Collepino

Umbria, the green heart of Italy nestled between Lazio, Tuscany and Marche, is a region with a truly remarkable natural and historical heritage. It is an area where beauties such as Lake Trasimeno, the Sibillini Mountains and the Marmore Falls alternate: in these contexts have lived characters such as St. Francis and St. Clare, as well as artists such as Giotto and Pinturicchio.
The latter has left traces of great value in Spello, a village awarded by TCI with the Orange Flag. A hamlet of Spello is Collepino, a small village considered a real hidden jewel, immersed in silence and nature, all to be discovered during a trip to Spello.

Historical notes
Collepino is a picturesque hamlet of the town of Spello, from which it is 7.5 km away: it stands perched on the sunny side of Mount Subasio at an altitude of 600mt, overlooking from above, among olive groves and groves, the valley of the river Chiona.
The ancient Colle Lupino was presumably founded around the thirteenth century and was founded by shepherds and woodcutters who worked at the Abbey of San Silvestro, soon becoming a real outpost with the aim to stem the raids of bandits and enemies.
It was during its history dominated by important families such as the Acuti and the Urbani, among whose ranks there is Ser Nicolò, appointed in 1210 by Ottone IV count palatine and knight. To have the command on Collepino it was also Ser Bertolaccio di Ser Giacomo, passed to the history as proud swordsman and strenuous enemy of Spello and Spoleto.
The destiny of Collepino is linked above all to that of the Abbey of San Silvestro: the building was founded by St. Benedict in 523 and, by the abbot St. Romuald, became Camaldolese in 1025. In 1535 Pope Paul III ordered its destruction because within its walls took refuge the Baglioni, known opponents of the papacy.

What to see
Arriving in Collepino, you will be catapulted into an isolated hermitage in time and space. The inhabitants are a few dozen, maybe less than the cats that seem to guard the small village; the stores are practically zero, except for a restaurant, a bar and a playground for children.

Walking through the quiet cobbled streets of the village, you will find yourself surrounded by houses built in the local pink stone (one of the specificity of the place that also characterizes the villages of Spello, Armezzano and San Giovanni di Collepino), embellished with flowered balconies and gates still bearing friezes and coats of arms of families and garrisons who lived here in the past.

Unfortunately there is almost nothing left of the ancient early medieval castle, but you can still see some walls: seven towers and the entrance portal with an ogival arch. From the fortress you can enjoy a splendid view of the whole Spoletana Valley, the same one that enchanted St. Francis of Assisi, so much so as to bring him to pronounce the phrase: "I have not seen anything more beautiful in my life".

Just 2km from the heart of Collepino is the Abbey of San Silvestro, patron saint of the town solemnly celebrated on December 31 with the distribution of the blessed bread that, according to Christian tradition, protects both men and animals from harm.
Walking along the road to the hermitage you will find the Fountain of St. Sylvester, considered miraculous for women about to breastfeed their children: well, those who received the grace, hung shirts and bonnets of newborns at the gates of the church, as a form of thanksgiving.
A curious legend tells that a man who did not believe in the properties of the spring, drank at the spring and shortly afterwards his breasts grew prosperous just like those of women who had recently given birth.

Once you arrive at the Abbey of San Silvestro, a small jewel ruined among olive trees and holm oaks, you can visit what remains of the ancient sanctuary: the presbytery, the bell tower and the crypt (supported by three columns at the center of which there is a marble altar of obvious early Christian period). Then you will also notice a more recent construction, the Hermitage of the Transfiguration, built here in 1969 by the Little Sisters of Mary.

Excursions from Collepino
From Collepino you can follow a series of hiking trails to discover villages, castles and ancient works such as the Roman aqueduct: you can visit this work of water used by Spello until the 800, along a short scenic road and surrounded by lush vegetation.

You can then visit the nearby Sanctuary of the Madonna della Spella, whose name reveals the views that can be enjoyed from this building, destination of pilgrimages during the Ascension: on clear days you can see the Terminillo, the Sibillini Mountains and the profile of the Gran Sasso.

The territory surrounding Collepino is teeming with castles, from that of Armezzano which also hosted the Poverello of Assisi to the Rocca Maggiore of Assisi, a splendid example of 14th century military architecture around which the lower town stands, at the foot of the marvellous Basilica of San Francesco di Assisi.

From Collepino you can't not reach the picturesque Spello, famous for the Infiorate that in the month of May color its alleys thanks to the carpets of flowers made by the citizens to celebrate the Corpus Domini. In the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, dating back to the thirteenth century, you can admire the wonderful cycle of frescoes by Pinturicchio, depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Annunciation and the Dispute of Jesus with the Doctors.