Parco del Lago Trasimeno

During prehistoric and proto-historic times, Trasimeno Lake was characterized by human settlements. Already at the end of the Paleolithic Age, groups of hunters chased their preys on its shores, leaving traces of their passage in one of the most ancient sculptures in the round: "Trasimeno Venus". After millennia, the same shores experienced the presence of the most ancient Umbrian Neolithic settlements dating back to the 5th millennium BC. Navigating the lake with their pirogues (whose structure we can reconstruct thanks to the clay models found during the excavations), these very ancient communities used to integrate the resources of the first forms of agriculture with fishing.
In later times, during the early, middle and late bronze age (between the 24th and 12th century BC) other housing structures were built on the lake shores and waters, as it is shown by some findings at the San Savino Oasis, where after some drainages hundreds of rests belonging to a built-up area consisting of wooden stilt houses were found: this is the only one area of this kind known in the whole Province of Perugia which has to be located through underwater and geological surveys.

Further information (Italian text)