Monteleone di Spoleto
Encyclopedia
Monteleone di Spoleto is a town and comune
of Italy
, in the province of Perugia
in southeast Umbria
at 978 meters (3209 ft) above sea-level overhanging the upper valley of the Corno River
. It is one of the more remote towns in Umbria, on a mountain road from Norcia
and Cascia
(33 km and 12 km NNE respectively) to Leonessa
and Rieti
in the Lazio (10 km S and 51 km SSW).
The population of the comune was 648 in 2010, with the town proper accounting for about half of that; the frazioni
of Monteleone are Butino, Rescia, Ruscio
, and Trivio.
Monteleone is famous for one of the world's great archaeological finds: a 6th‑century BC Etruscan chariot that quickly followed the path of money and by the early 20th century had already wound up in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. A copy of the chariot is on display in Monteleone. There remain, however, few if any traces of the town's Roman days: destroyed and rebuilt by the Spoletans
in the 12th century, it offers at present an essentially medieval appearance.
The main monument in Monteleone is the 14th century church of San Francesco, with a cloister now serving as a lapidary museum, a Gothic door and a fresco of Christ
crucified in the full robes of a bishop
, with a loaf of bread under one foot and a chalice of wine under the other. Under the cloister a second church can be seen, complete with a 14th‑century fresco. Other monuments include several other medieval churches, the 15th‑century Palazzo Bernabò, and vestiges of the town's medieval walls, including a clock tower.
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:...
of Italy
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...
, 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 southeast 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...
at 978 meters (3209 ft) above sea-level overhanging the upper valley of the Corno River
Corno River
The Corno is a small river of the northern Lazio and eastern Umbria in Italy. Its source is on the upper slopes of Mount Corno, at an approximate altitude of 1700 m , and it flows for about , almost always due north, past the towns of Leonessa, Ocre, Ruscio, Monteleone di Spoleto, Roccaporena,...
. It is one of the more remote towns in Umbria, on a mountain road from Norcia
Norcia
Norcia is a town and comune in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria, located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a subrange of the Apennines with some of its highest peaks, near the Sordo River, a small stream that eventually flows into the Nera...
and Cascia
Cascia
Cascia is a town and comune of the Italian province of Perugia in a rather remote area of the mountainous southeastern corner of Umbria. It is about 21 km from Norcia on the road to Rieti in the Lazio .-History:...
(33 km and 12 km NNE respectively) to Leonessa
Leonessa
Leonessa is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Province of Rieti in the Lazio region of central Italy. Its population in 2008 was around 2,700.Situated in a small plain at the foot of Mt...
and Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
in the Lazio (10 km S and 51 km SSW).
The population of the comune was 648 in 2010, with the town proper accounting for about half of that; the frazioni
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Monteleone are Butino, Rescia, Ruscio
Ruscio
Ruscio is a village of east central Umbria, a frazione of Monteleone di Spoleto, 42°38N 12°58E, in the upper valley of the Corno River at about 900 meters above sea-level. It is 2 km SE of Monteleone and 11 km N of Leonessa...
, and Trivio.
Monteleone is famous for one of the world's great archaeological finds: a 6th‑century BC Etruscan chariot that quickly followed the path of money and by the early 20th century had already wound up in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. A copy of the chariot is on display in Monteleone. There remain, however, few if any traces of the town's Roman days: destroyed and rebuilt by the Spoletans
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
in the 12th century, it offers at present an essentially medieval appearance.
The main monument in Monteleone is the 14th century church of San Francesco, with a cloister now serving as a lapidary museum, a Gothic door and a fresco of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
crucified in the full robes of a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, with a loaf of bread under one foot and a chalice of wine under the other. Under the cloister a second church can be seen, complete with a 14th‑century fresco. Other monuments include several other medieval churches, the 15th‑century Palazzo Bernabò, and vestiges of the town's medieval walls, including a clock tower.
External links
- Pro Loco (The town's volunteer tourist bureau)
- Archeoambiente