Trevi is an Italian town of 8 371 inhabitants in the province of
Perugia. Trevi is dominated by two quite high mountains of the
Umbrian-Marche Apennines: Monte Brunette (1422 m) and Monte Serano
(1429 m). Geologically they consist of sedimentary rocks mostly
calcareous of marine origin; the oldest date back to 180 million
years ago, lithostratigraphic unit of the "Corniola". The "Rosso
Ammonitico" was studied in the field of paleontology; this unit is
well known in the Umbria-Marche area; it crops out widely near the
inhabited area of Pettino up to the northern slopes of M.
Brunette. He gave the type specimen of Praerycites. Among the many
examples of ammonites occasionally found along road cuts and small
streams, a large example of Rarenodia planulata is noteworthy. Its
diameter is over 40cm and was featured in this entry.
The
territory of the municipality extends from the valley floor (210 m
above sea level) to the aforementioned mountains, and can be equally
divided into three distinct areas of plains, hills and mountains,
covered with equally varied vegetation. In the plain, the land
irrigated by numerous watercourses, formerly mostly occupied by the
"lacus Clitorius", are suitable for the sowing of annual species.
The hill, of "loose" alkaline limestone and therefore draining, is
ideal for intensive olive cultivation. Finally, the mountain is
covered with woods, mostly coppices, and meadows.
Rivers and
canals, all of modest flow, flow in a south-north direction and flow
into a single collector near Bevagna. Their course is the result of
centuries-old reclamation works, documented as early as the time of
King Theodoric (6th century) and lasted up to the present day, when
the dam was built to regulate the meteoric waters of the Marroggia
stream, which was subject to frequent and disastrous floods.
The largest of the waterways with regular flow is the Clitunno, to
whose waters were attributed miraculous properties, so much so that
it was deified in Roman times and sung by numerous poets, from the
Latin classics to Byron and Carducci.
Climate classification:
zone E, 2208 GR / G
Seismic classification: zone 1 (high
seismicity)
Trevi is part of the City of Oil, Slow Food and the
most beautiful villages in Italy
Pliny the Elder classifies it as a city of the
Umbrians, and the Latin name Trebiae could derive from the Umbrian
root treb-, a component of the words that in that ancient language
indicated house, construction, build. Its existence, before the
Roman domination, is also testified by the "stele of Bovara", with
an archaic inscription, recently found, but prehistoric
civilizations settled in its territory, as evidenced by the
Paleolithic findings.
It acquired a certain importance
starting from the third century BC, with the passage of the Via
Flaminia and the process of Romanization. Past and recent
excavations have confirmed the presence of the Roman settlement in
Pietrarossa, along the Flaminia and the course of the Clitunno
river, then navigable. There, eighteenth-century earthworks brought
to light a monumental public building, while investigations still in
progress are bringing to light a splendid domus with mosaic rooms
and life phases between the Republican era and late antiquity. Other
studies, on the other hand, have aimed to identify the first circle
of walls of the present city, still visible in large part, as part
of a fortified arch of the first century BC, dated by other authors
to late Antiquity or the early Middle Ages. The archaeological
excavations of the aforementioned domus are also confirming the
importance of the Clitunno River, then navigable, for the economy of
the area in Roman times, where the small Trebiae had to perform the
function of an essential river port for the system of rustic villas
that stood along the hill terraces. Some of these have been
identified thanks to fortuitous discoveries or surface searches near
the localities of Bovara, Manciano, Parrano-Borgo Trevi, Torre
Matigge (Malviano) and Coste (Pelano). It was a bishopric at least
starting from the 5th century, being absorbed by that of Spoleto
around the 6th century. The ancient cathedral has recently been
hypothesized to coincide with the current church of S. Maria di
Pietrarossa, built above a public building of the Roman age,
probably inserted in the Forum of Trebiae.
The decline of the
Roman settlement in the valley took place over a long period,
between the fifth and seventh centuries. In addition to military
instability, further factors that led to the abandonment of the site
must have been the swamping process of the Umbrian Valley, as well
as the end of the navigability of the Clitunno-Teverone-Tevere river
system up to Rome during the fifth century.
Meanwhile,
archaeological data confirm the existence of the hilly settlement
where the city stands today, probably built for defensive reasons
during late Antiquity.
With the dominion of the Lombards,
Trevi returned to the Duchy of Spoleto, still appearing as steward
in documents of the late 11th-12th century. At the beginning of the
13th century it became a free municipality, refusing to submit to
that of Spoleto; fact for which the town was besieged and destroyed
(1214). Later he had to ally himself with Perugia in order to resist
the aggressions of the larger neighboring communities. It underwent
a further disastrous sack in 1353, by the soldiers of Fra Monreale
d'Alberno, as a result of which its defenses were strengthened
through towers, fences and a defensive pond. Only in 1389 did he
succeed in obtaining free government on papal concession. It
underwent the dominion of various captains and, in particular, the
fatal vicariate of the Trinci di Foligno until 1438 when, returning
to the direct dominion of the Church under the legation of Perugia,
it followed the fate of the Papal State until Italian unification.
In 1784, by Pius VI, it was reinstated to the title of city.
Cathedral of
Sant'Emiliano
Church of San Francesco
Museum complex of San
Francesco
Church and convent of San Martino
Sanctuary of the
Madonna delle Lacrime with adjoining house for the disabled (work of
Blessed Bonilli) managed by the Sisters of the Holy Family. Inside
the church there is a fresco by Perugino representing the adoration
of the Magi and a fresco by Giovanni di Pietro, known as Lo Spagna,
depicting the transport of Christ to the tomb.
Benedictine abbey
and church of San Pietro in Bovara. Nearby is the olive tree of
Sant'Emiliano which is over 1700 years old.
Romanesque church of
Santa Maria di Pietrarossa
Sanctuary of the Blessed Pietro
Bonilli in Cannaiola, dedicated to the former parish priest of
Cannaiola who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family. Initially it
was dedicated to San Marice, whose statue is inside the church.
Church of Santo Stefano in Picciche, on whose interior apse there is
a fresco called "The Eternal"
Palazzo
Lucarini, seat of the Museum of Contemporary Art, opposite the
cathedral, from the 12th and 19th centuries.
Villa Fabbri dei
Boemi, 17th century. On the main floor there is a rich fresco
decoration from the early seventeenth century
No less interesting are the history and traditions linked to
religious culture. Very ancient documents attest that Saint Emiliano,
the first bishop of the city, martyred under Diocletian, was tied to a
young olive tree to be beheaded. The thousand-year-old olive tree, the
oldest in Umbria, can still be admired, still alive, three hundred
meters from the glorious Benedictine abbey of Bovara. The devotion
towards Sant'Emiliano has influenced the culture and history of Trevi.
Along a route that has remained unchanged for centuries, on the evening
of January 27th, the eve of the saint's feast, the extraordinary
nocturnal procession called the Illuminata, which is one of the oldest
events in the region, still takes place.
Throughout the
centuries, many Trevans have distinguished themselves in the highest
ranks of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and various others have acquired a
reputation for sanctity for their works. Among the various religious
houses, the Benedictines of the Bovara Abbey have acquired particular
merit, as they gave a strong impulse to agriculture, reclaiming vast
areas of the valley and developing the cultivation of olive trees in the
hills, which with varying success is cultivated in these areas since
ancient times and provides one of the most appreciated oils.
Borgo Trevi
It constitutes the most modern part of the
municipality. It is located at the base of the hill where Trevi stands.
It consists of many commercial, industrial and agricultural activities,
especially in the Pietrarossa area. The latter constituted the
historical nucleus of Trevi from prehistory until the Roman era, when
the majority of the population moved to the hills due to the
unhealthiness of the plain, which was becoming a swamp. Important from a
historical-cultural point of view is the Romanesque church of Santa
Maria di Pietrarossa, under restoration after the 1997 earthquake.
Warbler
This hamlet represents the agricultural part of the
municipality. Immersed in the plain, it looks like a town surrounded by
fields. Agricultural production is significant, especially wheat and
celery. In fact, in July the Historical Reenactment of the Threshing
takes place right in Cannaiola. Noteworthy is the work of the blessed
Don Pietro Bonilli, former parish priest of the town and founder of the
congregation of the nuns of the Holy Family for the assistance of blind
and deaf-mute girls, to whom the sanctuary located in Cannaiola is
dedicated. The institute, directed by Bonilli himself, was founded on 7
May 1893; on 5 December 1898 it was transferred to Spoleto, in via
Quinto Settano 13, and was called the Nazzareno Institute for the blind
and deaf-mute Spoleto.
Bovara
The hamlet consists of several
residential centres, located between the hilly area and the plain area.
Important is the Church of San Pietro, formerly a Benedictine abbey,
from the 12th century, in Romanesque style. It is said that, during his
journey to Rome, Saint Francis stopped there to pray. According to a
popular tradition, a friar who accompanied Francis had a vision of Hell
and Paradise while he was praying before a Crucifix. Inside the church,
a baroque-style chapel houses a life-size Crucifix to which the
population attributes several miracles, including that of making it rain
after more than a year of drought. In memory of this, every 5 years, in
the month of May, the crucified Christ is lowered from the cross, placed
in a sort of cot and carried in procession. Every 25 years a long
journey is made with the statue of Christ, up to the municipal capital.
A stele with an inscription in ancient Umbrian was found in the
hamlet. It is possible to admire the thousand-year-old olive tree
(approximately 1700 years old) to which Saint Emiliano, patron saint of
the city and the municipality of Trevi, was linked to be martyred by the
Romans. This olive tree, the oldest in Umbria, is the only one that
survived the galavernas, or frosts, which occurred over the years (the
last one in the 1950s) and which killed all the olive trees in the area.
Matigge
Often referred to by the name of Torre Matigge (from the
characteristic Tower, in fact), the hamlet extends from the plain area
up to halfway up the coast, where it gives way to the municipal hamlet
of Santa Maria in Valle-Collecchio. It is crossed by the S.S. Flaminia,
along which many artisan and commercial activities have developed (such
as the Piazza Umbra Shopping Centre). Of notable historical importance
is the tower that stands out along the Via Flaminia: it seems to have
been built in medieval times when Trevi was allied with Foligno. The
tower was a defensive bastion on the edge of the then extensive
municipal territory of Trevia, which included some current hamlets of
Montefalco and the current municipality of Sellano. In case of danger,
the tower guardian rang a bell. The tower is similar to the one found in
Piazza del Comune or Piazza Mazzini in the center of Trevi, also with a
quadrangular plan and equipped with a bell.
Coasts
Mountain
hamlet made up of two residential centres: Coste and Coste San Paolo.
The inhabitants who remain all year round are few due to the
inconvenience caused by the snow in the winter, but in the summer many
inhabitants of the plain and of the city retreat to the villas of the
hamlet. Its position gives the traveler a pleasant view of the entire
valley. There are many mountain paths (some of which are signposted)
that enter the woods. Along one of them is the ruins of an ancient
abbey, where Blessed Ventura seems to have retreated for some time. You
can also see the cave where the Trevi dialect poet nicknamed Marchittu
lived, who lived on food given to him by the population in exchange for
poems in the Trevi dialect.
Manciano
Mountain hamlet which a
few years ago incorporated the old hamlet of Ponze into itself. A
favorite place for tourists for its enchanting position, it is also home
to a quarry. Note the Romanesque abbey of Santo Stefano.
La Pigge
Also called simply Pigge, its name derives from the Latin pons lapideus
in reference to the stone bridge built by the Romans along the course of
the Clitunno river. In Roman times, the Pigge represented the border
between the pagan area and the sacred area of the Clitunno springs,
which can be admired from the coast. Not far away, in the municipality
of Campello, there is the Tempietto del Clitunno sung among others by
the English romantic poet George Byron. In the hamlet stands, in the
"Chiesa tonda" area, a small church with an octagonal base dedicated to
Santa Maria del Ponte. The hilly area is home to olive cultivation, one
of Trevia's typical products. The Church of San Michele Arcangelo is
noteworthy, immersed in the greenery of the mountain woods, the
destination of a procession of the population of the entire municipality
on the day of Pentecost. Among the olive trees is the Church of San
Bernardino da Siena, in pure Umbrian Romanesque style.
Alvanischio
Here there are many centuries-old olive trees in a very
significant olive growing system. In Fondaccio di Bovara (near the town)
there is an old oil mill from the 18th century.
Little ones
It
is a lowland hamlet, located between Castel San Giovanni and Cannaiola.
It is important for the Church of Santo Stefano, inside which, in the
apse, we find the fresco of the Eternal and saints.
In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance it had its best period,
characterized by extraordinary trade which favored its economic
prosperity (it was called "the dry port"), still testified today by the
numerous buildings in the historic center, worthy of appearing in much
larger cities, and economic growth was accompanied by very lively
cultural and social activity. Already in 1469, to encourage the
circulation of money, a Jewish banker was called, among the few
professions to which those men were authorized, and despite this he was
persecuted and subsequently one of the very first Monti di Pietà was
erected, then followed by Monte Frumentario and various other charitable
and welfare institutions. The attention paid to cultural elevation had
its maximum expression with the establishment of the Lucarini College,
active until the advent of the Single Middle School. But the most
qualifying event for the cultural history of Trevi was the establishment
of a prototographia already in 1470. It was the first in Umbria and the
fourth in Italy, and due to the particular contract with which it was
established, it can be classified as the first printing company ever
recorded.
Another typical product of local agriculture, which
deserves a special mention, is Trevi black celery, a particular crop
that grows on a very fertile patch of land, occupied until a few
centuries ago by the waters of Lake Clitorius.
In Trevi there is
the only paper mill in the Umbria region. Cartiere di Trevi SpA has been
producing recycled waste-based paper since 1960, i.e. paper coming from
separate waste collection.