Cannara is a town and
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
on the
Topino River in the floodplain of central
Umbria
Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...
, in the
province of Perugia
The province of Perugia () is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The province covered all of Umbria until 1927, w ...
. It is located about 7 km west of
Spello
Spello (in Antiquity: Hispellum) is an ancient town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia in eastern-central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Monte Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 k ...
and 9 km north of
Bevagna.
It is a low-key agricultural village: its main business is the growing of wheat and onions. Its railroad station is used for freight and does not serve passengers.
As indicated by the etymology of the name (from ''canna'', rushes), it is a medieval town, recent by the standards of the region, since in earlier times the site was underwater in the
Lacus Clitorius that covered much of the area between
Bastia Umbra and
Foligno
Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...
, and was only drained in the Middle Ages. At any rate Cannara is first mentioned in 1170 as ''insula Cannaio'' — "the island of Cannaio"; the lake had not been completely drained yet.
Main sights
Its principal monuments consist in a number of small churches, among which the most important is probably the Church of the ''Buona Morte ''(also known as the Church of the Stigmata of St Francis), which may be associated with the foundation of the
Third Order
The term third order signifies, in general, lay members of Christian religious orders, who do not necessarily live in a religious community such as a monastery or a nunnery, and yet can claim to wear the religious habit and participate in the goo ...
by
Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...
. In the territory of the comune, a shrine at Pian d'Arca commemorates the "Miracle of the Birds" of the same Saint Francis. Also, the little hilltop town of
Collemancio has two old churches and a ruined Roman settlement identified by some with
Urbinum Hortense.
Local events
Cannara's main annual celebration is a ''
Sagra'' in honor of the onion: the ''Festa della Cipolla'' -- the week-long festival, featuring onion-based dining al fresco, draws over 10,000 visitors and is one of the best of the Umbrian 'sagre'.
See also
*
Collemancio
*
Urvinum Hortense
References
External links
Official website
Cities and towns in Umbria
{{Umbria-geo-stub