Description of the attraction
Castiglione del Lago is a city in the province of Perugia, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Trasimeno, 56 km from Arezzo and 47 km from Perugia. Once the place where the city stands today was an island - the fourth on the lake. However, over time, as the settlement grew, the sandbank between the island and the lake shore was built up with squares, houses, churches and other buildings. The new part of Castiglione lies at some distance from the old districts, so the historic city center with its medieval buildings is perfectly preserved. An interesting feature of this place is that there are three gates within the city walls, and there are three squares and three churches inside the city.
Castiglione del Lago lies on the once important road between Orvieto, Chiusi and Arezzo. Such an extremely successful strategic position, however, did not bring the city anything but constant raids and destruction: first, the Etruscans and the Romans fought among themselves, then the Tuscans and Perugians. The original fortifications were repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Perhaps only the period of the reign of Emperor Frederick II at the beginning of the 13th century was relatively calm in the history of the city. Then Castiglione fell under the power of Perugia and became the fiefdom of the powerful Baglioni family. In 1550, Pope Julius III bequeathed it to his sister, and in 1563, Pope Ascanio della Corgna's nephew became Marquis of Castiglione and Chiusi. In 1617, the former fiefdom became a flourishing duchy, which, however, did not last long. After the death of Duke Fulvio Allesandro, who left no heirs, Castiglione again found himself in the power of the Papal See.
Today this small town attracts the attention of tourists who come to the shores of Lake Trasimeno. Among its main attractions is the Castle of Castello del Leone - the Lion's Fortress, built by Emperor Frederick II. The pentagonal structure with a triangular bastion was completed in 1247. There were square towers at the four corners of the castle. The entire building was designed in such a way that its occupants have strategic control over the lake.
The Palazzo Communale, which now houses the city's museum and art gallery, was built on the initiative of Ascanio della Corgna in the Renaissance style. Architect Vignola worked on the project. The floors of the palace are decorated with beautiful frescoes by the Pescara artist Giovanni Pandolfi and the Florentine Salvio Savini. In 1574, Niccolo Circignani painted the walls and ceiling of one of the most interesting rooms of the Palazzo - the so-called Room of the Exploits of the Marquis Ascanio.
Another building that deserves the attention of tourists is the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena with skillfully made stucco molding. It has a neoclassical pronaos, and inside is a panel by Eusebio da San Giorgio from 1580.
Every year in late April - early May, Castiglione del Lago hosts a colorful festival called Coloryamo and Chieli - Paint the Heavens, during which you can see huge balloons, thousands of colorful kites and aircrafts in the city (in 2007 there were about 2 thousand of them!).
