It is the ancient Coccorone and the current toponym born in the XIII century. Emblem of change is the fourteenth-century convent of Saint Fancis, famous for the valuable frescoes that cover the central apse, a work-masterpiece by Benozzo Gozzoli and depicting scenes from the life of the saint. A symbol of the genius loci that has passed through the centuries, the convent, now called the San Francesco Montefalco Museum, divided into a church-museum of Saint Francis a picture gallery – with four exhibition rooms – and an archaeological collection.
All the findings come from the surrounding area and are attributable to Roman times, when the village was included among the administrative jurisdictions of Spoletium, Mevania, Tuder and Trebiae. In this art sanctuary and with a game of bank, you can go from the sacred to the profane and also to Bacchus, simply by going down into the cellars. In fact, the ancient cellars of the minor convent friars of Montefalco have been visited for some years, come to light during the last restoration works and set up with materials from the 18th and 19th centuries, all linked to the processing of the grapes and wine production.
An intoxicating and documented path that allows you to discover – perfectly preserved – the ancient tanks for the harvesting and crushing of the grapes: a centuries-old tradition, that of the production of wine by the friars, which is documented in the municipal statute of far 1692. document also includes indications relating to the sale of wine.
An opportunity to get to know, in one of the most intriguing villages of the region, an interweaving of history, culture, art and traditions in an atmosphere suspended in time. An evocative landscape that has also fascinated Hermann Hesse – Nobel Prize for literature in 1406 – who came to Montefalco in 1906 and who wrote about the village “It is one of the most peaceful places on earth, a quiet center of Franciscan art. Everything is ancient, medieval… ».
Main photo: www.bellaumbria.net
