Montecchio

It was subject to various dominations, especially by Spoleto and the Lordships of the Atti and Trinci families, from Todi and Foligno. In 1479 it became the property of Bartolomeo della Rovere, who had received it from his uncle, the famous Pope Sixtus IV. As one of the main villages along the Via Flaminia, in 1530 Pope Clement VII, on his way to Rome, spent a few days there, but in 1553 it was unfortunately attacked by French troops on their way to Naples and the inhabitants were forced to refuge themselves in the surrounding mountains. The castle still has some of its fort walls built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 14th one, which is almost unchanged. The access gate, which is used even today, has coats of arms, including the Spoleto one. As you enter the castle, you can see the 16th century Town Hall in the small and nice square we are surrounded by and the coat of arms of the castle, representing three little mountains, and the Church of San Bartolomeo, which still preserves its mediaeval structure, made of white and pink ashlars. The castle was once divided into four districts: San Bartolomeo, Flaminia, dell’Arco and Tuderte and still shows a tangle of alleys and mediaeval buildings built in stone around the square, which is the centre of religious and social life.