Lake Trasimeno sits
relatively at the
mid-point of the Italian
peninsula, halfway
between north and south
as well as east and
west. Just inside Umbria
near the border with
Tuscany and not far from
Latium, it is truly
surrounded by
interesting places. The
lake itself is stunning
when viewed from a
distance but is perhaps
less interesting on
close inspection. It is
a historic site and one
well worth viewing, if
best from afar.
Trasimeno is Italy's
largest non-Alpine lake.
Garda, Maggiore and Como
are all bigger and very
different, given their
depth. Trasimeno is
shallow, no more than 20
feet or so at its
deepest point, with
reed-filled marshes on
many of its shores. The
shallowness is not
apparent to the
first-time visitor, who
will more likely see the
lake as a giant mirror
reflecting beautiful
mountains on the north
and east sides and
giving way to rolling
hills on the west and
south.
