The best walks and hikes in Sic Monti Di Castro

It can be reached after a walk (also accessible by bike) along a path that runs alongside the Fiora River; the last stretch is accessible only on foot. Impressive.

The site is closed for maintenance. Paths are disturbed, unmaintained, and often unmarked. Walking the route often leads you to the back of closed buildings.

Section of the Fiora river near the monastery of Poggio Conte

This “via cava”, a multitude of narrow streets that lead like canyons through the tuff rock, is also dug into the rather soft tuff of the area. The Etruscans were the originators of this bizarre road system more than 2,500 years ago. Why the “vie cave” were created and for what purpose they were used remains a mystery to scientists to this day: Were the ravines merely connecting and supply routes between Etruscan settlements? Did you serve to drain the rainwater? Or were they mystical places of worship? The proximity of the Etruscan people to mysticism and astrology - and the numerous necropolises that one encounters when walking through the paths speak for the latter point of view. This one is already quite dilapidated at one end and you have to look for a path between fallen rocks.

The settlement was a small, poor and largely abandoned village at the time of the founding of the Duchy of Castro (1537) before becoming the capital. The Farnese decided to transform it to make it worthy of the rank of capital of the duchy and a symbol of their power and prestige. The reconstruction embraced the city in all its aspects, from defensive walls to public buildings, from noble palaces to houses and streets, turning the settlement into a perfect example of Renaissance art and architecture. Powerful families, Pope Paul III. Farnese as well as many nobles who competed in building noble palaces and made Castro a fashionable city. The heart was represented by Piazza Maggiore, in the center of which there was a fountain and along its perimeter the Palazzo della Zecca, the Hostaria, to welcome the Duke's illustrious guests, the residence of these and the palaces of the most important citizens. Castro also had brick streets and squares with sewers, which was very rare at the time. Sangallo's drawings remain in Florence as proof of this. In Castro there were 13 churches, the most important of which was certainly the Romanesque cathedral dedicated to San Savino, protector of the city, celebrated on May 3 in the main square with a carousel and a palace between the districts. There was also a hospital and hospice to help widows and orphans. To solve the problem of water shortages, a fountain called Santa Lucia was built, located near the church of the same name, with spiral staircases similar to those of San Patrizio in Orvieto. In 1649 the papal troops of Innocenzo X Pamphilj, whose family was an ally of the Barberinis and an enemy of the Farnese, besieged the city, sacked it, razed it to the ground and deported its inhabitants. Today the ruins are covered with forest. Over time, excavations have been carried out that have brought to light the remains of the main square with its pavement, the remains of the Cathedral, those of the Palazzo della Zecca, the Convent of San Francesco, the fortifications and Porta Lamberta. One can also see the remains of underground rooms, cellars, wells, cisterns and cellars

Über die Einsiedelei von Poggio Conte gibt es nur sehr wenige historische und archivarische Informationen. Im Bürgermuseum "Pietro e Turiddo Lotti" in Ischia di Castro würden sechs der dreizehn Tafeln mit den Aposteln aufbewahrt, die in den 1960er Jahren von den Wänden der Einsiedelei gestohlen wurden. Aus architektonischer Sicht zeigt die Einsiedelei von Poggio Conte eine bemerkenswerte künstlerische und skulpturale Fähigkeit und eine Beherrschung der Ausdrucksmittel, die deutlich an die französische Kultur des 13. Jahrhunderts erinnern. Davon zeugt das Blumenmotiv auf dem Gewölbe des ersten Raumes sowie der Grundriss. Letzteres beeinflusst von der Zisterzienserarchitektur mit der Pflanze, die einer strengen geometrischen Einstellung folgt, die in der Artikulation auf zwei Linien und zwei symmetrischen Kreisen stattfindet. Weitere interessant Details sind die kubischen Kapitelle, das Reliefblumenmuster auf dem Gewölbe des ersten Raumes und die Apsis des zweiten Raumes. Diese raffinierten künstlerischen Details werden dem 13. Jahrhundert zugeschreiben. Die Geschichte der Einsiedelei von Poggio Conte ist jedoch mindestens zweihundert Jahre älter, da die ersten Beweise für die Einsiedelei in einem Dokument aus dem Jahr 1027 enthalten sind. Höchstwahrscheinlich hingen sowohl die Einsiedelei von Poggio Conte als auch die nahe gelegene Einsiedelei von Ripatonna Cicognina von der nahe gelegenen Abtei San Colombano auf dem Gebiet von Ischia di Castro ab, deren Gründung mindestens bis ins 9. Jahrhundert zurückreicht. Die Wahl des Klosterlebens, die die Einsiedler von Poggio Conte veranlasste, sich an diesen Ort zurückzuziehen, nach dem Lebensmodell von San Colombano, einem kompromisslosen irischen Einsiedler, der nicht zu Kompromissen neigte und sich der Spiritualität widmete, stand im offenen Widerspruch zur Opulenz und Weltlichkeit des Klerus von Rom. … Sicher ist, dass die Einsiedelei von Poggio Conte das Ergebnis einer Überschneidung kultureller Schichten ist, die in der etruskischen Ära beginnen und bis heute andauern. Entlang des Zugangs zur Einsiedelei auf dem Tuffkamm befinden sich tatsächlich zwei kleine Kammergräber (etruskische Ära), deren Zugangsstufe noch erkennbar ist und die aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach einmal Teil eines größeren Komplexes gewesen sein müssen.

Crossing the Olpeta River on wooden trunks and at the ancient destroyed bridge that led to the city of Castro. Leaving the hollow streets, following a wet path, you reach the enchanting Olpeta River. Recommend good shoes even better if waterproof.

Ancient capital of the rich duchy of Castro, the city destroyed in the 16th century. by order of the Pope, it maintains a mysterious and archaic charm due to the vegetation that has reconquered the urban spaces. One of those few places in Italy where you can still experience the fascination of exploration and archeology immersed in nature, good shoes and torches are recommended for entering the still well-preserved underground structures.