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Vallo di Nera


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Located in a particularly fascinating region of Valnerina, the village partly preserves the Romanesque religious and civil buildings of the early Middle Ages. The urban layout is characterized by flat ring roads and very steep radial ramps. The high tower that stands on the side of the village multiplies in the palombare towers, which constitute a peculiar element of the Valnerina landscape.
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Vallo di Nera  | Stefano_Valeri/shutterstock
Vallo di Nera
Stefano_Valeri/shutterstock
Vallo di Nera  |
Vallo di Nera
Vallo di Nera  |
Vallo di Nera
Vallo di Nera  |
Vallo di Nera
Church of Santa Maria  |
Church of Santa Maria
Vallo di Nera  | ValerioMei/shutterstock
Vallo di Nera
ValerioMei/shutterstock
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera  | Walter Malagoli
Vallo di Nera
Walter Malagoli
A look at Vallo di Nera
A look at Vallo di Nera

About the village

Archaeological evidence supports the thesis of the existence of remote settlements traceable to the indigenous peoples of this valley as early as the 8th century BC. In the period between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C. began the historical era of Valdinarco and the subsequent Romanization, evidenced by archaeological findings.
Beginning in 1177 Vallo di Nera became a fief of the Germanic duke of Spoleto Corrado di Hursligen, and in 1217 Jacopo Capocci formally granted the inhabitants of Vallo di Nera possession of the Flezano Hill and the right to erect a castle there, in exchange for protection and defense from Spoleto.

But Vallo di Nera, because of its characteristic as an important strategic point of control of the road, was bitterly contested between the Church State and Spoleto, which succeeded in conquering it in the 13th century. Nature and culture found an authentic symbiosis in Vallo di Nera, expressed in the ancient name of the place Castrum Vallis, where Vallum could be traced as much to the fortified place along the valley as to the Lombard wald, forest. Thus Vallo di Nera still appears today a stone castle in the midst of the green woods that surround it.

The urban layout placed on the top of a rise is very compact and is characterized by flat ring roads and very steep radial ramps. The tall tower that towers over the side of the town is multiplied in the palombare towers, which are a distinctive feature of the Valnerina landscape.
These towers, originally built with defense functions, later played an important role in the agrarian economy of the area, as they allowed a vertical organization of functions: at the bottom the stable, above the dwelling, higher up the granaries and, at the top, the dovecote that provided manure for the fields and meat for the inhabitants.

Outside the walls lies the village "i casali" gentrified by 16th-century stores along the roads that connected Vallo di Nera with neighboring towns. The territory of high scenic and artistic value includes the castles and villas of Meggiano, Piedipaterno, Geppa, Paterno, Monte Fiorello, Piedilacosta, La Pieve, Le Campore, Bourbon, and Roccagelli. Vallo di Nera is entirely surrounded by walls and towers and preserves intact its medieval urban structure, with narrow alleys surmounted by arches. Worth mentioning are the Franciscan church of Santa Maria, which contains frescoes (also in the sacristy) of the Giotto school including the famous "Procession of the Whites" painted by Cola di Pietro da Camerino in 1401, the parish church of St. John the Baptist with frescoes by Jacopo Siculo, and the church of Santa Caterina attached to the former convent of the Franciscan tertiaries with remains of frescoes. The shepherds of Vallo di Nera are the ancient, and now famous, repositories of the oral tradition of the Valnerina made up of nursery rhymes, work songs, and hyperbolic tales, which deserve to be heard by those who want to discover the secrets of the Valnerina.

The House of Tales was founded as a research and documentation center with the aim of making this intangible heritage known.

Among the products of Vallo di Nera, cheese deserves a special place. Every year in June, Fior di Cacio takes place, a gastronomic kermis where it is possible to taste all the varieties of cheese from Vallo di Nera and the Valnerina. Other local delicacies include trout, truffles, honey and cured meats.

Village of Vallo di Nera
The Municipality of Vallo di Nera
Province of Perugia
Umbria region

inhabitants: 364 vallani
Pop. resident foreign: 41

The Municipality is part of:
I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Città per la pace

Acknowledgments
Orange Flag - Italian Touring Club

Municipality
Piazza G. Marconi 8 - phone +39 0743 616143

 

= distances as the crow flies

BY CAR

  • From Rome-Terni: reach Terni via the A1 highway; follow signs for the Marmore Falls; SS 209 towards Norcia
  • From Rome-Rieti: drive along the Salaria towards Ascoli Piceno; follow signs for Norcia; continue along the SS 209 towards Terni
  • From Perugia-Spoleto: reach Spoleto via the SS Flaminia; walk the gallery of Eggi; continue towards Norcia
  • From Ascoli Piceno - San Benedetto del Tronto: take the Salaria towards Rieti; follow signs for Norcia; continue along the SS 209 towards Terni

BY PLANE

  • Perugia airport
  • Rome Fiumicino Airport

Sleep, eat, buy...

= distances as the crow flies
= distances as the crow flies

Events

saturday
20
january, 2024

San Sebastiano

Our news about Vallo di Nera

Among the Umbrian tables, on Easter morning, there is a traditional cheese cake. A savory panettone which, depending on the area, may undergo variations while maintaining its constants: cheese, pecorino cheese, salt and pepper. As per tradition, this soft rustic is accompanied by the flavors of the capocollo, boiled eggs and wine and in ancient times it was customary to prepare it during Holy Week and then take it to church, to be blessed, on Easter day.Let's see how it is prepared.
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A long parchment dated 23 September 1217 and signed by Jacopo by Messer Giovanni Capocci, Podestà di Spoleto, attests the birth of the castle of Vallo di Nera and the concession to the men of Vallo of the right to live on the hill of Flezano, formerly occupied by a fortress of the Duke Corrado d'Urslingen. So Vallo di Nera populated and  the ancient Castrum Valli, built in the heart of Valnerina. In a few days the ancient village will celebrate 800 years, and i...
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