Montecastrilli

Local tradition holds that in 217 BC, during the Second Punic War, Hannibal is said to have encamped in the area, though this episode is considered legend.^[3]

In the 1st century BC the territory was subject to Roman centuriation under Augustus, when lands were divided and assigned to veterans from Todi.^[3]

Around the year 1000, the fortified borgo emerged in the area known as the Terre Arnolfe.^[3] The earliest known documentary reference to the settlement dates to 1059.^[4] In the 12th century the feudal unity of the Arnolfi family came to an end, and jurisdiction over Montecastrilli passed to the Comune of Todi.^[3]

During the 15th century the settlement became involved in the wider Guelphs and Ghibellines conflicts that affected central Italy, particularly in the rivalry between the Atti and the Chiaravalle families. In 1480 Montecastrilli supported the Atti faction; the castle was subsequently besieged, and the situation required the intervention of Bartolomeo d'Alviano. Between 1496 and 1500 Pope Alexander VI acted against Altobello Chiaravalle, and Montecastrilli was placed under direct clerical administration. In 1512 Pope Julius II restored jurisdiction to Todi.^[3]

The turmoil of 1527 brought another crisis, when Landsknechts laid siege to the area. The conflict was accompanied by plague and famine.^[3]

In 1810, under Napoleonic rule, Montecastrilli became an autonomous municipality within the Department of Trasimene. Following the fall of Napoleon, the papal restoration of 1816–1817 returned the territory to the Papal States. Montecastrilli was confirmed as an autonomous community with the Delegation of Perugia. In 1827 the hamlet of Configni was transferred to Acquasparta, while Sismano was incorporated as an appodiato. Two years later, in 1829, the municipality was assigned to the Delegation of Spoleto.^[3]

In August 1849 the area was occupied by French troops, accompanied by a Spanish column under Fernando Fernández de Córdova, during the suppression of the Roman Republic. After 1849 the previous papal administrative order was restored.^[3]

In 1859 the municipality had a population of 3,798 inhabitants. Of these, 1,361 resided in the built-up centers forming the municipality, while 2,437 lived in the countryside.^[5]

19th-century accounts highlight several prominent local families. In Montecastrilli the Polidori family is described as a leading household, while Farnetta was home to the affluent Nevi family.^[5]

On 4 and 5 November 1860 a plebiscite sanctioned the annexation of Montecastrilli to the Kingdom of Italy.^[3]

In 1975 Avigliano was detached from Montecastrilli, leading to the establishment of the municipality of Avigliano Umbro.^[3]

Montecastrilli is built on a hill, and located near the road connecting Todi and Narni.^[4]

From its elevated position it overlooks Amelia, Portaria, San Gemini, Cesi, Frattuccia, Colcello, the Hermitage of Cesi and Foci. The settlement developed in a semicircular form, partly extending toward the north.^[5]

The municipal territory is largely hilly and mountainous, with predominantly clayey soils. The area includes numerous wooded tracts, among them Farneta, Castel dell'Aquila, Civitella and Vaglione.^[5]

The frazioni of Montecastrilli include Castel dell'Aquila [it], Casteltodino [it], Collesecco, Farnetta and Quadrelli [it].

In the mid-19th century, agriculture formed the principal occupation of the population. Owing to the largely hilly terrain, cereal cultivation was limited, though the territory produced abundant wine, while olive oil was comparatively scarce. The municipality was rich in acorns and pastureland, supported by extensive woodland. Chestnuts were plentiful in several hamlets, and livestock breeding was significant, including trade in pigs supported by the surrounding forests.^[5]

Weekly livestock and goods markets were held during the Mardi Gras, and two annual fairs took place: one on 1 September for Saint Giles and a larger fair on 25 July at Castel dell'Aquila. A well-frequented rural inn stood along the provincial road between Narni and Todi near Casteltodino.^[5]

Lignite deposits have been recorded in the area.^[4]

The parish church of San Nicolò, patron of the town, stands at Montecastrilli. His feast is celebrated on 6 December. The church, vaulted and supported by seven altars and twelve small columns, contains a painting of the Last Supper executed in 1602 by Archita Ricci. The bell tower is described as low and square in form. A popular feast is also celebrated in September during the octave of the Nativity of Mary in honour of the Holy Name of Mary.^[5] In the church of San Nicolò there is a painting representing Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy, signed "Bartholomeus Barbianus Politianus pingebat 1639" and dated to 1639.^[4]

The Monastery of the Capuchin Poor Clares was located in Montecastrilli, and their small church of Santa Chiara, equipped with an organ, celebrated the feast of Saint Clare on 12 August.^[5] In the church of Santa Chiara, the high altar preserves an oil painting in an elaborately carved frame depicting the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, with Saint Francis and Saint Clare below. The work is attributed to an 18th-century Roman school.^[4]

Another small church in the town is dedicated to San Giovanni Battista.^[5]

Castel dell'Aquila has the church of San Giacomo Maggiore and, above it, an ancient fort known as Forte Cesare, near which stands the church of Santa Croce with five altars and a venerated crucifix reportedly donated to the Atti family by Pope Innocent XIII.^[5]

Among the other churches in the municipality are:

• Santa Maria di Ciciliano - 11th-century church
• San Lorenzo in Nifili - 11th-century
• Santa Maria Assunta - 11th to 12th-century parish church of Quadrelli
• San Bartolomeo - 12th-century parish church of Casteltodino
• Santa Rosario - 17th-century baroque church in Quadrelli