We have recently stayed at the Relaise La Fattoria in Castel Rigone for four nights. The weather in July was pretty hot and we were extremely pleased that we had paid extra for a junior suite as the room we were given was large and very shady. There doesn't seem to be any air conditioning in this hotel and some English people we spoke to staying in south-facing small rooms were finding it difficult to sleep.
Our room had a terrace overlooking the outdoor restaurant in a courtyard setting so there was a bit of noise when a large party of people had a late meal but nothing to upset us - just a demonstration of how much Italians enjoy their meals!
There is a swimming pool and glass fronted breakfast room on the south side of the building and a number of nicely furnished rooms inside the hotel.
While we enjoyed our days in the hotel, and it was extremely well placed for visits to towns in Umbria and Tuscany, we didn't feel it was quite as good as the hotel owners believe it to be.
In particular we had one dinner -on our first night - and had to wait ages to be served and then the food was not memorable but the prices were. Many people seemed to be staying on a half board basis and they had a separate menu but also waited ages. One couple brought books and a torch with them to read between courses as the restaurant was outside and it was dark by the time they got to the main course.
So for the other three nights we made our way to Passignano where there were excellent restaurants in the little piazza. Locanda del Castello was exceptionally good - rather trendy contemporary Italian food with equally trendy waiters and owner. Another smaller, family-run restaurant just across the way was also excellent and very good value.
Lake Trasimeno is certainly a good place to stay if you have a car. The lake itself is rather low this year as the rainfall has been below average and so doesn't look very clean. We were pleased that we had chosen a hotel with a pool as we didn't fancy swimming in the lake at all.
Castel Rigone is a lovely village up in the hills, I would think about 5 kilometres from the lake up winding roads. There were still fields of sunflowers in full bloom and they are really memorable.

The medieval borough of Castel Rigone, fortified in 1297, sits 700 meters above sea level overlooking Lake Trasimeno. La Fattoria, which simply means “the farm,” is an elegant hotel and restaurant with breath-taking views of the lake. The original structure was built at the beginning of the 17th century on the ruins of an ancient castle, once stronghold and watchtower over the valleys of Perugia. Upon the stones of this former castle, a “casa padronale” was built to oversee the vast agricultural holdings of Castel Rigone and Pian di Marte. Protected from outside attacks, the farm became a popular stopping place for noblemen and cavalry officers travelling through Umbria. In the 1960’s Aldo Pammelati purchased the land and the casa padronale. Keeping the main house intact, with the help of his energetic young wife, Lidia, Aldo transformed the Farm into a hotel/restaurant, revitalizing its renown for hospitality. La Fattoria is an elegant four-star hotel with thirty fully-equipped bedrooms, a swimming pool, meeting rooms and a large banquet hall modernized in harmony with its past. Lidia has won numerous awards for her cooking, including the prestigious “Oscar della Cucina.” Gabriella and Roberto Pammelati now manage the hotel/restaurant and they learned well the art of hospitality from their dedicated parents. Staying and dining at La Fattoria is a win/win situation and I highly recommend the experience. In my case, it is less than an hour from my home, but makes the perfect getaway.

I love this place and I always so glad to go back for the weekends, to recharge the batteries. The atmosphere in the winter is like going back two centuries, specially when the clouds make everything quiet...and it's hard to see few feets away from you. And the sunny days...oh yes, u feel how life is beautiful. But it's time to go back to the city, ciao Fattoria and ciao Mares, still in my soul.