Corciano
Encyclopedia
Corciano is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Perugia
in the Italian
region Umbria
, located about 8 km west of Perugia
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 17,008 and an area of 63.7 km². Corciano borders the comuni of Magione
and Perugia
.
The immediate neighborhood was populated by Etruscans, whose presence was dramatically signaled by the discovery in 1812 of bronze panels from a parade chariot, at Castel San Mariano di Corciano. Under Roman rule it became a district of Roman agricultural villas
.
A mythical founder Coragino, companion of Ulysses
, is a medieval invention recounted in the fourteenth-century Conto di Corciano e di Perugia. With the unsettled conditions of Late Antiquity
, the inhabitants withdrew to the defensible hilltop site that controlled the valley that communicated between Lake Trasimeno
and the upper Tiber valley
. Its curving concentric street system is testimony to the three encircling walls that protected the community. Like virtually all early walled villages, the Corcianesi were under the control of the bishop, in this case the bishop of Perugia, whose rights to the castrum de Corciano were confirmed by Pope Innocent II
in 1136; Corciano appears in a list of castelli belonging to Perugia, 1258. A visit by Francis of Assisi
is commemorated, after his canonisation, in a church dedicated to him, which retains traces of its fourteenth and fifteenth-century frescoes. The tower of the comune
, built in the thirteenth century, rises from the highest point. The triple walls and strategic site of Corciano made it a desirable stronghold in the constant warfare of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: in 1364 the little town was sacked by the Compania Bianca in the service of Cardinal Albornoz; in 1416 the condottiero Braccio Fortebraccio of Montone
laid siege to Corciano, which resisted successfully but capitulated to him when he returned for a second attempt.
As Perugia extended its control, the seat of power shifted to the Palazzo of the Capitano del Popolo
, representative of Perugia. The present Palazzo Municipale is the former seat of the signori of Corciano, the dukes of the noble family of Perugia, the Della Corgna, who constructed it in the sixteenth century as their rule over the formerly free commune was consolidated. Corciano remained part of the Papal States
until the plebiscite of 1860 joined it to the Kingdom of Italy
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Perugia
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...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, located about 8 km west of Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 17,008 and an area of 63.7 km². Corciano borders the comuni of Magione
Magione
Magione is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 15 km west of Perugia.Magione borders the following municipalities: Castiglione del Lago, Corciano, Panicale, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Perugia, Tuoro sul Trasimeno, and Umbertide...
and Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
.
History
The earliest traces of human presence (some fragments of flint tools on blades and fragments of vases turned into dough) date back to Neolithic times. The discovery of two cinerari vessels (preserved in the Museum of the Palazzo Municipale) indicate the presence of humans in the period between the ninth and eighth centuries BC Between the third and first centuries BC formed several settlements (usually small) dedicated mainly to agricultural and artisanal.The immediate neighborhood was populated by Etruscans, whose presence was dramatically signaled by the discovery in 1812 of bronze panels from a parade chariot, at Castel San Mariano di Corciano. Under Roman rule it became a district of Roman agricultural villas
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
.
A mythical founder Coragino, companion of Ulysses
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, is a medieval invention recounted in the fourteenth-century Conto di Corciano e di Perugia. With the unsettled conditions of Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, the inhabitants withdrew to the defensible hilltop site that controlled the valley that communicated between Lake Trasimeno
Lake Trasimeno
Lake Trasimeno , also referred to as Trasimene or Thrasimene in English, is the largest lake on the Italian peninsula south of the Po River with a surface area of 128 km2, slightly less than Lake Como...
and the upper Tiber valley
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
. Its curving concentric street system is testimony to the three encircling walls that protected the community. Like virtually all early walled villages, the Corcianesi were under the control of the bishop, in this case the bishop of Perugia, whose rights to the castrum de Corciano were confirmed by Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...
in 1136; Corciano appears in a list of castelli belonging to Perugia, 1258. A visit by Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
is commemorated, after his canonisation, in a church dedicated to him, which retains traces of its fourteenth and fifteenth-century frescoes. The tower of the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
, built in the thirteenth century, rises from the highest point. The triple walls and strategic site of Corciano made it a desirable stronghold in the constant warfare of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: in 1364 the little town was sacked by the Compania Bianca in the service of Cardinal Albornoz; in 1416 the condottiero Braccio Fortebraccio of Montone
Braccio da Montone
frame|Braccio da Montone.Braccio da Montone , born Andrea Fortebracci, and also known as Braccio Fortebraccio, was an Italian condottiero.-Biography:...
laid siege to Corciano, which resisted successfully but capitulated to him when he returned for a second attempt.
As Perugia extended its control, the seat of power shifted to the Palazzo of the Capitano del Popolo
Capitano del popolo
The capitano del popolo was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages.It was created in the early 13th century when the populares, the increasing wealthy classes of merchants, professionals, craftsmen and, in maritime cities, ship-owners, who were of non-noble origin, were able...
, representative of Perugia. The present Palazzo Municipale is the former seat of the signori of Corciano, the dukes of the noble family of Perugia, the Della Corgna, who constructed it in the sixteenth century as their rule over the formerly free commune was consolidated. Corciano remained part of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
until the plebiscite of 1860 joined it to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
.
Corcianesi of Note
- Nicola Danzetta (Corciano, 1820 – Perugia, 1895), patriot and politician.
- Luigi Rotelli (Corciano, 1833 – RomaRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, 1891), cardinal of the Catholic Church. - Artemio Giovagnoni (PerugiaPerugiaPerugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
, 1922 – Corciano, 2007), sculptor, medallion maker, playwright, writer and poet. - Franco Venanti (Perugia, 1930), painter , founder, together with his brother Luciano of the "Agosto corcianese" Festival.
- Carlo Brugnami (Corciano, 1938), cyclist.
- Erminia Emprin (Torino, 1952), politician. Resident in this comune.
- Antonio Ferrari, known as Dj Ralf (Bastia Umbra, 1957), disc jockey, principally House music. Resident in this comune.
- Filippo Protani (Perugia, 1969), violin maker. Resident in this comune.
External links
Further reading
- Fabrizio Fabbri, ed. 1999. Corciano: Arte, storia, fede di un antico Castello (Perugia)