Abbey of Montecorona
According to the tradition, the Abbey of St. Salvatore of Montecorona was founded by St. Romuald in the eleventh century and is located a few kilometers from the center of Umbertide.
It is precisely 4km from Umbertide, at the foothills of the homonymous hill. As said above, according to the tradition, it was founded by St. Romuald in the eleventh century. The crypt in the basement is of great cultural and artistic importance. It consists of a large space divided into five naves, with columns of various styles supporting low vaults. The three-nave church upstairs was consecrated in 1105; it still preserves remains of frescoes and a fine wooden choir. Equally interesting is the octagonal and circular bell tower, perhaps formerly a defense tower, whose clock has been recently restored. From the abbey you can climb up the road to the Hermitage amidst chestnut and beech woods and shrines. Once the hermitage was connected to the church by a 2m wide trail called “the mattonata” built with dry blocks of sandstone, recently reopened for a nature walk that allows enjoying a truly unspoiled environment.
The Hermitage is an ancient monastery built by the Camaldonese and Coronese fathers in the sixteenth century. Walking along the trail, you can see the unique and charming ancient village of Santa Giuliana, completely restored according to its medieval structure. The date of construction of this castle is unknown; its earliest records date back to 1362 and in 1411 it was besieged by captain Paolo Orsini, an alley of Braccio Forebracci da Montone. Walking towards Perugia, the next building you meet is the fortress of Valenzina, whose history is mostly undocumented. Built for defense purposes, it is believed that it was adapted to the needs of landowners in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. About 3km further on, turning to Pierantinio, where the creek Nese meets the Tiber, you can see the castle of Ascagnano above, whose name is likely to come from the Ascani, descendants of Enea. Its foundation date is unknown. The earliest records date back to 1370, when Earl Gilberto della Serra entered Castiglione Ugolino, which had rebelled against Perugia, trying to take the castle of Ascagnano from them. Biondo Michelotti and the judges of Perugia ordered its destruction as soon as they found out that Giacomo D’Ascagnano and other members of his family had planned to give the castle to defectors from the Perugini, enemies of the Michelotti. In 1415, the remains were bought by Agnolo Ticagnetto, from Perugia, who started to rebuild it. In the nineteenth century, the castle was owned by Ettore Fiorenzi, who sold it to the King of Bavaria Luigi I in 1832.
Over the centuries, the castle underwent several changes, changed ownership many times and was adapted to make it more spacious and comfortable.
Back on the road to Perugia, finally, you can admire the magnificent castle of Antognolla, above on the right, located in the territory of Perugia but close to the municipality of Umbertide, standing out among the other buildings. Its construction date is not known but it seems that a Benedictine monastery had existed here since 1174. In 1404, it was the refuge for the nobles from Perugia Jacopo degli Arcipreti, Pandolfo Baglioni and Donato di Ser Jacopo with their followers. In 1480, the Baglioni family occupied the castle and controlled it for some years. In 1836, the whole County of Antognolla was purchased by Marquis Giovan Battista Guglielmi of Rome. His family owned it until 1921.