Hello my friends. I want to share with you our trip to the historic center of Posignano sul Trasimeno. Posignano is a charming town located on the northern shore of Lake Trasimeno. We visited this lovely town during our family vacation by Lake Trasimeno. Although this lake is in the Umbria region, it stretches almost to the border of Tuscany. I’ve shared a few posts about this holiday before, but today I want to talk about the day we discovered another gem, Posignano sul Trasimeno.
I absolutely love exploring towns in this region, especially walking through historic centers and medieval villages. For me, these are the most fascinating parts of any town. What’s more these areas are often pedestrian-only zones, with limited vehicle access. Without special permits, cars cannot enter these areas and failing to comply might result in a fine of about €100, which can increase if not paid immediately. And these historic towns often feature narrow, one-way streets that can be quite challenging to navigate. I recall a trip to Gravina with my friend Anna, where my GPS led me into narrow streets in the dark and I feared damaging my car mirrors or getting stuck in a tight corner. However, walking through these streets is a completely different experience: cobblestone paths, stone walls adorned with potted plants... everything radiates warmth and tranquility. You can’t help but stop, touch and admire the surroundings. Spending hours chatting with friends at a small café or enjoying time with a loved one feels like stepping into a fairytale.
Posignano sul Trasimeno is a town with a population of about 6000, located in the province of Perugia, along the shores of Lake Trasimeno. It is part of the association The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. The historic core of the town looks like a medieval village enclosed by stone walls, some of which along with towers, are still standing. At the highest point of the town, you’ll find a fortress called Rocca, which houses a boat museum. This museum showcases boats collected from Lake Trasimeno and its surroundings, including an intriguing one made from marsh plants. Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit the fortress as the museum was closed that day. If you plan to visit the museum and climb the observation tower, make sure to check opening hours in advance to avoid disappointment like we did.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a stone house from the Middle ages. I imagine being surrounded by such a rich texture every day, though I know that one eventually gets used to everything. For instance, when we moved to southern Italy, I was thrilled to live by the sea. In the early years I couldn’t get enough of diving into the clear waters of the Adriatic and breathing in the sea air. But over time those coastal walks became less frequent and the sound of the waves didn’t excite me as much as it used to. Perhaps this is a universal tendency to adapt to beauty. Living in a medieval stone house is a dream of mine, but who knows. It might also lose its novelty over time.
Places to visit in Posignano include the medieval fortress Rocca, the churches of San Cristoforo and San Rocco and the Manna Temple. Nearby you can visit the village of Soed and its lake, where you’ll find the Madonna di Miccoli Temple, a Renaissance masterpiece of the Umbria region. And there are annual events like the Barbarian Festival and the Young Artists Festival in Castell Re Gona.
Beyond exploring the old town, activities in Posignano include swimming, sunbathing, water sports on the lake, rowing, sailing and paddle boating. You can also follow trekking routes, cycle or enjoy a romantic walk along the tree-lined lakefront path, which is ideal for such outings. Ferries can take you to Maggiore and Pol Islands. I mentioned these islands in a previous post. Maggiore Island in particular, features a wine trail where you can learn about wine production, visit cellars and participate in complimentary wine tastings.
The old town is quite small. You can stroll through all its streets within an hour. Afterward you can enjoy a walk along the harbor and the scenic waterfront or cool off on a hot day with a serving of Italian gelato. That’s exactly what we did before returning to our accommodation.
In the Umbria region we have many unforgettable memories from our vacation at lake Trasimeno. This is one of Italy's largest lakes. While it’s not as popular as Como or Garda, it’s a fantastic place. The lake has several islands. During this vacation, we visited Maggiore Island, which is a natural haven for nature lovers but uninhabited. Besides that medieval villages and modern towns are scattered along the lakeshore.
We also visited San Severo and San Feliciano. Only 600 people live in this small town. It gets busier in the summer as tourists spend time at restaurants and stroll along the lakeside paths.
There are numerous campsites and resorts along the shore where people stay, swim and relax. It’s also ideal for families with children. This summer the lake had dried up a bit due to low rainfall and water levels were quite low. However, the scenery surrounded by green mountains, remained breathtaking. There are biking and hiking trails and you can also explore the area by moped or car.
Walking through this small village was a unique pleasure for me. The stone-paved streets, walls and old buildings looked incredibly authentic. There’s a stunning lake view from a terrace next to an old church.
The previous day, we visited Maggiore Island, but we didn’t go to another island (Povezia) because we heard there wasn’t much to see. If you’re looking for a quiet holiday away from people, a village like this is a perfect choice. In such small settlements, you can find historical structures, natural beauty and a peaceful atmosphere.
I was talking about this with my brother. I said to him "Look, there are very few houses here. The rest are hotels and campsites." My brother replied "Many hotels are closed now because lots of bed and breakfast places have opened recently. These private businesses attract the majority of tourists." It does seem that large hotels no longer attract as many tourists as they used to. Italy still receives many tourists, but this influx appears to benefit small and medium-sized businesses more. Of course, I haven’t looked at the statistics. These are just our thoughts.
Along the way, we kept seeing campsites. We passed by one called "Lido". There was also a campsite near where we stayed. It had both a beach and a pool, but we only went to the pool. I didn’t feel like swimming in the lake, neither at the paid organized beach nor at the free public beach.There’s a lagoon on the lakeshore here and I heard there’s even a water park. I’m not sure if the water park is connected to the lake or if it’s just a pool. Last year, we vacationed at lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake. We swam every day there. The water was very clean and beautiful. But for some reason I didn’t feel like swimming here.
We came across a ruin along our route. I’m not sure if it was a castle or an old building. It was covered in ivy but looked very impressive. We also passed through another small village. Let me share a bit more information about this lake. Due to low rainfall, it has dried up quite a bit and doesn’t look its best. However, regular water analyses are conducted and the water is reported to meet all hygiene standards. So technically swimming in the lake is possible, but it doesn’t seem very appealing to me at the moment.
This is a beautiful region. We visited a few more small towns. These small settlements are lined up along the lake’s shore. Our vacation this time took place on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. Sending love to you all. See you soon in my next post.
