Comune di Montefalco

Montefalco is situated on the top of a hill and surrounded by its mediaeval walls. It is like a treasure the visitor has to conquer.

Montefalco is situated on the top of a hill and surrounded by its mediaeval walls. It is like a treasure the visitor has to conquer. To discover its secrets and its most intimate nature, it is necessary to lose yourself in an undefined time to be surprised. Forget the time pressure and climb up the street to the wide square or get lost in the steep, narrow alleys. Enjoy the village with your feelings and be ready to appreciate every single thing that time has placed here for those who can appreciate it. The view is satisfying due to the wide panorama surrounding the walls, giving a feeling of relief to the heart and soul. The sight is captured by the architectural details and by the splendid frescoes in the churches. Try the fine products of the area, either used in traditional recipes or developed into a unique wine. There is no hurry, Sagrantino needs time to be perfected, to be prepared and breathed before it can be slowly and wisely tasted to reveal all its flavour and aroma complexity.

Feel the heart of its people, be overwhelmed by the euphoria of the ‘Fuga del Bove’, which every August involves everyone throwing flags and beating drums, among crazy relay races and bull runs. The competition among districts is held at the same time as the festival in honour of St Clare of the Cross, a festival of deep and shared devotion. As René Schneider perfectly summed up, the view of Montefalco is an invitation to climb up and explore. He said that from Foligno, he could see the steep Montefalco, standing out so clearly above the blue sky and on the other side he could see the Umbrian plain, which he wished to climb. It’s far away, it’s high, but he wanted to experience that magical place. The choice of setting up on the top of a hill dominating the Umbrian Valley dates back to the olden days when there was a rural village inhabited by the Umbrians. During the Roman period, the place was filled with patrician villas, an ideal location to enjoy the healthy hilly air and to cultivate and produce high-quality products, especially wine and oil. Still, nowadays there are olive groves and vineyards on the sides of the hill, enhancing the landscape with the silvery crowns of olive trees and the changing colours of vines, turning from green to yellow to red, until their leaves fall during winter. The current Montefalco look, however, is that of the mediaeval castle, surrounded by its unbroken city walls. You can enter the town only by crossing its gates and only by walking along its walls you can fully enjoy its unique structure and understand the complex connection between the inside and the outside, between the village and the valley and between the hill and the landscape. Coccorone, the castle’s first name, was built during the castellation period, when the population was forced to move to the hills to be safe, surrounded by mighty walls and gates closing at sunset, until the morning sun came out again and people’s energy and strength to do all the activities inside and outside the village came back. After the arrival of Emperor Frederick II, Coccorone changed its name to Montefalco and received its heraldic symbol, which was and still is a falcon standing on a six-peaked mountain.