Umbria Vacation Rentals at LA VOLPE (Marsciano, Perugia, Italy)

Marsciano is a small town with approx. 17,000 inhabitants, located at 180 meters above sea level. The municipal district spans over 160 square kilometers and includes more than 20 villages and rural suburbs.

With an important presence of the industry, namely in the building materials, mechanical and furniture sectors, Marsciano is one of the most dynamic cities of Umbria.

Click here to visit the city's official website.

BRIEF HISTORY

Numerous Etruscan and Roman finds show how ancient the site of Marsciano is.

Its strategic location at the very center of Umbria, between Perugia, Assisi, Todi and Orvieto has played a key role in Marsciano's history, providing a stimulus to its economic development but also making it the scene of fierce battles since the middle ages.

The Castle of Marsciano was donated in AD 975 by Emperor Otto II to the Bulgarelli family, Counts of Marsciano. In 1281 the Bulgarelli family surrendered the town to Perugia and Marsciano became a border castle, with territory surveillance functions.

The following centuries were marked by continuous power struggles and frequent changes of leadership, until the entire territory of Perugia was conquered by Pope Paul III in 1540 and Marsciano became part of the States of the Church.

Except for the brief parenthesis of the Napoleonic era, Marsciano remained subject to the Holy See until 1860, when the whole of Umbria became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.

LOCAL SIGHTSEEING

The ruins of Marsciano Castle and the parish church of Saint Giovanni Battista can be admired still today: the church, in neo-gothic style dating to 1800, houses a 17th century fresco from the school of Pietro Vannucci, known as Il Perugino, the greatest Umbrian artist and Raphael's teacher.

By Il Perugino himself is The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, a 1478 fresco in the parish church of Cerqueto, a small village only a few minutes out of town, heading towards Perugia.

Fifteenth-century castles of Sant'Apolinnare and Spina and the narrow, unspoiled valley of Fersenone river are also close by and worth a day tour.