On the slopes of the Martani Mountains

Castel Ritaldi - Castel Ritaldi, on the slopes of the Martani Mountains. At the top of the hill of Scigliano, the fortified village of Castel Ritaldi welcomes the curious visitor. Furthermore, Castel Ritaldi has the same distance from Assisi and Spoleto. The village was inhabited since Roman times, it develops through the first Christian elements, which we find mixed with pagan ones and the first building, which later will give way to the rest of the houses, is the Pieve di San Gregorio .

It was built on a pre-existing Roman temple around 1141 and the façade summarizes the history of this territory. The village has 3 different castles, an important stop for the visitor: the castle of Colle del Marchese which door allows access to the properties of the ancient and noble Parenzi family from Spoleto. Inside is the 13th century church of San Pancrazio, guardian of the Virgin of the Eggplant and frescoed in the 16th century; Castel San Giovanni is a perfectly preserved plain castle dating back to 1300 and nearby we can find the church of San Giovanni Battista, inside which some works of the Umbrian school are kept. In the locality 'la Bruna' we find ourselves in the Renaissance period with its beautiful sanctuary of Bramante inspiration, dating back to 1506. On the altar there is the Madonna della Bruna, attributed to Tiberio d'Assisi. Castel Ritaldi is also the land of extra virgin olive oil, the 'land of fairy tales' and birthplace of the Mario Tabarrini literary prize. In addition, the pride of the village are the dairy products but also the tradition of the production of the latter that is handed down from generation to generation. There are many events and initiatives that involve children, teenagers but also adults with the aim of promoting art and literature.