Museo della pesca del Lago Trasimeno

Museum of Fishing Activities on Lake Trasimeno The Museo della Pesca sul Lago Trasimeno is located along the main road crossing San Feliciano, a characteristic burgh right on the lake’s shore. The origin and evolution of Lake Trasimeno, which came into existence one million, seven hundred thousand years ago when, as a consequence of tectonic motions, a depression in the soil that collected the water was created, is illustrated. In the course of the centuries, the shorelines of the lake have undergone a number of changes, as a consequence of such unpredictable variations. Braccio da Montone ordered the creation of an artificial emissary in the 15th century. A second emissary was then realized in the 20th century. The overexploitation of this emissary is the cause of the lowering of the level of the water in recent years. The Museum display is arranged into four large rooms—Dawn, Noon, Afternoon and Evening—dedicated to fishing techniques from prehistory to present-day. The terracotta weights for gillnetting and trawling; dating from the Bronze Age and the Etruscan-Roman period, and the stone fishing baits of prehistoric ages are interesting in this regard. Among the watercolor paintings it is worth mentioning the work of Elio Pasquali, representing the fishing technique called “gorro”, performed with a large trawling net, and the one representing the processing of some swamp plants. Up until a few decades ago these were used to make nets, baskets and ropes for fishing. There is also the craftsmanship work of producing wicker chairs and covers for demijohns and flasks. The development of fishing practices on lakes historically follows the spreading of Christianity. In fact, new fishing techniques started to be experimented in this epoch with the appearance of stable fishing areas, to confront a larger demand for fish coming from the town of Perugia, in particular during the period of Lent. Then there is the display of fishing instruments in a multimedia room, which is shaped like a large boat, and two huge aquariums documenting the ichthyic Fauna populating the lake today.