Montefalco is a historic small hill town in

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 ...

, Italy, with a population of 5,581 in August 2017. It has been settled since pre-Roman times, and retains many of its historic buildings. From 1446 to 1861 it was part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Montefalco DOC Montefalco wine (Montefalco Rosso, red wine; Montefalco Bianco, white wine) is a style of Italian wine made in Umbria, and awarded Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status in 1979. Geography The region lies in the province of Perugia ...

is a regulated geographical area due to its red grape wine production, including the highly localized

Sagrantino Sagrantino is an Italian grape variety that is indigenous to the region of Umbria in Central Italy. It is grown primarily in the village of Montefalco and the surrounding area, with a recent rapid increase in planting area from in 2000 to by 20 ...

grape variety. The town's museum is in a former church, which has a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

cycle on the life of St. Francis by the Florentine artist

Benozzo Gozzoli Benozzo Gozzoli (; born Benozzo di Lese; 4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, depicting festi ...

(1450–1452).

History

The town has been continuously inhabited since the times of the

Umbri The Umbri were an Italic peoples, Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the Regio VI Umbria, ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were sett ...

. It has been under the successive rule of the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, followed by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, being called Coccorone in the Middle Ages. In 1249 it was sacked by Frederick II, but was quickly rebuilt, and began being known by its modern name. Since the 13th century it had been a free ''comune ''under the rule of local nobles and merchants, but later, as with many other Umbrian locales, the comune gave way to government by a ''Signoria'' — in this case, that of the Trinci from the nearby

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 ...

(1383–1439). In 1446 it fell under the rule of the

where it remained until the unification of Italy in 1861. St. Clare of Montefalco, sometimes known as St. Clare of the Cross, was born in Montefalco and died there in 1308.

Monuments and sites of interest

Religious architecture or sites

Montefalco today has several churches in Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. *'' San Francesco'': now the town's museum, and an important museum in Umbria. The church is notable for its fresco cycle on the life of St. Francis, by the Florentine artist

(1450–1452). Other artists represented in the museum include

Perugino Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famous ...

Francesco Melanzio Francesco Melanzio (1460–1526) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period in Montefalco, Umbria. He was born in Montefalco, and said to have been, along with Bernardino di Mariotto, a pupil of Fiorenzo di Lorenzo Fiorenzo di Loren ...

Pier Antonio Mezzastris Pier Antonio Mezzastris (or Pierantonio Mezastris; c. 1430 – c. 1506) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, painting in a somewhat provincial style for the time. He was born at Foligno in Umbria. He painted religious subjects, working mos ...

Antoniazzo Romano Antonio di Benedetto Aquilo degli Aquili (c. 1430 – c. 1510), known as Antoniazzo Romano, was an Italian Early Renaissance painter, the leading figure of the Roman school during the latter part of the 15th century. He "made a speciality of ...

and

Tiberio d'Assisi Tiberio is an Italian given name from the Latin Tiberius, a derivative of the name of the river Tiber, as well as a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Tiberio Calcagni (1532–1565), Italian sculptor * Tiberio Cavallo ...

. *'' Sant'Agostino'' *'' Santa Chiara'': sanctuary built in 1615, it rises adjacent to the Franciscan monastery linked to this local saint, and now includes the ''Chapel of the Holy Cross'', the apse of the former ''Chiesa di Santa Croce'' with 14th century frescoes on the life of

Chiara of Montefalco Clare of Montefalco, OSA (Italian: ; c. 1268 – August 18, 1308), in religion Saint Clare of the Cross, was an Augustinian nun and abbess. She was formerly a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII on December ...

*'' Santa Illuminata'' *'' San Fortunato'': built in the 4th century over the tomb of

Fortunatus of Spoleto Saint Fortunatus of Spoleto (died ) was a parish priest near Spoleto in Umbria sometime between the 4th and 5th centuries. He is venerated as a saint within the Catholic Church. Little historical detail regarding Fortunatus survives, but he may ...

and renovated in the 15th century. It has frescoes by Gozzoli and Tiberio d'Assisi.

Secular architecture or sites

The 13th century ''Palazzo Comunale'' ("Town Hall") has a mullioned window from the original edifice and a 15th-century portal. Also notable are the gates in the walls, including ''Porta Sant'Agostino'', ''Porta Camiano'' and ''Porta Federico II''.

Wine

The comune of Montefalco and a small area of the comune of Bevagna constitute the regulated geographical area for Montefalco wines. Every year around Easter, the town sponsors a major festival called Settimana Enologica — or Wine Week — where visitors can enjoy the principal wines produced in the area including the comparatively simple red table wine, Montefalco Rosso, the more complex

DOCG The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin'); * ''Indicazione ...

red wines

, for which the area is famous, and the

Montefalco Sagrantino secco Montefalco Sagrantino (also Sagrantino di Montefalco before 2009) is a style of Italian wine made with 100% Sagrantino grapes in and around the comune of Montefalco in the Province of Perugia, Umbria. The wines gained DOC status in 1979 as part ...

References

External links

*Commons: Convento di San Fortunato with frescoes by Gozzoli
Official websiteTourist WebsiteMontefalco Wine ConsortiumTutto Montefalco
(including Urbini's ''Spello, Bevagna, Montefalco'') {{authority control Hilltowns in Umbria Wine regions of Italy Cittaslow Borghi più belli d'Italia