The area is also famous for its food and wine and many typical restaurants can be found in nearby towns and villages. The famous wine-producing areas of Chianti, Montepulciano and Montalcino are all a short drive away and most vineyards offer guided tours and wine tasting all year round.

Organic extra-virgin olive oil is still produced from the centuries old olive trees in the castle grounds. The olives are still harvested by hand and cold pressed in the traditional way, contributing to keep up the name of the Trasimeno olive oil, reputed among the best in Italy.

The lake offers its beaches and the Maggiore and Polvese islands, the latter a conservation area. Scenic walks in the nearby woods, departing from Montegualandro's moat, one of the few remaining in Italy, are a favourite pastime and horses can be hired nearby. Hiking is also possible in several other nearby areas, such as the Monte Amiata (which also has a small but very scenic ski resort in the winter months), the Foreste Casentinesi National Park and the hills behind Cortona.

Birdwatchers can choose between sitting in the garden or outside the castle walls or make the short trip to one of the nearby wetland areas. Lake Trasimeno is an Important Bird Area and a nature reserve and so are the lakes of Chiusi and Montepulciano. Woodland species include Cirl Buntings, Sardinian and Dartford Warblers, Hoopoes, Golden Oriole and Blue Rock Thrush. Bee-eaters breed in several nearby sites and are commonly seen along some local roads. Raptors include Montagu’s Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Black Kites and Marsh Harriers near the lakes. On the lakes breed grebes, Purple, Night and Squacco herons, Little bitterns, Black-winged Stilts and Ferruginous Ducks. The same lakes host a wide variety of wintering and migrating waterfowl, gulls and waders. The castle itself is a popular nesting site for Kestrels, Blue Rock Thrushes, Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Redstarts, tits, sparrows, finches etc.