The village, built during Roman times, is linked to the legend of Janus, the two-faced god, to whom the ancient tower called “Torre di Giano” was dedicated and who inspired Nino Caruso’s “Fonte di Giano” (Fountain of Janus), dated 1986, which can be found in Piazza Baglioni.
In the Middle Ages, a castle with walls was built on the Roman ruins, of which the Baglioni Tower is still a testimony today. This area has been linked to wine production since ancient times. In fact, the municipal coat of arms is a tower wrapped in a scroll with bunches of grapes, a reminder of the two elements that characterise the village.
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What to see
Don’t miss the pretty Piazza Santa Maria from which you can reach Via Garibaldi, formerly the heart of the historical centre of Torgiano, overlooked by buildings with picturesque decorations. Then we come to Piazza Baglioni, characterised by a 1986 fountain by Nino Caruso, the “fonte di Giano” (fountain of Janus), in reference to the origins of the settlement and the location of the village, situated at the confluence of the Tiber and Chiascio rivers. The paving of the square is characteristic, with a pattern of large oil millstones designed through the use of traditional Umbrian materials such as terracotta, travertine and pietra serena.

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Don’t miss a visit to the Parish Church of San Bartolomeo, built at the end of the 13th century, but whose current appearance is the result of an 18th-century makeover. Close to the church is the Oratory of the Compagnia della Morte, or of the Misericordia, built in 1587 and restored in the early 18th century, as the inscription under the tympanum reminds us; today it is a deconsecrated room used for exhibitions.

Opposite the church stands Palazzo Manganelli, formerly owned by the Baglioni family. For its construction, some pre-existing houses and a courtyard were incorporated.
Because of its history and the need to closely control the management of the land used for agricultural production, the village of Torgiano is characterised by the presence of numerous palaces and noble villas.

The main attraction of the village is the Museo del Vino (MUVIT), one of the most famous wine museums in Italy, founded in 1974 on the initiative of Giorgio and Maria Grazia Lungarotti with the aim of supporting the local wine economy. The more than twenty rooms of the museum tell the thousand-year history of this production, with all the religious and profane meanings that have characterised it.
(For information on the Museum:https://www.muvit.it/museodelvino/)

Another destination not to be missed is the Museo dell’Olivo e dell’Olio (MOO), also linked to the Lungarotti family. Documents, engravings and various types of artefacts illustrate the history of the olive tree and its fruit, as well as the final product, with ample attention devoted to the meanings it has assumed over the millennia.
(For information on the Museum: https://www.muvit.it/museodellolio/)

Torgiano is also home to the Museo Arte Ceramica Contemporanea (MACC), part of the Sistema Museale dell’Umbria, located on two levels of Palazzo Malizia. The ground floor houses the numerous works donated to the town by Nino Caruso, master of ceramic art, already remembered for the fountain in Piazza Baglioni. The other section of the museum focuses on the event conceived in 1996 by Nino Caruso “Vaselle d’autore per il Vino Novello”.
(Torgiano tourism website: https://www.turismotorgiano.it/ita/16/musei/2/museo-arte-ceramica-contemporanea-macc/)

Continuing the tour of the village, we come across the Oratory of Sant’Antonio, probably built in the 15th century, at the same time as the foundation of the Confraternity of Sant’Antonio, while along Via Garibaldi, just beyond the back of Palazzo Baglioni, we can admire the Church of Santa Maria del Castello, one of the oldest churches in the village, of which we have evidence from the first half of the 16th century. The façade is really pretty: made of stone and brick, it is enriched by a small bell gable with three bells. Above the two entrances is a niche containing a fresco depicting a Madonna and Child.
A curiosity: on 15 August each year, the traditional blessing of basil takes place in this church, testifying to the importance of the Marian cult in the area.

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A short walk then takes us outside the city walls, where we find the beautiful Torre della Guardia, or Baglioni Tower, which dominates the valley in the direction of Perugia. Until the middle of the 15th century it was the entrance to a customs area. With a rectangular base, it is embellished with Guelph battlements and has been restored to its original state after a long restoration. It also bears the municipal coat of arms.
The avenue leading to the tower is characteristic and scenic, bordered by two rows of cypress trees, which can also be found once the tower has been crossed, as far as the small 16th-century Church of Santa Maria dell’Olivello, located near the cemetery and therefore also known as the “Church of the Cemetery”.

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