North of Spoleto
A circular car journey of some 55 km involves about 1 hour 30 minutes driving time.
Two other churches can be added to this itinerary: neither is rewarding in its current state, but they are both of great historical importance and situated in lovely countryside:
South to Ferentillo
Ferentillo is the site of the the important Abbazia di San Pietro in Valle.
It is closer to Terni but connected historically to Spoleto.
Check that the church is open by calling the hotel (see the page on the abbey) or the parish priest, Don Rinaldo (0744 780708)
South East to Monteleone di Spoleto
Monteleone di Spoleto
In 1902, a farmer called Isidoro Vannozzi discovered a grave (6th century BC) with rich grave goods that included an amazing ceremonial chariot under a field of his farm on Colle del Capitano, outside Monteleone di Spoleto (the Roman town of Brufa). The Vannozzi family still own the farm, which offers accommodation: Agriturismo Colle del Capitano. The chariot found its way into the possession of the American banker, John Pierpont Morgan, and then, in 1903, to the Metropolitan Museum, New York. There is a replica of the chariot in the Sala della Biga, Monteleone di Spoleto: it is only open in July - September.
Subsequent excavations of the area have revealed a large number of tombs that probably belonged to a community that was dispersed along the Nera Valley and that used a series of hill forts in the region, the most important of which was on Colle del Capitano. From this work, it became clear that the necropolis had in fact been in use mainly for cremations since the 12th century BC, with a period of interruption in the 7th century followed by the emergence of mainly inhumation tombs on the site in the 6th century.
These excavations occurred in two phases:
✴44 tombs (12th - 6th centuries BC) were found during excavations in 1907, and the associated grave goods were sent to the Museo Archeologico, Florence.
✴An opportunity for further excavation arose in the late 1970s when some of the farm buildings were demolished. A further 26 tombs (20 cremation tombs and 6 inhumation tombs) came to light during this and subsequent campaigns.
•Grave goods from this phase are mainly in the Museo Archeologico, Spoleto.
Return to the home page on Spoleto.