- Most beautiful villages
Photo: Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Historic village
- Elevation
- 467 m above sea level
- Area
- 36,220,000 m²
- Coordinates
- 42°46′11″ N, 12°51′44″ E
- Address
- Ufficio Informazioni, Via G. Marconi 8, Vallo di Nera
History and description
Vallo di Nera is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 60 km southeast of Perugia. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").
History
Archaeological evidence attests to settlements in the area as early as the 8th century BC. The first documentary reference dates to 1177, when the settlement is recorded as a feudal possession under Conrad of Urslingen, duke of Spoleto. In 1217 the authorities of Spoleto granted the site of Flezano together with the right to build a castle.
Throughout the medieval period the locality occupied a strategic position and was contested between the Papal States and Spoleto, although it generally remained loyal to Spoleto.
Local statutes approved in 1563 regulated community life until 1796. During the Roman Republic of 1798 a municipal representative was appointed for Vallo and nearby settlements. The French withdrawal in 1799–1800 was followed by provisional Austrian rule and the restoration of ordinary administration. Between 1809 and 1814 the territory was included in the rural canton of Spoleto under Napoleonic rule.
Administrative boundaries shifted repeatedly in the early 19th century. In 1816–1817 the area was reassigned between Spoleto and Campello, and in 1827 it was placed under the governorate of Spoleto within the new papal administrative structure.
In the mid-19th century the municipality had a population of 302 inhabitants. Of these, 30 individuals lived in the countryside.
Proposals advanced in 1868–1869 sought the suppression of the municipality and its merger with neighboring areas. In 1871 the municipal seat was transferred to Piedipaterno, and in 1881 Meggiano and Paterno were merged with the municipality, which thereafter operated from Piedipaterno.
The municipality was suppressed in 1927 and annexed to Spoleto, but it was restored in 1930 with its seat at Piedipaterno.
Religion and culture
The oldest parts of the church of Santa Caterina date to the 14th century or the early 15th century, including the bell gable, the rear wall and the entrance to the monastery.
The present façade dates to the 16th century and includes a Renaissance portal, an oculus, and a bell gable with two superimposed bells. The interior consists of a single nave with a trussed roof. The altar is detached from the wall and framed by an openwork structure with plant motifs. Above it is a 17th-century painting of Roman school, depicting the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine with Saints Peter, Paul, John the Baptist and Nicholas of Tolentino.
The church of San Giovanni Battista was constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, with the apse belonging to this earlier phase, and was enlarged and partially rebuilt in the 16th century. The façade, with its bell tower, portal and rose window, dates from this later period.
The interior preserves several works of art, including a 16th-century baptismal font and a fresco dated 1536 by Jacopo Siculo in the apse depicting the Death of the Virgin, representative of 16th-century Italian painting of the school of Raphael. The same artist painted a Christ in piety with symbols of the Passion, as well as an Annunciation and full-length figures of Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch on the arch.
Other works include a holy oil vessel dated 1504, numerous 16th-century paintings, and relics dating from 1722 to 1814. Along the side walls are the fourteen Stations of the Cross from 1749.
The church of Santa Maria Assunta dates to around 1176. In the early 14th century it passed to the Conventual Franciscans, who enlarged the original structure and converted one of the defensive towers into a bell tower. In 1652, under Pope Innocent X, it was rededicated to Santa Maria Assunta.
The façade, built of dressed stone, reflects the Romanesque style of the Spoleto area and is crowned by a central gable. It features a Gothic portal with decorative capitals and friezes, surmounted by a rose window with twelve small columns. A substantial bell tower rises above the presbytery and houses a large 14th-century bell. …
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Vallo di Nera».
Photos
Getting there
Campello sul ClitunnoTrain, nearest
10.1 km as the crow flies
Vallo di NeraUfficio Informazioni, Via G. Marconi 8, Vallo di Nera
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Vallo di Nera?
Vallo di Nera is in Vallo di Nera, in the province of Perugia (Umbria), Italy. Address: Ufficio Informazioni, Via G. Marconi 8, Vallo di Nera. GPS coordinates: 42.76972, 12.86235.
What else is there to see near Vallo di Nera?
Nearby you’ll find: Acquedotto di Cortaccione (8.9 km away), Former monastery of Santa Maria inter Angelos (9.7 km away), Fortilizio dei Mulini (10.4 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 2 photos
- ValloDiNeraMarch262024 01 — Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Vallo di Nera 12 — Manuelarosi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences