The North Coast
The North Coast of Lake Trasimeno begins
at Borghetto, from where a tortuous road leads up to Tuoro through the ‘Malpaso’,
that narrow passage fatal to the Roman army which was severely defeated
here by the strategy of Hannibal. It was here, along the
northern coast between Malpasso and Passignano, with Tuoro
at the centre of the battle, where the epic encounter between Carthaginians
and Romans
took place.
And from here the legend of Hannibal had its beginnings and was to become
the nightmare of the Romans for the next twenty years.
The north coast is the only side of the lake with hills descending right
down to its shores. The road still running through it was for 1,500
years the only one linking Perugia to the Tuscan cities of Arezzo, Siena
and Florence, due to the fact that until 1600 the marshlands of
the Val di Chiana prevented any frequent use of the western area.
This road was used by merchants with their wagons and by armies parading
beneath the Montegualandro Manor, the
last military outpost of the Pontificial State. There was also the imposing
castle of Vernazzano in defence of Tuoro, all of which
remains standing today being a leaning tower, the impregnable town of
Passignano and Monteruffiano, and higher up, dominating
the lake, Castel Rigone, whose original fortified structure
appears to be of Gothic origin.
Today the north coast is easily accessible thanks to the Perugia-Betolle freeway which crosses it and links up to the main roads and highways.
The area offers first-class hospitality, with attentive and varied solutions
for visitors, and with restaurants combining traditional local dishes
with their own personal touch..
Agenda degli appuntamenti
Prossimamente
