Rocca del Leone
Castiglione del Lago's 13th-century pentagonal fortress rises from the promontory like a stone crown, commanding sweeping views over Lago Trasimeno in every direction. Built by Frederick II and later expanded by the Della Corgna family, it remains one of the best-preserved lakeside fortresses in central Italy.
Inside the Walls
The Rocca del Leone is connected to the Palazzo della Corgna by a covered walkway that threads along the town walls — walk it slowly and peer through the arrow slits at the glittering lake below.
Inside the fortress courtyard you can climb the main tower for a 360-degree panorama that takes in the Tuscan hills on clear days, making it the single best vantage point in the entire Trasimeno basin.
History Written in Stone
Frederick II ordered the original structure around 1247, and the distinctive pentagonal plan was a military innovation of its era, designed to deflect cannon fire before cannons were even common.
The adjacent Palazzo della Corgna, decorated with vivid Renaissance frescoes by Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and Salvio Savini, is included in the same ticket and is far less crowded than comparable palaces in Perugia or Assisi.
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