82 – (ITA STAGE 34) – Cortona – Pozzuolo Castiglione del Lago
| Place of Departure | CORTONA |
| Place of Arrival | POZZUOLO CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO |
|
Length – KM
|
24,5 |
| Nation of the route | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany/Umbria |
| Uphill Gap |
180 m
|
| Downhill Gap |
320 m
|
| CAI (Diff. Escurs.) | E |
| Praticability |   |
Stage 34 – Cortona-Pozzuolo (Castiglione del Lago) – A non-difficult stage, over large spaces, between Tuscany and Umbria, with green hills full of history, culture, environment and excellent cuisine.
Leaving Cortona from Piazza della Repubblica, you arrive in the Contesse area and then up to Palazzone di Cortona. Near a villa immersed in a beautiful olive grove, we continue to descend to the foot of the hill. After crossing the stream we reach the beautiful Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo, where we can also find a hostel. Then you arrive at the village of Montalla and you find yourself again in the middle of the countryside. After crossing a footbridge you reach Ossaia. (cyclists continue straight, cross Ossaia, pass the Riccio traffic light and go towards Pietraia, then Centoia, Via della Stella up to Petrignano del Lago. All for 12 km). In Ossaia you go towards the industrial area. After the asphalt there are gravel roads, country roads or simple paths. Go under the railway, and after fording two ditches, after 1.3 km you reach the Canale Maestro della Chiana. You arrive near the Case Sant’Anna farmhouse; then you pass the Perugia-Florence motorway junction. Then you come to a small lake in the middle of a wooded clearing, then another. Leaving Centoia on the right and Pietraia on the left, cross the SP 33 and take a country road in the middle of the vineyards. Petrignano del Lago is a small and charming fraction of Castiglione, located along the Etruscan-Roman road which from Chiusi, through the Trasimeno hills, connects to Cortona and Arezzo. From here we reach Giorgi and finally Pozzuolo, the destination of this stage, chosen for its position on an ancient road and the possibility of finding refreshment there thanks to the presence of excellent farmhouses. We are not far (12.5 km) from Castiglione del Lago which certainly deserves a visit as a medieval center with a stupendous stately building, now the town hall, and an equally important Federician castle
CONNEXION: The Via Romea, according to various historians, ran along the ridge of the low hills, because it was easier to travel, far from marshy areas and areas that occasionally flooded, safer from ambushes by bad guys. However Castiglione del Lago and Trasimeno are worth a visit. A connection has therefore been studied. From Pozzuolo you go on up to Casamaggiore. Then Frattavecchia. On country roads you go towards the hamlet of Vitellino. Continue until you pass under the railway, until you are in Via della Stazione. After the roundabout, take the road along the lake (Via Divisione Partigiani Garibaldi). Going up the staircase you reach the centre. From Cortona to Castiglione del Lago it is 37 km
34 – Points of Interest
Castiglione del Lago – Founded by the Romans with the name of Novum Clusium (Nuova Chiusi), it stands on a hill that in ancient times constituted the fourth island of Lake Trasimeno (the three islands that still exist are Maggiore, Minore and Polvese) before the strip of water that separated it from the mainland was filled in. In the urban structure of the ancient village it is easy to see, in the three parallel streets that cut longitudinally the town, its Roman origin. The city became a marquisate in the 16th century and the family della Corgna had the merit of the prestigious seat, frescoed by Pomarancio. To see: – Palace of Corgna or ducal, the only small “royal palace” existing in Umbria, with beautiful rooms frescoed by Pomarancio and Salvio Savini. – Castle of the Lion characteristic for its triangular tower. It is connected to the ducal palace by a picturesque walkway with loopholes on the Trasimeno. The village is still surrounded by walls with three gates (Perugina, Fiorentina, Senese); the urban layout, based on the number three, was designed by Galeazzo Alessi following studies by Vignola and indications by Ascanio della Corgna.
Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo – The Romanesque-style building features Byzantine elements and solutions typical of the pre-Romanesque architecture of Arezzo. The parish church was built on the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Bacchus. Of this previous structure, only a tombstone has remained, which marked the burial place of a Roman child. Initially it was born as an Arian church; around the eighth century it was converted to Christian worship by the Lombards, a people devoted to the Michaelic cult. The parish church was rebuilt in the 11th century to a design by the Arezzo architect Maginardo. The parish church has three naves, separated by pillars alternating with small columns with a polygonal section and concluded by semicircular apses. Numerous fragments of sculptures from the early 9th century are preserved, such as slabs of ciborium, small pillars and plutei.
Insight the Battle of Lake Trasimeno – One of the most important battles of the Second Punic War was fought in 217 B.C. at Tuoro sul Trasimeno between the Carthaginian forces, commanded by Hannibal, and the Roman legions, commanded by Consul Gaius Flaminius. More than a battle, it was a massacre. The Roman forces were taken by surprise during a shifting march. Hannibal camped his troops on foot in the hills above Lake Trasimeno and hid the deadly Numidian cavalry in a gorge, whose tactical importance the Romans had not yet grasped. The morning was foggy. The four legions of Flaminius, not aware of the position of the enemy, proceeded without any particular defensive devices. Hannibal did not deploy his troops but unleashed them on the marching column, which was squeezed between the hills and the lakeshore and encircled. It was a massacre in which 15,000 Romans lost their lives, killed in the field, over 15,000 prisoners. The next day some of Consul Servilius’ newly-arrived cavalry units were also defeated. Today the Permanent Documentation center on the Battle of Trasimeno together with the Municipality of Tuoro sul Trasimeno has organised an itinerary divided into 12 stages.
please, see the Official Guide of the Via Romea Germanica (www.guidaromea.eu)
Bold type for structures we already used
Red type for structures we have an arrangement (with Credential*)
(*) Prices might change for special situations: please book early and ask for confirmation
How to arrive
| From airport (BOLOGNA, FIRENZE, PISA) to Arezzo FS Railway Station; from PERUGIA to Perugia FS Railway Station | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Arezzo FS Railway Station – CortonaFS Railway Station ; PerugiaFS Railway Station – Cortona FS Railway Station | BUS/LOCAL TRAIN – bus route (www.etruriamobilita.it/index.php?SEZ=16) Arezzo FS Railway Station – Cortona |
Where to eat
 |
Typical Dishes = Tipicamenteumbria | Typical Dishes = Buonissimo | Typical Dishes = Gambero Rosso | |
| Conad | Via Cavour,44 – 06060 PETRIGNANO CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO | |||
| Agriturismo “ROMITORIO” | Viale Milano – 06067 POZZUOLO DI CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO – PG | 075-959452 347-7518587 | posta@romitorio.com | www.romitorio.com Arrangement |
| Agriturismo Poste del Chiugi | Vocabolo Giorgi, 52, 06061 PETRIGNANO- CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-9528116 | info@postedelchiugi.it | |
| Locanda Poggioleone | Via Indipendenza,116/b – 06061 – POZZUOLO DI CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO-PG | 075-959519 | info@locandapoggioleone.it |
Where to sleep
Bike Service
| Marinelli Ferrettini | Via Buozzi,26 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-953126 | ||
| Cicli Valentini | Via Firenze,68/D – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-951663 | ||
| Micio Gioiello | Via Cairoli,1 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-953346 | ||
| Nuova Giammauri Sport | Via Roma,65 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-9653622 | ||
| Roby Sport | Via Roma,184 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO PG | 075-951951 |
Horseway-Service
| Ranch Le Macchie | Località Riccio- Ossaia 97/a – 52044 CORTONA-AR | 333-7225178 / 339-2807306 | ranchlemacchie@libero.it | www.facebook.com/Ranchlemacchie/ |
Pilgrim Service
| IAT del Trasimeno | Piazza Mazzini, 10 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO – PG | 075-9652484 | info@iat.castiglione-del-lago.pg.it | www.regione.umbria.it |
| COMUNE DI CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO | Piazza Gramsci, 1 – 06061 CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO – PG | 075 96581 | urp@comune.castiglione-del-lago.pg.it | www.comune.castiglione-del-lago.pg.it |
