# Lake Trasimeno: fourth in Italy, 3 to 6 m deep

> Trasimeno is the largest lake in peninsular Italy over 124 to 128 km2, and it is 3 to 6 meters deep. In 2026 the drought closed one island line.

URL: https://myitalia.it/nature/lago-trasimeno
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Lake Trasimeno is the largest lake in peninsular Italy and the fourth largest in the country, spread over 124 to 128 square kilometers and nowhere more than 3 to 6 meters deep.

## A big lake with no depth to it

The water surface measures 124 to 128 square kilometers and the depth runs 3 to 6 meters, over the whole basin rather than only at the shore.

Two Umbria region sources disagree on the surface: the park page gives 128 square kilometers, a PDF from the same authority gives 124. Both are regional, so this page prints the range and names the disagreement instead of picking the friendlier number. The regional environmental agency site sits behind a challenge we did not bypass.

Set those 3 to 6 meters against the northern lakes and the contrast does the explaining. Como reaches 410 meters, Maggiore 370, Garda 350 and Iseo 251. Bolsena, the fifth largest Italian lake and the one closest to Trasimeno in area at around 114.5 square kilometers, is 151 meters deep. Trasimeno holds fourth place by area with a water column you could stand a house in.

## Shallow water behaves differently

A lake 3 to 6 meters deep heats fast, cools fast and evaporates fast, and that is the whole character of this place rather than a footnote to it.

It is also why the level here is recurring news in a way that no alpine lake's level is. Bolsena sits in an extinct volcanic crater with 151 meters of water under it and absorbs a dry summer without anyone noticing; Trasimeno cannot.

The other structural fact is the absence of a natural outlet, which leaves the basin dependent on rain and inflow with nothing to regulate it downstream.

## 257.33 meters is a benchmark, not a level

The Umbria region fixes the hydrometric zero of the lake at 257.33 meters above sea level, the reference used for the bathymetry and for measuring the level, based on surveys carried out from 2004 to 2012 with contour lines every 25 centimeters.

That figure gets misquoted constantly as the altitude of the lake. It is not: it is a survey datum. The actual elevation of the water surface is not published by any institutional source we could reach.

So this page can give you the benchmark, the depth range and the surface range, and cannot give you today's level. That is the limit of the published record, not an editorial choice.

## In 2026 the drought reached the timetable

Busitalia ran the 2026 ferry season from July 5 to September 27, with crossings of 15 to 30 minutes to Isola Maggiore from Passignano and from Tuoro Navaccia. Two connections did not operate at all.

The Castiglione del Lago link to Isola Maggiore was suspended for the water crisis, and from June 29, 2026 the entire service to Isola Polvese stopped. The operator warns that boats may run at reduced capacity for the same reason.

Fares: €4.20 to €5.40 for a single crossing, €6.00 to €10.00 return, €14.30 for an adult day ticket, plus a landing fee on Isola Maggiore of €3 from March 1 to October 31, 2026 and €2 for the rest of the year. See [a lake you could almost stand up in](/stories/a-lake-you-could-almost-stand-up-in).

## The park, and the three islands

The regional park of Lake Trasimeno was established in 1995 over 13,200 hectares in 5 comuni: Castiglione del Lago, Magione, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Tuoro sul Trasimeno and Panicale.

It contains 3 islands. Isola Maggiore is the inhabited one and the only one reachable by scheduled boat in 2026, Isola Polvese holds an environmental education center, and Isola Minore is private property.

Choose your base with the 2026 boat map in mind. Passignano and Tuoro Navaccia are the two towns with a working island link; a stay at Castiglione del Lago is a lake stay without a crossing. More at [Italian lakes](/themes/lakes) and [Umbria](/regions/umbria).

## FAQ

### How big and how deep is Lake Trasimeno?

124 to 128 square kilometers of water surface, and only 3 to 6 meters deep across it. It is the largest lake in peninsular Italy and the fourth largest in the country, inside a regional park of 13,200 hectares created in 1995.

### Why do sources disagree on the size of Lake Trasimeno?

Because two Umbria region sources do. The park page gives 128 square kilometers and a PDF from the same authority gives 124. This site prints the range rather than choosing, and the depth of 3 to 6 meters is not disputed.

### Can you take a boat to the islands of Lake Trasimeno?

To Isola Maggiore yes, to Isola Polvese not in 2026. The Busitalia season ran July 5 to September 27, 2026 with 15 to 30 minute crossings from Passignano and Tuoro Navaccia. The Polvese service stopped on June 29, 2026 for the water crisis.

### What is the hydrometric zero of Lake Trasimeno?

257.33 meters above sea level, fixed by the Umbria region as the datum for bathymetry and level measurement. It is a survey benchmark, not the height of the water on any given day, and the elevation of the lake surface itself is not published.

### Is there a landing fee on Isola Maggiore?

Yes, €3 per person from March 1 to October 31, 2026 and €2 for the rest of the year, charged on top of the boat fare. A single crossing costs €4.20 to €5.40 and an adult day ticket €14.30.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Parco regionale del Lago Trasimeno, istituito nel 1995, si estende su 13.200 ettari in cinque comuni; il lago e' il maggiore dell'Italia peninsulare e il quarto italiano per estensione, con tre isole. | [Regione Umbria](https://www.regione.umbria.it/parco-regionale-del-lago-trasimeno); [Regione Umbria - Parco del Lago Trasimeno](https://www.regione.umbria.it/documents/18/2512711/Trasimeno_turismo_giu_15.pdf/754fd253-e5a9-427e-9b1b-2ad66afb126c) | medium | 2030-12-31 |
| Il Lago Trasimeno ha una superficie dello specchio d'acqua di 124-128 km2 e una profondita' molto ridotta, variabile fra 3 e 6 metri. | [Regione Umbria](https://www.regione.umbria.it/parco-regionale-del-lago-trasimeno); [Regione Umbria - Parco del Lago Trasimeno](https://www.regione.umbria.it/documents/18/2512711/Trasimeno_turismo_giu_15.pdf/754fd253-e5a9-427e-9b1b-2ad66afb126c) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| Tra i grandi laghi prealpini il Lago di Como e' il piu' profondo con 410 m, davanti al Maggiore (370 m) e al Garda (350 m). | [Osservatorio dei Laghi Lombardi - Regione Lombardia, Fondazione Lombardia per l Ambiente, ARPA Lombardia, CNR-IRSA](https://fondazionefla.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Qualita-acque-lacustri-in-Lombardia.pdf) | medium | 2030-12-31 |
| Il Lago di Bolsena ha una superficie di circa 114,5 km2, una profondita' massima di 151 m e si trova a 305 m s.l.m.; il perimetro e' di 43 km. | [Regione Lazio - Piano di Tutela delle Acque Regionale, BUR n.103 del 20/12/2018](https://www.arpalazio.it/documents/20124/53249/Piano+di+Tutela+delle+Acque+Regionale+-+Aggiornamento.pdf); [ARPA Lazio](https://www.arpalazio.it/ambiente/acqua/laghi) | high | 2030-12-31 |
| Lo zero idrometrico del Lago Trasimeno e' fissato dalla Regione Umbria alla quota di 257,33 m s.l.m., riferimento usato per la batimetria e per la misura del livello del lago. | [Regione Umbria - Open Data Umbria](https://dati.regione.umbria.it/dataset/batimetria-lago-trasimeno) | medium | 2030-12-31 |
| Le isole del Lago Trasimeno si raggiungono con i traghetti di Busitalia: nel 2026 il servizio stagionale va dal 5 luglio al 27 settembre, con traversate di 15-30 minuti verso l'Isola Maggiore da Passignano e da Tuoro Navaccia. La crisi idrica del lago ha pero' sospeso il collegamento da Castiglione del Lago e, dal 29 giugno 2026, tutto il servizio per l'Isola Polvese. Chi sbarca all'Isola Maggiore paga una tassa di sbarco di 3 euro dal 1 marzo al 31 ottobre 2026 e 2 euro nel resto dell'anno. | [Busitalia - Sita Nord (Gruppo FS)](https://www.fsbusitalia.it/it/umbria/orari-linee-umbria/orari-servizi-navigazione-umbria.html); [doc 2](https://www.fsbusitalia.it/it/umbria/titoli-di-viaggio-tariffe-umbria/biglietti-tariffe-servizi-navigazione-umbria.html) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/nature.lago-trasimeno.1600.jpg
Author: Phacelias. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Trasimeno_with_view_on_Cortona.jpg

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