the church of Santa Maria delle Trosce and the Tower that was built in the 13^th century to defend the ancient Castle. The latter is surrounded by a lush vegetation and is supported by several stay wires since at the moment there is a considerable slope, reaching as high as 13%, following the earthquakes that occurred in the area and the subsidence of the underlying terrain.

Currently the people who once lived in the area marked out by the castle’s boundary walls live in a new residential area further down the valley.

Forte di Montegualandro, which stands in a dominant position on a hill 450 metres above sea level, is a fortification that has been coveted by many and that over the centuries has played a very important role in the Trasimeno area.

Its construction seems to date back to the Etruscan era, when the people built it to protect themselves from enemy offensives. The Fortress and the surrounding territory are also known to have been the scene of the bloody battle of Trasimeno, fought in 217 BC among the troops led by Hannibal and those led by the Roman consul Flaminio; the latter fell victim to the war along with many other Roman soldiers who fell during the ambush.

According to some scholars, the name Montegualandro may be traced back to the Greek term gala, which means milk, given the abundant quantities of milk produced by the flocks in this region.

Numerous clashes ensued for the possession of the fortress between the populations of Perugia and those of the neighbouring Tuscan towns.

The castle was in fact owned by many prominent personalities and families over the centuries, such as the marquis Uguccione II, Federico Barbarossa, the Ranieri marquises, the Montemelini, the Tarlati and Ferdinando II de’ Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany and was visited by influential personalities in the world of art and literature, such as Byron, Goethe and Hawthorne. Currently the fortress and the entire complex cannot be visited because the military fortification has become a private property and today it is a luxury noble residence.

It is still interesting, however, to admire the building from the outside, to contemplate the imposing walls, the lush vegetation and the marvellous panorama that can be enjoyed of the surrounding territory of Lake Trasimeno.

The construction of the Chiesa di Sant’Agata, the then parish church of Tuori (the ancient name of the village), dates back to around the year 1000. The church was dedicated to the martyred virgin who refused to marry Quinziano, a perfidious Sicilian governor who worked during the empire of Decius and issued an edict aimed at persecuting Christians.

Quinziano, enamoured of the young Agata, tried to seduce her and force her to renounce her Christian faith, but the virgin refused him and was consequently tortured and killed in 251.

The church of Sant’Agata stands outside the city walls of Perugia, on a hill 2 km from the current village of Tuoro and was to have been a Romanesque church of modest size, like the lovely Chiesa di San Salvatore on Lake Trasimeno’s Isola Maggiore. Unfortunately, only a few remains of the building have survived to the present day, namely some ruins of the perimeter walls and part of the apse, with some decorations; however, we can still admire a single lancet window in the shape of a Latin cross that attests to the original appearance of this church. It was probably destroyed by an army around the end of the 14^th century, following one of the numerous conflicts with the municipality of Perugia, as happened to many architectural works in the various locations on and around Lake Trasimeno. Unfortunately, the church was not rebuilt by the inhabitants, who progressively moved further downstream where they founded the new urban settlement. Here they built a new church in honour of Santa Maria Maddalena, replacing the ancient church dedicated to Sant’Agatha.

The parish church called Pieve di Santa Maria dei Confini, more commonly known as Pieve Confini is in an area that owes its name to its border position between the areas of Perugia and Cortona, and during the Middle Ages it represented the border between the Dioceses of Perugia and Arezzo.

The church of Santa Maria dei Confini, located at 274 metres a.s.l., represents the most important example of Romanesque architecture in the area of Lake Trasimeno.

Its earliest document relating to it dates back to 1037, and the second time it was mentioned in a document by Federico Barbarossa dating back to 13^th November 1163. For this reason it is assumed that its construction dates back to the period between the 11^th and 12^th centuries.

In ancient times, the Pieve had a very elegant structure: it consisted of three naves, numerous pointed arches that embellished and divided the aisles, semi-circular apses and the presbytery was in an elevated position to ensure easier access to the crypt. In the following centuries, however, the Pieve was completely restyled: the facade was rebuilt, the inside was converted to a single nave, one of the apses was razed to the ground and some farmhouses were built next to the church.

From the outside, the apse is still visible and is the only well-preserved part, plus some decorations above the portal.

Currently the site, which is located within a private property, is not well preserved, is unsafe and in a state of neglect and so, due to a real danger of the church collapsing, the area has been fenced off as a safety measure.

Walking through the streets of the lovely island of Isola Maggiore, the pearl of Lake Trasimeno and part of the village of Tuoro, you won’t miss the Chiesa di San Salvatore, with its simple, gentle and welcoming appearance.

The building, which is located on the street of the same name, was built in the Romanesque style in the 12^th century; a document dating back to 1238 attests to its existence and its subordination to the Abbazzia di Farneta, located in Cortona, a town in the province of Arezzo.

The church is modest, both in size and decor; externally you can see a stone portal decorated with depictions of animals and plants, reminiscent of the portal of the most imposing Pieve Confini di Tuoro (Parish Church), which however has more elaborate and refined decorations. Even a small stone depiction of San Matteo (St Mathew), visible on the facade, has survived to the present day.

Inside, the church has a single nave, a semi-circular apse and a transept, while there are few traces of the paintings that originally decorated the walls. However, in the apse at the top, on the right, you can see what remains of a 14^th-century fresco depicting an Angel.

The chapel of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, located on the left side of the church, preserves some works of art and sacred objects, including two wooden statues depicting respectively the Risen Christ and St Francis and a tabernacle painted in the Baroque style, which is named after its greatest exponent and founder, Federico Fiori, also known as il Barocci.

Currently the church cannot be visited and is only open for weddings or special celebrations.

Palazzo del Capra, which stands in an archaeologically rich area of ​​Tuoro sul Trasimeno, was built by Count Teodorico Moretti Costanzi to keep vivid the memory of a battle that was one of the fiercest in the Second Punic War. The illustrious building in fact houses the Centro di documentazione della Battaglia del Trasimeno e Annibale (a research centre focused on the Battle of Trasimeno and Hannibal Barca). The museum is named after Giancarlo Susini, the Professor who studied the events of the epic Battaglia del Trasimeno in depth.

The multimedia reconstructions in the museum will take you back in time to battle, which took place in 217 BC.

After crossing Spain and France, the astute Carthaginian leader Hannibal Barca, driven by strong ambition and the desire to conquer, caught off guard and routed the powerful Roman army at Trasimeno, at the time led by the consul Flaminio. Hannibal’s army was ruthless and in some three hours killed more than ten thousand Roman soldiers, including the consul Flaminio. Inside the Centro Documentazione, the exploits of the main characters are retraced, via 20 thematic videos, 2 video stories, 15 didactic panels, info-graphics and animation. You will also be able to admire the skilful reconstructions of the battle in the 4D room and see the fascinating 3D graphics and multi-sensory special effects

The Museum also offers a complete historical, naturalistic and archaeological overview of the area that was the scene of the bloody ambush by Hannibal in the Trasimeno area.

In 217 BC the countryside of Tuoro sul Trasimeno was the scene of a fierce and violent clash between the Carthaginian army, led by Hannibal, and the Roman troops led by the consul Flaminio. The Battaglia del Trasimeno was a veritable ambush against the Romans, who were neutralized within a few hours; in fact about 10,000 men were killed by the Carthaginians, representing a severe blow to the Roman army.

Today, in Tuoro sul Trasimeno, in the areas where the bloody battle took place, the vicissitudes of Hannibal and his adversaries are brought back to life via an Historical-Archaeological Trail of the Battle of Trasimeno, inaugurated in June 2010. The Hannibal Trail stretches out through the Lake Trasimeno area for about 14 km, crossing large expanses of the Umbrian countryside and hills and includes 13 themed stations, which will guide visitors in exploring of one of the most significant battles of the Second Punic War. There are panels with historical, military, geographical and archaeological insights explained in Italian, English, French and German. You’ll be able to follow the story of the ambush that was fatal to the Romans from beginning to end, a narrative enriched by a wealth of photographic and illustrative materials, captions, reconstructions and in-depth studies; it will be fascinating to relive the movements of the armies and to understand the astute and effective military tactics used by the Carthaginians to defeat their adversaries.

The last panel of the Trail illustrates and compares the most significant theories about the Battle of Trasimeno that were advanced by various experts, such as Nissen, Fuchs-Pareti-De Sanctis, Susini and Brizzi-Gambini.

After booking, it will be possible to organize the Trail excursion on the basis of different durations and methods and to choose whether to go along some sections of the Trail on foot or with the help of vehicles.