Castiglione del Lago

Castiglione del Lago is a town in the province of Perugia of Umbria (central Italy), on the southwest corner of Lake Trasimeno. Orvieto is south, Chiusi is to the south west, Arezzo is to the north west, Cortona is to the north and Perugia is to the south east.
Geography and urban structure
Castiglione del Lago has evolved on what used to be an island - the fourth island of Lake Trasimeno, in its south west region. Over the centuries, as the town grew, the flat gap between the island and the shore was filled with piazzas, houses, churches and other buildings.
The newest parts of the city are at some distance from the old, so the centro storico (historical center) of Castiglione del Lago is a well-preserved medieval locality that seems to be governed by a "law of threes". In the town walls there are three gates, and inside the town there are three piazzas and three churches.
History
Castiglione lies on the once important road between Orvieto to the south, Chiusi to the west, and Arezzo to the north. Its position in this hotly disputed territory, pitting Etruscans against Romans, and later Tuscans against Perugians, inevitably brought a long cycle of death and destruction to the town.
The monumental ancient Roman "Gioiella-Vaiano" villa (between the villages of Gioiella and Vaiano) was excavated in 2016-9 and was a large complex for both pleasure (otium) and production (negotium). It was built on up to three terraces on the slope of the hill overlooking Lago di Chiusi. It dates from the 2nd century BC to the early 4th century AD and flourished during the early imperial period, its owners probably having links to the Imperial family. The Villa underwent several structural modifications with several owners. Excavations have revealed a luxurious bath complex tiled with marble and with glass windows, on the lower terrace, and a monumental nymphaeum on the central terrace from the early imperial phase of the villa. The nymphaeum was designed to impress visitors with the control and display of water, of a standard found in the most luxurious villas on the Bay of Naples. It was built around a large vaulted space over a pool with 12 niches in the walls decorated with blue glass to reflect the water below and to imitate a grotto.
The original fortifications were destroyed and rebuilt on numerous occasions. It was only during and following the reign of Emperor Frederick II (early 13th century) that a period of relative stability ensued.
Later the city fell under the control of Perugia, within the Papal States, becoming the fiefdom of the powerful Baglioni family. In 1550, Pope Julius III bestowed it upon his sister. In 1563, her son, Ascanio della Corgna, became the Marquis of Castiglione and Chiusi. The fiefdom became a prosperous, but short-lived Duchy in 1617. The last Duke Fulvio Alessandro (1617-1647) died without heirs and the town was re-absorbed into the Papal States.
Main sights
The Fortress of the Lion was built by Emperor Frederick II. The pentagonal-shaped castle, was completed in 1247 CE by the monk-architect Elia from Cortona. The castle features square towers in four of its corners and a triangular shaped bastion, or donjon, known as the Mastio in the other. The castle was designed to give its owners strategic control over all of Lake Trasimeno. The castle has withstood a number of sieges over the subsequent centuries.
The Palazzo della Corgna which serves as the Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall) was built by Ascanio della Corgna in Renaissance style, designed by the architect Vignola. It is now a civic museum and gallery. The palazzo has by a long, covered corridor connecting to the castle. On the main floor, late Renaissance era frescoes were painted by the Pescaro-born artist Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and the Florentine artist Salvio Savini. In 1574, the artist Niccolò Circignani, known as "Il Pomarancio", added paintings and other decorations to one of the most interesting rooms in the palazzo, the so-called Room of the Exploits of the overlord Ascanio della Corgna.
The only other building of particular note is the finely stucco-ed Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, done on a Greek-cross plan. The church has a neo-classical pronaos and, inside, a panel painted in 1580 by Eusebio da San Giorgio.
Culture
Every two years, Castiglione del Lago is the host of the Coloriamo i Cieli festival. The "Colour the Skies" event is held on no fixed date in late April or May. Since 2005, however, this festival has been held annually and now includes light aircraft (nearly 2000 in 2007), hot air balloons (17) and thousands of multi coloured kites.
Notable people
Saint Margaret of Cortona was born here in 1247
Andrea Antonelli, a World Supersport rider and native of Castiglione del Lago, died in a crash at the Moscow Raceway in 2013.
Stefano Okaka, born in 1989, football player
Twin towns
Trappes, France, since 1971
Kopřivnice, Czech Republic, since 1997
Lempäälä, Finland, since 2005
See also
Ascanio della Corgna
Lake Trasimeno
References
Sources
Maria Gabriella Donati-Guerrieri, Lo Stato di Castiglione del Lago e i della Corgna, La Grafica, Perugia 1972.
External links
Official website
Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy
Castles in Italy
Borghi più belli d'Italia
Roman villas in Italy