In the shadow of Collemancio Castle

Length: 7.9 km
Duration: approximately 2.30 hours
Difference in altitude +262 m / – 262 m
Difficulty: T

The trek starts from the car park in front of the Collemancio Castle, an imposing building where it is still possible to identify the keep – which protected the entrance gate – the medieval walls, the Palazzo del Podestà with the prison and the chapel of Santa Maria Nuova and the 14th-century Church of Santo Stefano, with a single nave, which contains some frescoes and a Roman column.

We wander briefly through the characteristic streets of the village before taking the path that starts from the entrance gate in a northerly direction, which corresponds to part of the Collemancio-Bettona ring.

A detour towards the plateau introduced by a small climb that opens on the right is a must: this is the place where Urvinium Hortense stood, a Roman city mentioned in the Naturalis Historia by Pliny the Elder. Compared to other centers of the Umbrian Valley on the border with Etruria such as Assisi, Spello, Foligno and Bevagna, Urvinium Hortense and nearby Bettona were rather secluded settlements, perched on naturally defended plateaus according to an obsolete settlement use, no longer necessary with the established peace. The reasons that led to the choice of this position were primarily the need to manage the forest resources of the Martani hinterland, but also the pre-existence of a monumental religious building.

The excavation is divided into two sections: the first, on the crest of the plateau, developed along a large paved road according to a herringbone design and the remains of the tabernae that opened onto it are still visible today. The excavation is completed by a large cistern, divided into several communicating floors, a demonstration of the considerable availability of economic resources by the local community. A conduit branches off from the cistern, directed towards the magnificent thermal complex with mosaic flooring now preserved at the Museum of the City of Cannara.

The second section, oriented towards the Martani Mountains and the Sambro, presents a domus divided into several floors, which exploits both the natural slopes of the hill and terraces expertly created at different and close altitudes.

We leave the plateau and continue along the dirt road which, in a short time, becomes a comfortable path in the woods. The thick vegetation, mainly Turkey oaks, will accompany us along the entire route, offering a shaded and refreshing walk.