Top 15 Natural Monuments around Città Di Castello

Splendid Franciscan hermitage... well preserved and full of charm and history

The ruins of the Mondelacasa Castle (or Monte della Casa), called the Muracci, are located on the northern slopes of Mount Nerone, on the left bank of Val d'Abisso, at 707 m above sea level, about 1 km south of the historic center of Piobbico. (from COMUNE PIOBBICO 1999): Close to Mount Nerone stands a massive buttress whose base widens between the Biscubio torrent and the Petrello stream (Fosso di S. Maria) and carries the ruins of an ancient artifact on the summit. It was a castle, a primitive dwelling that the Brancaleoni, who arrived around the year 1000 in the Biscubio District, built and lived in until the mid-1300s. This is how our Costanzo Felici (1) describes it in a document from 1582:... climbing up to Monte Nerone a mile away on a rough and terrible hill and rock, there are vestiges of a superb, large and beautiful palace or fortress now in ruins, of which those (Brancaleoni) of Piobico were the owners. Built by Gentile Brancaleoni in the first half of the 13th century, it took the name of Mons Casa or Mondelacasa, today Muracci because of the ruins visible on the summit. Towards the middle of the 14th century, both because of the harshness of the place, difficult to reach when ... winter almost buried the tower under the snow, locked it under the grip of the ice, tormented it with the blizzard, confining it for months in isolation, and because of the need for other and more comfortable comforts, the two brothers Pazzo and Federico Brancaleoni decided to settle in the house that they had begun to build "in castro Plobici", on the hill to the right of the confluence of the Biscubio with the Candigliano, where there were already small houses piled up, that is, equipped with a watchtower with a Gothic arch portal to the north and a castle to the south-east. It is the place where the Brancaleoni Castle-Palazzo will develop and take shape over time. NOTE: (1) Costanzo Felici was born in the second decade of the 16th century in Casteldurante (now Urbania). However, he preferred to define himself as a native of Piobbico, where his ancestors had moved around 1330. He practiced medicine in Piobbico, Sant'Angelo in Vado, Pesaro, Rimini and Urbania. At the same time, he cultivated naturalistic and historical studies with notable results. He died in Pesaro on February 5, 1585. taken from: https://www.lavalledelmetauro.it/contenuti/beni-storici-artistici/scheda/11123.html

A suggestive place surrounded by greenery. Worth a visit

Beautiful to do by mountain bike or trekking in the seasons from spring to autumn without snow or ice

Sacred place of San Francesco d'Assisi, silence and peace reign supreme, stupendous panorama. Absolutely worth seeing, you can get there by car but you can appreciate it much better by arriving there after a trek.

The hermitage of Montecasale is one of the most important places linked to the life of Saint Francis. It was the Saint himself who founded the hermitage inside a pre-existing building donated to him by the bishop of Città di Castello. It is also said that the wooden statue of the Madonna with Child was brought by Francis himself, even if there is no certain evidence of this. Its current appearance dates back to the 16th century. Outside the convent are visible: the source of “Grappa l'Orso” where the three thieves drank; the fountain of San Francesco, according to some, created by himself; the Sasso Spicco, where it is said that Francis competed with a nightingale in singing the praises of God, and the little garden where, according to tradition, Francis tested the ability of obedience of two young men eager to become friars.

On the pilgrimage route lies the town of Monte Casale, a place full of memories of Saint Francis in the forests of Valtiberina. On the way over the Alpe della Luna, a small monastery was built by Camaldolese monks in 1192. The complex, set in the woods and between watercourses, included a hospital and a hospice whose mission was to accommodate hikers. The history of the hermitage of Montecasale took a new turn in 1213: it was donated to Saint Francis by the Bishop of Citta di Castello and became a place of utmost importance for Franciscan spirituality and tradition. The hermitage is now the result of a restoration in the Renaissance style. The complex still preserves the original layout, characteristic of the oldest Franciscan monasteries, with the series of small buildings related to the monastic functions. The oldest surviving work of art is a valuable multicolored wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child, rescued from the ruins of the nearby castle and brought here by Saint Francis. However, this is not the only trace that reminds us of the saint's presence in this place: the stone on which he slept, a crucifix, three small urns with some relics, two skulls of the three thieves he converted - the whole hermitage is rich in memories of Saint Francis.

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