The beautiful Alviano

Alviano - Alviano is a town in the province of Terni, in Umbria. The undisputed symbol of the city is the castle of Alviano. Built in the Renaissance period on a previous medieval construction, the castle dominates the city of Alviano from above. The castle was the center of the county of Alviano and in its history it hosted several families and was remodeled several times.

The trapezoidal-shaped castle is spread over three levels plus an attic and a wall. The fortress is in pure Renaissance style, as evidenced by the internal courtyard; inside the castle there is the chapel of San Francesco with its seventeenth-century frescoes. The chapel depicts the miracle of San Francesco and the swallows which took place in 1212 in Alviano. Today the castle houses the town hall on the main floor, on the ground floor there is the Audiovisual Documentation Center on the Alviano Oasis while in the basement there is the museum of rural civilization and the multimedia museum of Bartolomeo d'Alviano. The museum of peasant civilization houses a collection of 19th century agricultural objects and tools that belonged to local families; objects related to the production of wine, hemp, wheat and oil. The Documentation Center on the Alviano Oasis hosts images and multimedia videos that reproduce the peculiar aspects of the territory around the Tiber and the flora and fauna of the oasis. The church of Santa Maria Assunta was built in the fifteenth century at the behest of Bartolomeo d'Alviano; inside it preserves frescoes of the sixteenth century depicting the Madonna Assunta surrounded by Angels. Interesting is a fresco by de 'Sacchis commissioned in 1516 which depicts the widow of Bartolomeo d'Alviano with Madonna and Saints. The typical cuisine of Alviano is the same typical throughout the Umbria region; it is a cuisine based on local meat products. Typical appetizers are: cheese plates, salami and bruschetta; other typical dishes are: agnolotti with sauce, fried lamb, porchetta, sausages, snails and strozzapreti. Typical sweets of the tradition are: castagnole, chiacchere and frittelle di San Giuseppe. The folkloristic group 'La Vecchiarella' of Alviano, sings songs of the agricultural tradition during the various country events or national events. The singers are accompanied by special cowbells, accordions and accordions. There are several events that take place throughout the year in the city, such as: the Palio degli asini and the medieval dinner.