Montone - One of the prettiest medieval villages in Umbria!

Once an ancient Umbrian fortified village, Montone passed under Roman dominion (proved by local finds) and today can still be seen in its medieval form. The first mention of Montone on record dates back to the year 1000, when the castle previously destroyed by Barbarossa was rebuilt. A document from 1121 confirms the presence of a fortified Borgo with a castle under the control of Perugia.

In the 15C, Montone had its most splendid moment, thanks to Andrea Braccio Fortebraccio. One of the greatest leaders and captains of the time, he was responsible for the birth of a single state of Umbria with Perugia as its capital. He became Lord of Perugia, Prince of Capua, Governor of the Abruzzi, allied with Florence and enemy of Pope Martin V. He died during the siege of Aquila in 1424.

In 1473, Carlo Fortebraccio, a general of the Venetian militia, brought a thorn from Christ’s crownas a gift to the people of Montone.

“The year of grace, 1473, the Count Carlo de Fortebracci, fought in the service of the Serene Republic of Venice, recapturing the Mori from the confines of the Venetians and was in recompense given a thorn from the crown of Jesus Christ. He returned to Montone, where he donated this to the people for the devotion of all and placed it in the church of San Francesco….”

This event is celebrated yearly, with locals dressing in the costume of their Terziere, celebrations continue for a week, with scenes from medieval times, finishing with an archery contest, the palio and election of the true Castellana.

To conclude the celebrations there is a procession of the Sacred Thorn.

In 1518, the countship of Montone passed to the Vitelli family and so came under the dominion of Citta’ di Castello.

In 1640, it passed to the Church and papal states and after the Risorgimento was united to the kingdom of Italy in 1865.

The medieval villages is divided into 3 terziere, Porta del Vecchio Borgo, Porta del Monte and Porta del Verziere.

Restoring the apartment in Umbria!

Part Three

Camera Gregorio

Much of the old plasterwork was chipped off and a new dividing wall built to make an ensuite bathroom in the second bedroom. The floor was pulled up and new heating system and plumbing laid down, then the floor was relaid with new terracotta tiles on top.

All the old original doors were striped of their paint, treated and varnished giving a traditional Umbrian farmhouse look. New doors for the bathrooms were made out of age-old wood to retain the traditional feel.

The windows too were taken out, striped, treated and reworked with wax, then put back in place. Finally the shutters were restored and painted deep green as is the Umbrian way...

The kitchen had been built on at a later date, so a contemporary kitchen with traditional lines was chosen to stay in keeping with the rest of the apartment.Eventually, the walls were replastered throughout and painted a welcoming and cosy creamy colour.

Restoring the apartment in Umbria

Part Two

Camera Audrey

The wall between the tiny bathroom and bedroom was torn down, the doorway into the bedroom bricked up and a new doorway opened up to the right hand side. A new bathroom was built incorporating the original front door as the recess for the shower and the old doorway as a niche for the sink. The sandblasting revealed the stone cupboard to be made of pietra serena and is now a wardrobe in the bedroom.

Restoring the apartment in Umbria

Part One

Restoration of the apartment meant striping out the old wiring system, rewiring and putting in a central heating system. One of the first jobs was to sandblast the beams and ceiling revealing beautiful oak and chestnut beams and terracotta ceilings. In two of the rooms, a single flower can be found embossed on the terracotta ceiling tiles as a mark of the maker of the tiles.

The floor in the bedrooms was pulled up so that the original terracotta tiles were revealed. Some of the ancient timber crossbeams had to be renewed and then the terracotta tiles were carefully replaced. An insulation layer was put down and tubes for plumbing and wiring were laid on top of this, held in place by a layer of cement. Next, terracotta tiles were laid on top bringing a wonderful glow of colour to the apartment.

The floor tiles in the living room were cleaned using acid and most of the red paint dissolved, leaving 300 year old terracotta tiles exposed to view. Some of these had to be lifted temporarily to allow the heating and wiring tubes to pass through but were then re-laid.

Umbria – What’s happening in Umbria?

Apart from offering fantastic food and wine, endless panoramas, medieval villages and towns, renaissance art and Roman and Etruscan ruins, there are many wonderful annual events taking place, which if you are lucky you can see during your holidays here! Some of these celebrate traditional events dating back to medieval times and others are on a much larger scale, like Umbria jazz, which attracts visitors from all over the world.

Here is a short list of some of the best and most well known:

Assisi – Calendimaggio – First days in May 2007

The most famous of all Umbrian towns, Assisi, home of Saint Francis (San Francesco), has its own pageant every May with locals dressing up in stunning medieval costumes, parades through the streets, medieval craft stalls and much more…

Gubbio – Festa dei Ceri – 15th May 2007

On the side of the mountain, Gubbio is an ancient town dating back to the Umbri, Romans and then medieval times. This fascinating event dates back to medieval times, with a team from each Rione (area) of the town having to race up to the top of the mountain with an enormous and extremely heavy wooden “ceri” (candle) with a figurine of a Saint on top. The winner is the first team into the church at the top of the mountain!!!!

Bevagna – Mercato delle Gaite – June 2007

This beautiful medieval village lies in the middle of the Vale of Umbria and each year, for two weeks in June, the streets are lined with stalls and craftsmen making and selling traditional medieval crafts. Medieval costumes are everywhere and the restaurants base their menus on ancient recipes!

Spello – Infiorato – 9th – 10th June 2006

The streets of this beautiful medieval town are carpeted with intricate and colourful floral designs. Artists work over night from the Saturday to create their pictures out of flower petals which are judged on the Sunday morning. Be there before 10am to see the artwork at its best!

Perugia – Umbria jazz (www.umbriajazz.com) – July 2007

The streets of Perugia come alive to sound the sounds of jazz, soul and blues with live concerts in the main squares and all the wine bars, restaurants and pizzerias have their own jazz house band with jamming sessions from midnight onwards…

Spoleto – Festival of 2 Worlds (www.spoletofestnet.it) – June/July2007

The southern Umbrian town of Spoleto hosts the international music festival, The Festival of Two Worlds, with open air concerts taking place in the beautiful square in front of the ancient Duomo and the Roman amphitheatre and many more taking place in the theatres.

Castiglione del Lago – Trasimeno Blues (www.trasimenoblues.net) - July 2007

Umbria’s largest lake, Lago Trasimeno, is home to the annual festival, Trasmimeno Blues, with artists coming from all over the world to perform in many different locations all around the Lake!

Montone – Umbria Film Festival (www.umbrianfilmfestival.com) – July 2007

The tiny and perfect medieval hilltop village of Montone is home to the Umbrian Film Festival. Founded by Monty Python star, Terry Gilliam, a huge silver screen is hung in the main square and everyone can watch films under the starlit sky…

Perugia – Eurochocolate – 13th – 21st October

The main high street, Corso Vanucci, is lined with stalls selling every possible kind of Chocolate! Sellers come from all over Europe and some of the best chocolate in the world is here to be tried and tasted. All the coffee shops and bars sell mugs of steaming hot chocolate, there are chocolate sculptures, chocolate fountains and much more…

Città di Castello – Woodland and Truffle Fair – 3rd – 5th November 2007

Huge marquees fill the main square in Città di Castello, each packed with stalls selling the highly prized, culinary delicacy, the truffle! Porcini mushrooms, salamis and prosciutto from Norcia, cheeses of the region, olive oils and much more are all for sale! Fabulous event for food lovers!

Frantoio Aperti – Nov 2007

All the olive mills in Umbria are open for visitors to taste and purchase the newly pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Carnival or Carnevale in Umbria and Italy!

The period of carnevale, or carnival time, marks the beginning of the Lenten fast and derives from the Latin words "carnem levare" or "stop meat".

The origins of Carnevale date back to an ancient roman cult based aroud the Saturnalia, pagan rites of fertility which were celebrated in honour of the god, Saturn. During those celebrations everything was allowed, even disguising and change of rules.

During medieval times, with the spreading of Christianity, the carnival celebrations were modified substantially because of its magic and ritual, but it still was tolerated by the clergy. During the 15th and 16th century some traditions were recaptured and the use of masks and dressing up in costumes spread throughout Italy.

In Umbria and Terni parades with chariots take place every year in Montecastrilli and in Guardea on February the 15th and the 22nd. Throughout Umbria, you can find parades of chariots, plays and exhibitions of typical masks and costumes.

On February 26th in the medieval town of Città di Castello there are party games, plays in carnival clothes and music.

During the carnival in Umbria you may taste the struffoli, a sweet typical of Perugia made with honey, sugar and candied fruits. The most common are the frittelle and the frappe and castagnole.

The cicerchiata is another typical Umbrian recipe. This one, like the struffoli, is a traditional Umbrian sweet. It is made with small balls of pasta sunk in orange honey and garnished with candies and sugared almonds.

So, no calories involved at all! Come and join in the celebrations!