DAY 22 - PERUGIA to PASSIGNANO SUL TRASIMENO -12 May 2026

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From the old town in Perugia, we descended using a series of escalators, installed by the local government some years ago to provide a car free alternative. People also use the subterranean streets under the old fort as well as a mini metro to access the elevated old town.

We had a coffee stop to break up the road walking and provide some sustenance for the road ahead. A short time later we stopped at
Decathlon, to replace an object one of us had left behind on a bench in Gubbio - can you guess what?

Well-equipped once more, we continued on our way,  usually on the road or on a path beside it. Once again drivers were courteous and gave us and the other walkers space.

Lunch in the town of Magione was torta al testo again, to make the most of this Umbrian speciality.

After this, we left the road to climb over the hill,  via a track that led to a tower.  We didn't see much of the tower but we had fine views back over where we'd walked. Once we were over the hill,  we had views to Lago Trasimeno,  where we were heading.

The lake was very windy and we were surprised that a swan hadn't found a more sheltered spot for her nest. We joined a cycleway here that goes right around the lake.  There were quite a few cyclists and a couple of other walkers. We only caught glimpses of the lake from the cycleway until we arrived at Passignano sul Trasimeno, our destination. Here we sat down on a well-placed bench for a bit of bird photography.  A bit further around,  we sighted Isola Maggiore, where St Francis spent 40 days of lent.

Dinner was at the wonderful Trattoria del Pescatore that had opened in 1947 and was still run by the same family. We had an excellent dinner featuring fish from the lake. 

Heading down from the hilltop town of Perugia
A lot of road-walking today
A morning bar stop is becoming a bit of a routine
Our first off-road path of the day after about 7 kilometres
Very happy to find what she was after in Decathlon
A bit more road-walking 
No rain was forecast, but that sky did look threatening
A little bit of rain saw the umbrellas go up
Still in Umbria (back into Tuscany tomorrow), so it was Torta al Testo for lunch again
The main square of Magione
An interesting sight in Magione
Still loving that Umbrian scenery
Ancient olive tree,  relatively young Australian long-distance walker 
First view of Lago Trasimeno (Lake Trasimene)
Downhill to Torricella and Lago Trasimeno 
Lago Trasimeno at Torricella
Another of those locals who want to join us on our walk
The cycleway around Lago Trasimeno ran alongside the railway line for a while
We encountered several cyclists and a few walkers along the cycleway
Poppies
Down at the lake, we had our first sighting this trip of our perennial favourite, the great crested grebe (see the bird pictures below)
Lago Trasimeno at Passignano sul Trasimeno 
Passignano sul Trasimeno 
View from our accommodation,  Passignano sul Trasimeno 
Into a restaurant specialising in local lake fish dishes
Dinner of local lake fish dishes
Dusk over Lago Trasimeno
Some bits and pieces from today's walk
Today's birds
Map - Day 22

Day:                               22
Distance:                      30.61 km
Walking time:               6 hrs 02 mins
Elevation gain:             284 metres
Cumulative distance:  419.09 km

Comments

  1. Anonymous13 May 2026 at 04:55

    Very nice GC Grebe photo.. btw we saw some near Avalon in Victoria last week. As well as the Grebe I continue be impressed by the quality of your photos of the food architecture and scenery.
    Today’s birds: Eurasian Coot, Hooded Crow, Mallard, Mute Swan, Ring-necked Pheasant (female), Great-crested Grebe

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barkers13 May 2026 at 05:59

    We love the crazy hair-do of the Great Crested Grebe! Thanks Murray!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous19 May 2026 at 10:47

    A long distance walk in Europe must include at least one expedition to Decathlon. Glad you got to replace your lost bit of gear. ( Wendy)

    ReplyDelete

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