The wounded giant of Tuoro sul Trasimeno

What it is and where it is

Venturing into the woods around Vernazzano, a hamlet of Tuoro sul Trasimeno, one can make some special encounters, and no, we are not thinking only of local fauna, half-hidden among these trees there is much more: an ancient giant fighting against its wounds and the passage of centuries. The first time one sees it, it is hard to believe one's eyes, and yet there it is, right in front of us: a keep, once a fearsome sentinel, suspended in an unnatural as well as precarious balance, sloping a whopping 13 degrees above a precipice.

Why it is special

This 13th-century tower is probably one of the most stubborn buildings ever seen. Its structure shows all its centuries: the bare stones still remain compact, but in some places they are missing, while in others they are broken by deep cracks , fissures that have all the air of wanting to pierce the colossus to death. Fortunately, however, skilled hands have come to its rescue, giving it a kind of skeleton or framework that allows it, even today, not to break.

Not to be missed

Once an unerring sentinel, now a special guard, this tower commands admiration. A very interesting vantage point is found at the anchorage of large steel cables that support it, counteracting its fall. The overall view of the ancient walls and their tie rods is very impressive and gives the right point of reflection on the importance of protecting our history.

A bit of history

What we see was not a simple watchtower, rather it was part of a castle whose remains can be seen in the immediate vicinity. It was the Castle of Vernazzano. This complex certainly existed when it came under the rule of the Commune of Perugia in 1202. Over the centuries it suffered several attacks and sieges, but the one who managed to inflict the hardest blow was an earthquake in the 18th century. This, together with the erosive action of the stream at the foot of the rock outcrop on which the castle stood, brought the hamlet to ruin and the tower to its present slope.

Overview of the tower and the lake

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