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In the Footsteps of PeruginoThe hill-top villages around Lake Trasimeno
Nights: 7
Starting point: Relais la Fattoria (4*), Castel Rigone. Converted from a 17th-century hill-top farm, this is a sophisticated hotel (complete with outdoor pool) which overlooks Lake Trasimeno. The restaurant serves modern interpretations of traditional Umbrian dishes. Day 1: you may like to take things easy on your first day, or to borrow bikes from the hotel and cycle the 9 kilometres to Preggio, a delightful medieval hill-top hamlet which affords marvellous views over the surrounding hills. Alternatively, you could take the train (pay locally) to the regional capital, Perugia. For its size, Perugia boasts an impressive number of sights and numerous masterpieces by Perugino that will give you your first taste of this great painter's works. Accommodation: Relais la Fattoria, as above. Day 2: your first walk starts with a short transfer, after which you set off along a panoramic track which heads west along the crest of a hill, offering far-reaching views over Lake Trasimeno. You then descend through vineyards and olive groves to Passignano on the shores of the lake. There is time to seek out its medieval gates and crumbling fortifications before catching a ferry (pay locally) across the water to Isola Maggiore, one of the lake's three islands. Once again, you have time to explore – the island has a castle and a couple of churches – and to follow the pretty path that encircles the island before taking the ferry (pay locally) to Castiglione del Lago. For a longer day, you can walk to the lake via Monte Castiglione (at 802 metres the lake's highest peak) and the site where Hannibal ambushed the Roman Army in 217BC. (12km in total - 9km + 3km, 4hrs or 22km, 6.5hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Miralago (3*), Castiglione del Lago. As its name suggests, this hotel in the historic heart of the town enjoys wonderful views of the lake from its terrace. Your stay is on a bed and breakfast basis, leaving you free to choose between dining at the hotel or elsewhere in the town. Day 3: after a transfer, you follow a path through light woodland, ascending gently to meet a scenic track that winds its way through olive groves from which one of the region's best known extra virgin olive oils is produced. You reach the perfectly preserved red-brick hamlet of Paciano, which is enclosed by walls punctuated by six towers and which boasts views that stretch as far as Mount Amiata in Tuscany in clear weather. From here, your route follows a path through more woodland and along another ridge with wide-open views to reach Panicale. (11.5km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Le Grotte di Boldrino (3*), Panicale. This carefully restored
ancient building is located within Panicale's walls but boasts magnificent
views of Lake Trasimeno and the village, and is surrounded by large gardens.
Many of the rooms are furnished with original carved wooden pieces and
late 19th-century furniture, while the hotel's excellent restaurant serves
traditional Umbrian cuisine incorporating home-made pasta, local olive
oil, lake fish and local cured meats. Day 4 (if staying at Le Grotte di Boldrino): for your day in Panicale, we suggest a long but easy circuit through beautiful oak woods and along the crest of gently rolling hills boasting good views over Lake Trasimeno. Your target is the hamlet of Mongiovino, which overlooks a 16th-century sanctuary. On your return to Panicale, be sure to visit the village's fresco by Perugino, The Martyrdom of St Sebastian. (18km, 5hrs) Accommodation: Le Grotte di Boldrino, as above. Day 5: your route leads south-west, rising through pine woods to Mount Petravalla for excellent lake views. The path continues to ascend and descend over a series of small hills that are surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside. If you are lucky, you may spot birds such as kites, sparrow hawks and jays. From some of the higher viewpoints along the way it is sometimes possible in clear weather to make out Assissi, as well as the mountains of the Apennines. (16km, 5hrs) Accommodation: Logge del Perugino (4*), Città della Pieve. This beautiful former nobleman's house is decorated with great style and charm. The bedrooms are equipped and appointed to a high standard, and there is plenty of space in which to relax, including a music room, library, outdoor pool and delightful gardens. If you feel like a spot of pampering, massages and other beauty treatments can be arranged (pay locally). Dinner is not included, but you can choose to dine at the hotel's own restaurant if you like. Day 6: it was in the red-brick town of Città della Pieve that Perugino was born, and the town boasts many masterpieces by its most famous son: The Adoration of the Magi (1504) which immortalises the view from Città della Pieve towards Lake Trasimeno, Baptism of Christ (1510), Madonna in Glory and Saints (1514), The Descent from the Cross (1517) and Sant'Antonio Abate between the Saints Marcello and Paolo. After you have sought out these works and explored the town, you could take the train (pay locally) to nearby Orvieto, a charming hill-top town, or simply relax by the hotel pool. Accommodation: Logge del Perugino, as above. Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Recommendations for extra nights: Villa di Monte Solare (Colle San Paolo) for relaxation and refined cuisine. Extensions: If flying via Rome, explore the sights of Italy's fascinating capital and stay for 2 nights at the 3* Hotel Mozart.We can also offer a hotel in Perugia please ask for details. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Similar holidays: The Tuscan Heartland (grade 2), Along the Tarn Valley (grade 2), Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon (grade 2), Italy's Green Heart (grade 2-3) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airports: Rome and Perugia Extra night prices
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back > Booking form (if you want to book the upgrade option, remember to state this in step 4)  |
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Revered
by his contemporaries and still considered to be one of the most influential
Renaissance artists, Pietro Vannucci (1445-1523), or Perugino as he became
known, found great inspiration in the rolling landscapes of western Umbria
where he spent his childhood. Indeed, the fortified stone villages, misty
hills, oak woods and stands of cypresses served as a backdrop in many
of the works which still decorate the walls of churches and museums in
the hill-top villages surrounding Lake Trasimeno, Italy's largest non-Alpine
lake. Our walk not only reveals these gentle landscapes (home to porcupines,
wild boar, roe deer and badgers) but also passes through the picturesque
villages in which Perugino left his mark so that you can see for yourself
how little the scenery has changed over the centuries. As you walk, the
calm, shimmering waters of Lake Trasimeno (a haven for birds such as herons,
kingfishers, reed warblers and osprey) are a frequent companion and provide
much of the fish which features on menus alongside earthy dishes flavoured
with truffles, olive oil and saffron.
Rolling landscapes of western Umbria 
