UNIONE DEI COMUNI: 
Montefalco and its timeless beautiful landscapes
On foot
It is a medieval town built on a hill at 473 meters above sea level. From its panoramic point of view, you can admire a breathtaking view of hills full of vineyards and olive trees as the valley extends from Perugia to Spoleto. The same landscape is painted in the cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli in the apse of the St. Francis Church Museum in the scene where the saint is blessing the people of Montefalco, showing the village and its natural environment that always invites us to compare the real and painted landscape with our sight and feelings. Observing the valley, the hill, and the castle from a specific location that can still be identified nowadays, the painter paints close and distant details, making his painting a decisive historical memory to get to know the agrarian landscape and the urban appearance of the village back then.
Even Frederick II of Swabia was impressed by the splendid landscape of the ancient village, so he changed its name from Coccorone to Montefalco. The combination of historical truth and legend created several stories that connect Frederick II, the village, and the famous birds. According to these tales, the emperor’s hawks escaped from his sight and flew away from the military camp, and went to the castle. The inhabitants of Coccorone thought it was a sign of fate and decided to use this opportunity to bring their beloved animals back to the emperor and to ask him for favors and good graces. The visible sign of the emperor’s visit to Montefalco is the Frederick II City Gate where above its Gothic arch, there is a two-headed eagle, its imperial coat of arms. Another panoramic point of view where you can enjoy the town is “Torre Campanaria” (a bell tower), situated in the Town Hall, once called Palazzo Comunale (People Palace). It was built in 1270 in a much smaller way and was enlarged on the whole left side during the 15th century, adding a porch with octagonal pillars, finished off with capitals decorated with large Acanthus leaves. Above the Renaissance loggia, there is a big terrace dominating the square.
PUNTI DI INTERESSE
