There is a lovely historical itinerary that takes you through villages, castles and grand homes following in the footsteps of great travellers, commanders, condottieri and generals who lived, fought and left their marks on the territories surrounding Lake Trasimeno.
CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO – ASCANIO DELLA CORGNA
Our itinerary begins in Castiglione del Lago, a place linked to Ascanio della Corgna, son of the Perugian noble Francesco di Berardo and Giacoma Ciocchi del Monte, sister of Pope Julius III. Ascanio della Corgna was born in Perugia on July 31, 1514 and governed the marquisate of Castiglione del Lago. He was also the governor of Castel della Pieve and Chiugi from 1563 to 1571, after having administered the territory as vicar since 1550. He died in 1571 after fighting in the battle of Lepanto, where Christianity prevailed over the Turks.
Ascanio della Corgna embodied the bravery of a captain of fortune, softened by that humanistic streak typical of the Renaissance. He was one of the most illustrious figures of his time, distinguishing himself in many fields: from engineering studies to swordsmanship; from the art of war to the humanistic passions typical of the time.
His skill in handling the sword was so well known that three thousand people travelled to witness his duel with Giannetto Taddei, guilty of insubordination towards him.
A lovely fresco of his famous duel with Giannetto Taddei can be seen at Palazzo della Corgna in Castiglione del Lago.
The body of Ascanio della Corgna lies in the Cappella dei Della Corgna in the Church of San Francesco in Perugia.
FROM CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO TO PANICALE
As you head towards Panicale you can visit the places linked to Boldrino Paneri, a condottiero and Captain of Fortune born in Panicale in 1331 and deceased at Civitanova Marche in 1391.
In thanks for the many victories he procured in the defence of Perugia, he was given the keys to the city. In Teatro Caporali, a small, wooden, horseshoe-shaped architectural gem of a theatre hangs a painting by Mariano Piervittori depicting the ceremony during which the keys were handed to him.
As you stroll down via Boldrino Paneri, you will come across the 13th century building where he was born. The family crests still grace the façade.
FROM PANICALE TO MAGIONE – CESARE BORGIA
In about 20 minutes by car From Panicale you reach Magione, a village linked to the history of Cesare Borgia, known as Il Valentino. Cesare Borgia, illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and Vannozza Cattanei, was born in Subiaco in 1475 and died in Spain in 1507.
Destined from a young age for an ecclesiastical career, after the death of his brother Giovanni, he abandoned his cardinal's robes and married the French aristocrat Charlotte d'Albret, thus obtaining the title of Duke of Valentinois.
Ambitious and charismatic, he undertook military campaigns that led him to extend his control over large swaths of Italy, including Romagna, the Duchy of Milan and part of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1502 he narrowly avoided a plot hatched against him by some warlords from various cities in central Italy. The conspirators had met in Magione, in the Castle of the Knights of Malta, aiming to stop his expansionist intentions.
The conspiracy was discovered, however, and the traitors were killed or forced into exile. This episode had a great impact on public opinion, so much so that Niccolò Machiavelli cited it in The Prince, a book written under the influence of the figure of Valentino, whom he described as the ideal model of a prince who could achieve the goal of unifying Italy.
Just past the old town center of Magione, in Via Cavalieri di Malta 1, stand the imposing walls of the Castle of the Knights of Malta, where the conspiracy against Cesare Borgia took place. Every July, an event entitled “Conspiracy at the Castle” takes place, a theatrical performance that recalls the events of the conspiracy.
FROM MAGIONE TO TUORO SUL TRASIMENO – ANNIBALE BARCA
Just over 15 minutes further along the eastern shore of Lake Trasimeno you will arrive at Tuoro sul Trasimeno, a village inextricably linked to the Carthaginian leader Hannibal Barca, born in 247BCE in Carthage.
Hannibal identified Tuoro as the ideal place to stop the troops of the Roman consul Gaius Flaminius Nepos, in what went down in history as the Battle of Trasimene. On June 24, 217 BCE, taking advantage of a thick fog, Hannibal launched an ambush against the Roman troops. About ten thousand Romans were killed in one of the bloodiest clashes of the Second Punic War.
Hannibal died in 183 BCE in Bithynia, at the court of King Prusias I. When the Romans asked Prusias to hand him over, Hannibal preferred to die rather than fall into the hands of his enemies.
For the extraordinary qualities he demonstrated during his military career, Hannibal is considered one of the greatest generals and strategists in history. Polybius, his contemporary, compared him to his great rival Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Others have compared him to Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon.
The memory of the bloody battle is kept alive today by the Museo di Annibale, located in Piazza Garibaldi in Tuoro, and the Hannibal Trail, an itinerary of about 7 km that passes through the most significant places of the clash.
