A sixteenth-century customs house and posting station on the old border between the Papal States and Tuscany, above Lake Trasimeno.
At a glance
La Dogana stands on the old road that runs from Tuoro sul Trasimeno towards Tuscany and the Chiugi valley, on the line that once divided the Papal States from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It was a customs post and a stage for changing horses. Today it is a private estate, run by the family that has owned it since 1938 as an agriturismo.
History
Tuoro passed into the domains of the Church in the sixteenth century, and the Dogana rose on the road between Perugia and Cortona. Officials checked goods in transit to discourage smuggling, while travellers changed horses. A plaque records the passage of Michelangelo, Galileo, Goethe, Byron and Stendhal. Hans Christian Andersen, travelling in Italy, noted an inn beneath the arcades.
After Italian unification the building became a manor house, frescoed throughout by Count Papi. In 1938 the chemist Maria Casale Sacchi bought the estate, and her descendants still run it.
What you see
The ground floor opens into a broad loggia. Its three doors are read as two for the customs officers and a third for the inn, and the stone paving is original. The complex also included two farmhouses, a coach house, a woodcutter’s cottage and an old olive mill, which the owners have turned into their restaurant. The owners’ description adds holiday apartments and a 26-metre pool looking over the lake.
Key facts
- Building: customs house and posting station, 16th century; manor house after Italian unification
- Border: between the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, on the Perugia–Cortona road
- Interiors: frescoed by Count Papi after 1861
- Owners: the family of Maria Casale Sacchi, who bought the estate in 1938
- Today: private estate and agriturismo with apartments, restaurant and pool
- Address: Località Dogana 4, 06069 Tuoro sul Trasimeno (PG), Italy
- GPS: 43.195546, 12.049787 · Open in Google Maps
- Website: agriturismodogana.it
Practical information
La Dogana is private property and a working agriturismo, so the house is not a museum with regular hours. It opened to the public for the FAI Spring Days in March 2024. Outside such events, access is for guests of the estate: check the official website before visiting.
Getting there
La Dogana lies on the Strada statale 75 del Trasimeno, south-west of the centre of Tuoro sul Trasimeno, close to the border with Tuscany.
Nearby
- Castle of Montegualandro, opened together with La Dogana for the 2024 FAI Spring Days
Sources
- I luoghi del silenzio, Dogana Pontificia – Tuoro sul Trasimeno (PG)
- Orvietonews, Giornate FAI di Primavera 2024, aprono il Castello di Montegualandro e la Dogana Pontificia
- Umbria e Cultura, Fai Trasimeno: aperta la Dogana e il Castello di Montegualandro
- La Dogana, Our story and official website
- OpenStreetMap Nominatim, location of the Dogana on the SS75 at Tuoro sul Trasimeno
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