Top 5 Castles around Montone

The Aries fortress, near Montone, has very ancient origins, it was built by the Fortebracci family on the remains of an ancient fortress to defend the primitive population. There is news of it since the year one thousand, but it is from 1376 that the fortress begins to intertwine its history with the Fortebracci family. In that year Oddo III, father of the famous Braccio, conquered it, bringing it back under the hegemony of the nearby Città di Castello.

It is a private village that is not accessible, there is no point in passing by

Umbertide is located in a green valley bathed by the Tiber.

A slightly sloping stretch within the undulating road that connects San Giovanni del Pantano to Pierantonio, which winds between Monte Mussarello, Monte Santa Croce and Monte Gudiolo and where the suggestive Antognolla Castle stands out. The name derives from an ancient Perugina family and it is a building that probably dates back to around 1100 (there are no certainties in this regard). The road, while busy, is pleasant to walk on, especially on weekends

🇬🇧 Unfortunately the castle cannot be visited as it is private 🇬🇧 Private Castle, cannot be visited inside

Umbertide is located in the upper Tiber valley and is crossed by the Tiber itself and the Reggia stream. The entrance to the historic center is dominated by the mighty Rocca di Umbertide, a fortress dating back to 1389, which has always been a symbol of the city. The historic center of Umbertide is still surrounded by medieval walls in the stretches that line the waterways.

We know of the castle as early as 1223 and what appears today is the result of various transformations that have occurred over the centuries. It appears imposing with its perfect quadrilateral shape, with internal courtyard, partially rammed stone masonry, the two corner towers and the keep. Traces of the towers remain in the protrusion of the bodies but not in the height. In fact, the only one that rises above the rest of the building is the keep, however lower than the origin. Inside it, perhaps in 1700, the chapel was created. Two L-shaped bodies, two floors high, branch off from the keep, where the servants' houses are located. At the end of these is the court, the tallest one-storey U-shaped mansion. The courtyard is paved in stone, designed in a radial pattern from the rainwater drainage channels. The elevations overlooking it are very simple, enriched by an entrance ladder for the servants' homes and a double staircase for the main residence. The top floor of the latter is characterized by small square windows. The doors on the ground floor give access to service rooms which on the side of the courtyard are basements, while on the opposite side they open the windows on the ramming of the castle. In fact, the Rocca appears much higher from the outside. Inside, the distribution structure has not been altered and maintains its passing rooms; some pavements are also noteworthy. Along the south side of the building there is an Italian garden full of boxwood and laurel hedges, with terraces and stairways, which adapt it to the slope of the hill. Along the other sides there are large swaths of lawn. Further downstream, to the south, a park of pines and cypresses develops and a swimming pool has been built to the west. The Rocca di Rasina is privately owned.

UMBERTIDE is located in the upper valley of the Tiber and is crossed by the Tiber itself and the Reggia stream. We get there starting by bike from TUORO SUL TRASIMENO, immediately facing a climb that leaves the TRASIMENO lake behind us. The heat is torrid and the climb that takes us to VALICO GOSPARINI should be tackled immediately in order to leave the second part of the route, less difficult, at the hottest hours. Outside the walls of the village I see a historic building, almost hidden, I have to go back with the bike and cross the tracks. It is the Umbertide city museum housed inside the deconsecrated church of Santa Croce, a beautiful 13th-century structure. I later discover that the museum contains precious artistic works dating back to the 16th century. Among these stand out above all the Madonna and Child by Pomarancio (1577), the valuable wooden sculpture by Romano Alberti (1528) and the Deposition of the Cross by Luca Signorelli (1516), enclosed in a richly carved altarpiece. I resume pedaling and I realize that Umbertide has a characteristic historic center still surrounded by medieval walls and some stretches line streams. The bike allows us only a short visit and a few photos, but the beautiful sun and the market are an invitation to visit it calmly walking through its ancient streets, an invitation that we cannot accept! At the entrance to the town center we find the Rocca di Umbertide, a mighty fortress dating back to 1389 and a few meters away the unmistakable Church of Santa Maria della Reggia! In fact, the sixteenth-century church stands out for its octagonal shape, quite unusual for a Catholic religious building. The town is part of that incredible Apennine belt between Tuscany and Lazio where beautiful towns such as Spello, Gubbio, Foligno nestle, as well as of course the most renowned and prestigious Perugia and Assisi. If you pass this part, do not hesitate to visit it, without haste!