Umbertide
Encyclopedia
Umbertide is a town and comune
(township) of Italy
, in the province of Perugia
in northwestern Umbria
, at the confluence of the Reggia river and the Tiber
. It is 30 km (19 mi) North of Perugia
and 20 km (12 mi) South of Città di Castello
. With 15,300 inhabitants according to the 2003 census, Umbertide is one of the larger towns of Umbria; and basically flat, which is relatively unusual for the region. It is an important regional industrial center producing machine tools, farm machinery, textiles, packaging material, and ceramics.
and Roman times. At the top of Monte Acuto has been discovered an umbrian fortification ("castelliere") http://www.lacantinadinunzio.it/lacantinadinunzio/gli_eventi_3_files/poster4definitivo.pdf.
The nineteenth‑century archaeologist Mariano Guardabassi even attributed a small building at Lame, about 1 km from the center of the modern town, to the Etruscans
, although this is by no means certain The Roman town of Pitulum, destroyed by Totila
in the mid-6th century, may account for Roman remains in S. Maria delle Sette. In its present incarnation, Umbertide was founded in the 8th or 10th century, depending on the scholar; its original name was Fratta, and it received its present name in 1863 in honor of then Crown Prince Umberto.
, or citadel, many of Umbertide's best monuments are of later periods. The main church in town is the collegiate church of S. Maria della Reggia, often referred to simply as the Collegiata: it is an octagonal 16th century brick building topped by an elegant cupola, housing a few paintings by niccolò Circignani
. S. Maria della Pietà, with the attractive funerary chapel of the counts of Sorbello, is late medieval and Renaissance
. The seventeenth‑century church of S. Croce houses a museum with a good collection of paintings, including a Deposition by Luca Signorelli
. The largest church, S. Francesco, is Gothic: in the early 21st century it was undergoing a major restoration that promised to be protracted. The twentieth‑century church of Cristo Risorto is also noteworthy.
Beyond the city limits, the township's principal monuments are:
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's site, by permission.)
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:...
(township) 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 northwestern 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 the confluence of the Reggia river and the Tiber
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...
. It is 30 km (19 mi) North 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....
and 20 km (12 mi) South of Città di Castello
Città di Castello
Città di Castello is a city and comune in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of the Umbria region of Italy. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain of the river Tiber. The city is north of Perugia and south of Cesena on the S3bis. It is connected to the A1...
. With 15,300 inhabitants according to the 2003 census, Umbertide is one of the larger towns of Umbria; and basically flat, which is relatively unusual for the region. It is an important regional industrial center producing machine tools, farm machinery, textiles, packaging material, and ceramics.
History
Umbertide or the surrounding area was inhabited in pre-RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Roman times. At the top of Monte Acuto has been discovered an umbrian fortification ("castelliere") http://www.lacantinadinunzio.it/lacantinadinunzio/gli_eventi_3_files/poster4definitivo.pdf.
The nineteenth‑century archaeologist Mariano Guardabassi even attributed a small building at Lame, about 1 km from the center of the modern town, to the Etruscans
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
, although this is by no means certain The Roman town of Pitulum, destroyed by Totila
Totila
Totila, original name Baduila was King of the Ostrogoths from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the territories in Italy that the Eastern Roman Empire had captured from his Kingdom in 540.A relative of...
in the mid-6th century, may account for Roman remains in S. Maria delle Sette. In its present incarnation, Umbertide was founded in the 8th or 10th century, depending on the scholar; its original name was Fratta, and it received its present name in 1863 in honor of then Crown Prince Umberto.
Main sights
Although there are remains of the medieval walls, a few medieval houses, and part of the RoccaRocca (architecture)
Rocca is an Italian term meaning a high, fortifiable stronghold, usually located in smaller towns, beneath or on which the village or town clustered, within which its inhabitants might take refuge at times of trouble; under its owners' patronage the settlement might hope to find prosperity in...
, or citadel, many of Umbertide's best monuments are of later periods. The main church in town is the collegiate church of S. Maria della Reggia, often referred to simply as the Collegiata: it is an octagonal 16th century brick building topped by an elegant cupola, housing a few paintings by niccolò Circignani
Niccolò Circignani
Niccolò Circignani was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period.Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from the 1560s, where he painted frescos on the Old Testament stories for the Vatican Belvedere, where he...
. S. Maria della Pietà, with the attractive funerary chapel of the counts of Sorbello, is late medieval and Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. The seventeenth‑century church of S. Croce houses a museum with a good collection of paintings, including a Deposition by Luca Signorelli
Luca Signorelli
Luca Signorelli was an Italian Renaissance painter who was noted in particular for his ability as a draughtsman and his use of foreshortening...
. The largest church, S. Francesco, is Gothic: in the early 21st century it was undergoing a major restoration that promised to be protracted. The twentieth‑century church of Cristo Risorto is also noteworthy.
Beyond the city limits, the township's principal monuments are:
- the castle of Civitella Ranieri, 5 km (3 mi) NE, one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Umbria.
- the abbey of S. Salvatore di Montecorona 4 km (2.5 mi) S, which has a beautiful eleventh‑century crypt with early Romanesque capitals and naïve 18th century painted ceilings.
- the medieval castle of Polgeto
- the abbey church of S. Bartolomeo de' Fossi, sited on a sharp ridge with distant views on either side
- the walled medieval village of Borgo Santa Giuliana
External links
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's site, by permission.)