City of oil and more

Campello sul Clitunno - We are in Umbria a few kilometers from Spoleto: we are talking about Campello sul Clitunno. Mainly mountainous landscape has a particularity: the sources of Clitunno, also known in Roman times. Adjacent to the sources is the early Christian temple of Clitunno, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The temple was, in a certain sense, restructured by the Lombards on the foundations of an ancient Roman temple.

The town itself, among its streets, still has some traces of the life of the ancient Romans. The territory, which is located at the maximum height of 1400 meters above sea level, is mainly composed of woods and olive groves, but also of deciduous and chestnut trees. Next to the wood it is possible to take a path that retraces the ancient Via Plestia, an important connection with Colfiorito. In Campello basso, where the church of the White Madonna is located, a sort of path starts that invites the visitor to go up the medieval streets to Campello alto, where the castle is located. The latter, built between the 10th and 11th centuries by the Baron of Burgundy, Rovero di Champeaux, still retains its walls, within which the Church of San Donato is located. The local economy has always been supported by agriculture, especially olive trees; the city, in fact, is also called 'the city of oil'. A must is a visit to one of the oil mills that still work according to the traditional method. In addition to oil, other products such as honey, milk and some cheeses are also traditional. Along via Plestia we reach the medieval center of Spina di Campello: in the center of the village, with its bell tower, stands the church of San Lorenzo and San Marco, which already existed in the 12th century. The latter has a gabled structure, the interior has a single nave and a trussed ceiling. One of the main events held in the area is the truffle festival and typical products, now in its 36th edition. The truffle is the protagonist of the festival itself but also of the typical cuisine of Campello sul Clitunno and Spina di Campello.