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25 April April 25 in Umbertide means more things. Joy and pain, death and liberation ... 1944 with the bombing; the 1945 liberation. The first, ours, you can deepen with the pages of Alvaro Tacchini on "the Atlas of memory " with the contextualization of the events that our people underwent when they crossed the front in April 1944; in Fabio Mariotti's " Paths of Memory ", one can relive the pain of an entire community that will count 70 victims; with the "V oci della memoria " it will be possible to enter in an attempt to keep the memory of the people who lost their lives that day. April 25, 1944: The bombing of Borgo San Giovanni and the death of 70 fellow citizens (edited by Fabio Mariotti) Twelve British Curtiss P - 40 Kittyhawk aircraft departed from the Cutella field airport in Puglia to destroy the road bridge over the Tiber and make it more difficult for the Germans to retreat. It was April 25, 1944. A date that the people of Umbria will not forget. Between 9 and 9.30 the allied squadron flew the sky over Umbertide, with its load of two large-caliber bombs per plane (altogether about 4 tons of explosives ). After several vaults above Romeggio, the planes headed towards Serra Partucci, in favor of the sun, from which they swooped down towards the bridge over the Tiber. But the bombs (as Roberto Sciurpa wrote in his volume “Umbertide in the 20th century 1900 - 1946, from which this information is taken) were not yet“ intelligent ”(if ever there will be intelligent bombs) and they often missed the target. This unfortunately also happened to Umbertide. The bombs, dropped at regular intervals of about 30 seconds between one couple and the other, instead of hitting the bridge, all but two ended up on the houses in the historic center. It was a massacre. 70 people, including 46 women, were buried under the rubble. This is war. These are what today they call "side effects" that always and inexorably affect civilians, the most defenseless people. To avoid even these effects, there is only one universal system, stop wars and always work for peace. La ricostruzione video de "Il nostro Calvario" Presentiamo un estratto video, su gentile concessione di Mario Tosti, dal DVD “L’alba della libertà” realizzato nel 2004 dall’Istituto di storia politica sociale Venanzio Capriotti e dal Centro socio culturale San Francesco di Umbertide, in occasione del 60º anniversario della liberazione dell’alta Valle del Tevere , luglio 1944. Progetto diviso in quattro parti: la prima, che mostriamo come estratto nel nostro video, si intitola “Il nostro calvario. Il bombardamento di un paese inerme“; le altre parti del Dvd erano “Passaggi del tempo" sulla liberazione di Umbertide, “Mutazioni” sulla liberazione di Città di Castello ed infine “La bomba intelligente. la bonifica di una bomba inesplosa dopo sessant’anni di letargo” ritrovata sul greto del Tevere ad Umbertide. Le immagini storiche sono tratte dal libro “il nostro calvario di Mario Tosti. Le scene dal vivo invece sono tratte dalla rievocazione “l’ultima ora“ di Giampiero Frondini; le voci dei testimoni erano state registrate nel 1984. Voce narrante Luciano Bettucci, animazioni Valerio Rosi. Il progetto Ottant'anni Nel 2024 è nato il progetto "Ottant'anni", con una pagina completamente dedicata al ricordo della tragedia per eccellenza umbertidese. Progetto a cura di Mario Tosti, Unitre di Umbertide, il Centro Culturale San Francesco, con il Patrocinio del Comune di Umbertide. Realizzato con la collaborazione di Corrado Baldoni, Mario Bani, Serio Bargelli, Federico Ciarabelli, Francesco Deplanu, Sergio Magrini Alunno, Massimo Pascolini, Antonio Renzini, Luca Silvioni, Pietro Taverniti, Romano Viti. Cliccando qua di seguito si aprirà la pagina completa dedicata al 1944 e quella in divenire, mese per mese, del 1945 : Questa sotto è la pagina dell'opuscolo realizzato per portare la memoria nelle scuole superiori di Umbertide ed è stato realizzato da Antonio Renzini; cliccandola si torna alla Home del sito dove si può procedere anche qua mese per mese dal 1944 al 1945 nella nostra storia. The atlas of the Memory v to the page THE Routes of Memory v to the page Voices of Memori a go to page And then the other 25 April, that of 1945 with the liberation and the end of the war, a national event that is celebrated throughout Italy. Liberation that occurred in a broader military context connected with the front of Eastern Europe and the "French" one: on 25 April with "Elba day" they united. The release with the actions of the CLNAI can be explored with the link to "April 25, 1945" on the site dedicated by RaiCultura. At the same time American and Soviet troops joined at Torgau on the Elbe River. The action revealed the end of the Nazi system which occurred a few days later with the Battle of Berlin, giving the sensation of an ephemeral concord that was in reality only military. By following the link you can reach an in-depth page on Elbe Day. April 25, 1945 - 2020: Seventy-five years from the Liberation (edited by Fabio Mariotti) April 25, 1945 is the day on which the Upper Italy National Liberation Committee (CLNAI) - whose command was based in Milan and was chaired by Alfredo Pizzoni, Luigi Longo, Emilio Sereni, Sandro Pertini and Leo Valiani (present among others the president designate Rodolfo Morandi, Giustino Arpesani and Achille Marazza) - proclaimed a general insurrection in all the territories still occupied by the Nazi-fascists, indicating to all the partisan forces active in Northern Italy that are part of the Volunteer Corps of Freedom to attack the fascist presidia and Germans by imposing surrender, days before the arrival of the allied troops; at the same time, CLNAI personally issued legislative decrees, assuming power "in the name of the Italian people and as a delegate of the Italian Government". Since then April 25 has been a national holiday, the anniversary of the liberation of Italy. It is in fact a fundamental day for the history of Italy as a symbol of the victorious struggle of military and political resistance carried out by the allied armed forces, the Italian Cobelligerant Army and the partisan forces during the Second World War starting from 8 September 1943 against the fascist government of the Italian Social Republic and the Nazi occupation. 25 aprile 1945 April 25, 1945 v to the external page Elbe Day v to the external page Help us remember umbertidestoria@gmail.com

Storia, memoria ed identità Umbertide. Il sito si propone di divulgare la storia, la cultura e la memoria di coloro che hanno abitato ad Umbertide (Pg) per contribuire alla costruzione di una identità culturale comune nel rispetto dei principi Costituzionali. Questa divulgazione è e resterà senza sc HISTORY AND MEMORY UMBERTIDE Virtual place of memory and identity in motion Who we are We are a group of history lovers and scholars who want to create a space for the transmission of documents, memories and traditions of our city. The aim is the development of a shared identity that is inclusive of those who lived and those who live in Umbertide. The cultural and economic aspects, together with the Second World War, over time they have shaped the city, with its architectural elements and its spaces, but also the rural territory which for centuries has maintained its characteristic of scattered "settlement" and polyculture. For about 70 years, the scenario has been rapidly evolving. We are convinced that knowing the past, or who we were, will help understand how the life of the population will be structured, that is who we will be. Knowing allows you to have "new eyes" to see ... and think. Approfondisci la "memoria" ad ottanta anni di distanza dal bombardamento del 1944... Visita "OTTANT'ANNI" la sezione dedicata al progetto pensato da Mario Tosti con UNITRE di Umbertide, CENTRO SOCIO-CULTURALE S. FRANCESCO, UMBERTIDESTORIA e con il Patrocinio del COMUNE DI UMBERTIDE. Il racconto del passaggio del fronte durante la seconda guerra mondiale ad Umbertide, per riattivare la memoria, riflettere e non dimenticare. Progetto nato in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Filosofia, Scienze umane e Storia della scuola secondaria superiore “Campus da Vinci” di Umbertide, in funzione della trasmissione e crescita della memoria tra le giovani generazioni, che ha visto già diversi incontri con le classe terze dell’a.s. 2023-24. Azioni che hanno portato alla ricerca e sistemazione delle informazioni poi diventate libro e pagine web. OTTANT'ANNI Il 1944 In questa sezione il progetto "Ottantani" per il ricordo della tragedia che colpì la nostra città il 25 aprile 1944. Tragedia che si lega in modo più vasto al territorio dell'alta Umbria per il periodo del passaggio del fronte nel 1944. Un progetto che ha permesso la pubblicazione di un libro cartaceo e ora la versione digitale, nata per far crescere la memoria in maniera collettiva. Un progetto a cura di Mario Tosti, Unitre di Umbertide, Centro Culturale San Francesco, Umbertidestoria, con il Patrocinio del Comune di Umbertide; con la collaborazione di Pietro Taverniti, Massimo Pascolini, Sergio Bargelli, Corrado Baldoni, Francesco Deplanu, Sergio Magrini Alunno, Antonio Renzini, Luca Silvioni, Romano Vibi. Gennaio La situazione al 31 dicembre del 1943... Aprile APRILE 1944 - L’ Umbria ed Umbertide nel mirino degli aerei inglesi... Luglio Luglio... distruzione e liberazione... Ottobre 1° ottobre: è morto Fabio Fornaci combattendo con la RSI... Febbraio 4 febbraio: Nuovo bando di arruolamento. La RSI ordina la chiamata alle armi per le classi 1922/1923/1924... ... Maggio 1° maggio. Dovrebbe essere la festa dei lavoratori, ma non si festeggia niente... Agosto Agosto... Le condizioni a Umbertide migliorano nettamente... Novembre 2 novembre . Gli americani hanno sferrato un attacco aereo su Tokio... Marzo Umbertide, già sconvolta dalla guerra civile, sta per trovarsi nel cratere del fronte del fuoco che avanza... Giugno 4 giugno: Liberazione di Roma... passaggio del fronte in altotevere... Settembre 2 settembre: nomina del nuovo Sindaco... Dicembre 1° dicembre: Morti umbertidesi: Piccioloni, artigliere, soldato della RSI... OTTANT'ANNI Il 1945 Continuiamo a raccontare, mese per mese, i piccoli fatti locali (ma coraggiosi e lungimiranti) che hanno caratterizzato il 1945, anno drammatico ed al tempo stesso esaltante, dopo la catastrofe della guerra in casa. Per superare le difficoltà è necessario rivitalizzare la forza con cui la comunità è riuscita, allora, a rinascere e prosperare in ottant’anni di pace. Gennaio Dopo il 6 luglio 1944, quando gli Alleati sono entrati a Umbertide, il nostro territorio passa formalmente dalla Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI), regime collaborazionista con la Germania nazista, al Regno d’Italia (cosiddetto Regno del Sud)... Aprile Il 24 aprile il sindaco Renato Ramaccioni comunica che, per ragioni di studio e di famiglia, dovrà assentarsi dalla sede per circa 20 giorni. Sentito il parere favorevole del locale Comitato di Liberazione e della Giunta comunale... Luglio Il sindaco Astorre Bellarosa, con la sua Giunta, non perde tempo per dare un forte segnale politico con l’intitolazione della Piazza a Giacomo Matteotti, simbolo dell’opposizione al fascismo... Ottobre Il Comune concede gratuitamente un loculo al cimitero per la salma della medaglia d’argento Giuseppe Starnini, caduto combattendo nella guerra di liberazione il 30 aprile 1945. Il Sindaco mette a disposizione della società sportiva Tiberis quanto rimane dell’attrezzatura del gioco pallacanestro... Febbraio Il 6 febbraio, Fausto Fornaci cade nel cielo di Thiene. Allontanatosi un po’ dalla sua formazione, è circondato da caccia americani. Dopo aver abbattuto uno degli avversari, viene attaccato da tutte le parti... Maggio Dopo le dimissioni del sindaco Ramaccioni, si insedia la nuova Giunta, formata in gran parte da comunisti e socialisti: Astorre Bellarosa (il nuovo sindaco)... Agosto La Giunta comunale, con il sindaco falegname e il vicesindaco meccanico, ha la sensibilità di perseguire l’apertura di un liceo scientifico, seppure in presenza di scuole senza vetri, distrutti dalle onde d’urto delle bombe, e senza sedie per gli insegnanti.... Novembre L’amministrazione Bellarosa segna un passo decisamente positivo nel difficile cammino della ricostruzione, anche morale, coinvolgendo quanto più possibile i cittadini che, responsabilizzati da una partecipazione dimenticata da anni... Marzo Il 3 marzo muore Rino Pucci del “Gruppo di combattimento Cremona”. Giuseppe Rosati, rimasto gravemente ferito, spira il 5 marzo all'ospedale canadese di Ravenna. Con essi cade anche la loro mascotte, un ragazzo di 15 anni, Giuseppe Battiglia di Roma, colpito alla testa, il cranio svuotato... Giugno L’urgenza di affrontare le condizioni disastrose, lasciate dalla guerra, non impedisce di impostare la soluzione del problema della ricostruzione... Settembre Il Comune si trova a fronteggiare gravi situazioni di necessità ed assistenza per diversi soggetti. Prende in carico la retta di refezione, a favore di 10 bambini poveri, per i pasti forniti nel locale interrato dell’ala posteriore della scuola elementare di Via Garibaldi... Dicembre Il 4 dicembre le salme di Quirino Pucci, Giuseppe Rosati e Giuseppe Starnini sono traslate ad Umbertide, dove si svolge un funerale solenne, con la partecipazione di tutta la popolazione... Scopri le nostre pagine dinamiche Ogni pagina è un percorso, un grande contenitore dinamico, anche con decide di approfondimenti, sempre in possibile crescita perché la ricerca non deve avere una fine. Ogni pagina è un piccolo "sito" specifico all'interno di "Umbertidestoria". Pagine strutturate in modo da facilitare la navigabilità e quindi la fruizione. La Fratta di Carta Prima della progressiva standardizzazione della cartografia tra '700 ed '800 si sono prodotte rappresentazioni del territorio e di città mosse da diverse esigenze... Memoria e Tradizioni La sezione delle nostre tradizioni e della memoria da preservare, curata da Sergio Magrini Alunno... Ricordi umbertidesi Nuova pagina del sito nella quale intendiamo dare spazio a tutti coloro che vorranno condividere con noi i loro ricordi e i personaggi caratteristici nella Umbertide di una volta anche con documenti e foto d’epoca... Montecorona Sabbianiani Estratti a cura di Giuliano Sabbiniani sulla storia, vita e produzione della Tenuta di Montecorona dal suo libro “Montecorona – la Tenuta e la sua gente”, Gruppo editoriale locale, Digital Editor srl, Umbertide - 2021"... Video di Storia e Territorio Raccolta di pagine con video si luoghi storici architettonici e particolari fonti storiche della storia e del territorio di Umbertide... Fratta del Quattrocento Prima pagina dinamica che raccoglie i vari aspetti del sito su uno specifico periodo storico: il XV secolo dell'antica Fratta... Le storie di Pascolini Prima pagina dinamica che raccoglie i vari contributi con ricerche di archivio di Massimo Pascolini... .... o visita le nostre pagine tematiche di raccordo... ... o scopri le nostre pagine tematiche tradizionali , strutturate come raccordo degli articoli singoli, a volte ancora da sistemare, da dove puoi accedere a specifici approfondimenti.. Nel tempo sostituiremo le pagine tradizionali con quelle dinamiche... "work in progress"! STORIA vai alla pagina STORIA PER TEMI vai alla pagina MEMORIA vai alla pagina TRADIZIONI vai alla pagina ARRIVI E PARTENZE vai alla pagina CALENDARI vai alla pagina TESI DI LAUREA vai alla pagina ALBUM vai alla pagina The information from the birth of the first residential agglomerations to the first archive news, The rapid time of political changes from the Middle Ages to the history of the twentieth century, the architectural remains, our monuments and works of art, the slow pace of changes in the territory that have come to define our landscape, the structuring of traditions, family memory ... all this defines the identity of a place and of the people who live there. Please help us to remember by sending photos (with date and place if possible), reporting errors on our texts, suggesting improvements or writing your memoirs, possibly with historical and contemporary sources, to build a vision of our future. Those who choose to send us images can choose to do overwrite, with the "water mark" technique, your "name and surname" or "family archive ..." on your photos, this to prevent the images from being used once on the web beyond the cultural purposes that we aim. For the same reason we have applied the " umbertidestoria " watermark over the historical photos of Umbertide which have been on the web for some time and in various private archives; in this way we try to avoid that further disclosure on our part favors purposes that are not consonant with our intentions. We come out publicly with parts that are incomplete and to be improved. Ours is an ongoing project that needed to be shared in order to grow. For now, thank you ... Adil, Adriano, Alberto, Alessandro, Alessandro C., Andrea Levi, Anna, Anna Maria, Brunella, Diego, Dritan, Fabio, Federico, Francesco, Giovanna, Giovanni, Giulio, Imperia, Isotta, Mario, Miriam, Loredana, Kalida, Paola, Silvia, Simona, Tiziana, Valentina RV, Valentina P. and all those who have sent us photos or supported. Help us remember umbertidestoria@gmail.com EH Carr "Change is certain. Progress is not "

THE "SPANISH" EPIDEMIC IN UMBERTIDE AND IN THE HIGH TIBER VALLEY curated by Fabio Mariotti We publish, with the kind permission of the author, the historian from tifernate Alvaro Tacchini, the article on the Spanish epidemic that struck Umbertide at the end of 1918, an article that is part of a series of articles dedicated to Valtiberina Umbra and Tuscany. For this reason we believe that, in order to better understand what happened and place it in a wider and substantially homogeneous historical, social and civil context, it would be advisable to also read the other articles that refer to the entire valley and of which we report the titles : “Spanish” flu: when and how it spread; October 1918: an attempt was made to minimize; Prophylaxis and popular nutrition; Public hygiene; The "Spanish" in Città di Castello and in the Nestoro valley; the "Spanish" in the Sangiustino area; Sansepolcro: the "Spanish" among the prisoners of Aboca; Pieve Santo Stefano: gratitude towards a military doctor. The "Spanish" among the military ". At the end of the page you will find the link to access all the articles published on the storiatifernate.it site of Alvaro Tacchini, whom we thank for his courtesy and availability. by Alvaro Tacchini The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) recalls the dramatic memory of what happened in 1918-1919, also worldwide, for the so-called "Spanish flu" (H1N1). The following articles reconstruct its history in our valley. It was a shocking event, which locally caused the death of more than a thousand people in the last quarter of 1918 alone. At that time it was a very poor society, with severe hygienic deficiencies and with a modest level of health care, culturally and socially. less ready to face such a serious emergency. Moreover, a society exhausted by four years of war. Attention! In re-proposing these texts - already published in 2008 - we do not want to darken even more the mood of a public opinion already worried about what is happening. On the contrary! This historical knowledge can help us to better appreciate how much our society has evolved in the last hundred years from the point of view of democracy, social conditions (especially in the food and hygiene fields), health care, basic culture, fabric institutional and associative. One more reason to fight the Coronavirus challenge together, in harmony with the political, administrative and scientific authorities. The complete texts of the articles, accompanied by the notes, are in my volume "The Upper Tiber Valley and the Great War". The epidemic in Umbertide The municipal authorities of Umbertide reported the appearance of the flu to the prefect on 19 September. Since then they have regularly informed him about the progress of the epidemic. Moreover, the prefect himself had given strict provisions to monitor its diffusion in a careful and methodical way. The bulletins sent by the Umbertian municipality are a valuable source of information. In September 8 disinfections were carried out in the homes of 10 people who died of an infectious or "contagious" disease, as the traffic police often wrote in their reports to whom, together with the municipal brush, the health officer entrusted the task. The affected area was the countryside north of Umbertide, between Montecastelli - above all, with 5 deaths -, Montemigiano, Romeggio and Verna. That the situation aroused concern is confirmed by the decision, from the end of the month, to have the bodies transported to the cemetery by the shortest route, with religious services only in the church of Santa Maria. But the epidemic suddenly spread to the point that it was necessary to prohibit "the agglomeration in the church for funeral services" and to have the bodies transported directly to the mortuary chapel of the cemetery. In fact, the telegram sent to the prefect on 4 October painted a dramatic picture. After having indicated the number of people affected by the beginning of the epidemic at about 600, he updated the situation as follows: "Case reports in the last 24 hours are 30 locations in Montecastelli, 20 Niccone, 30 Rasina, 20 Molino Vitelli, 20 Calzolaro, 15 Ranchi Nestoro, another 50 cases in different areas - Three deaths in the last 24 hours, one of which was a prisoner of war was hospitalized in a civil hospital - Situation in Montecastelli worsening, making it impossible for only a doctor to disengage service - Please arrange for another provisional sanitary dispatch of disinfectants ”. The municipal authorities did not hide the gravity of the moment ("here very serious infection, high mortality") when they urgently requested the transfer of about twenty beds from the military hospital to the civil one, which had already exhausted them. The impact of the "Spanish" was underlined by the bare figures. In the first fifteen days of October in the municipality of Umbertide 49 people died, compared to 6 in the same period in the previous year. In the 12 information bulletins sent to the prefect from 5 to 30 October - but some are missing - we read of 580 new cases of flu, with 53 deaths. The 55 disinfections carried out during that month give us the names of 57 residents in the municipality who died of contagious disease. While there is no official death census, these figures paint a very significant picture during the peak of the epidemic. And the reports of the disinfections barely hint at the tragedy experienced by many families: in Niccone, Silvio Medici lost his wife and daughter; Pietro Boldrini the mother and a son; Domenico Montanucci, from Montemigiano, was killed by his wife, a son and a grandson of just 15 months; David Bacuccoli, from Migianella, and Vittorio Gnagnetti, from Umbertide, each saw two of their daughters die in a few days. The authorities took every possible precaution. The prefect postponed the commemoration of the dead to December, and ordered that the religious services of All Saints and any other solemn feast be limited to the celebration of flat masses. And, perhaps even in order not to depress the morale of the population, he established that the ringing of bells for holidays or funerals was reduced "to the number of tolls purely essential to the desired signaling". Sanitary conditions began to improve in November. There were then 40 deaths overall, compared to 17 in November 1917. The reports of the disinfections allow us to quantify at least 21 certain deaths for "Spanish". At the end of the month the Municipality was finally able to write to the prefect that the flu was "significantly decreasing", sending for the first time a bulletin with the words "deaths none". In December, the daily number of new cases dropped to 7-8. A total of 46 people died, compared to 17 in December of the previous year; at least 10 died from contagious disease. Meanwhile bad news arrived from the mountain hamlet of Preggio which, in the words of the municipal authorities, was isolated and "without health care". The infection was brought to Preggio by a little girl, already infected in Umbertide, a guest of the Mavarelli family for the Christmas holidays. Quinto Vignoli wrote to the mayor: “[…] the epidemic has also begun to rage in our town and surroundings. In the chapel of the Preggio cemetery there are two dead. One in that of S. Bartolomeo de 'Fossi and one in that of Racchiusole that cannot be buried because they lack the death certificate, as there is no doctor who draws them up. You will easily understand how much a doctor is needed up here in such circumstances (we also have no pharmacy, and having no roads we can say that we are outside the human consortium). As long as our health was good we did not get bored: but now we are claiming for our sagrosanto right. The coming of a doctor twice a week at this moment of such epidemic rage is negligible, especially since the doctor's arrival did not take place before 12 noon to leave at 2.00 pm Little for the town, but nothing for the countryside ”. At the urgent request of the mayor, the military doctor Augusto Massi was finally sent. He entered service on December 17: from the end of November to that date Preggio had had at least 17 deaths. Massi reassured the mayor about the benign nature of the epidemic in that place, but invited him to keep the schools closed, because the disease - he wrote - "spreads everywhere". From his arrival until March 6, 1919, the doctor reported 747 new cases of flu, which cost the lives of at least 9 people. The surrounding area was most affected. Massi moved on horseback and it took him three hours to reach the most inaccessible areas. In the rest of the Umbertidese municipality, despite a resurgence towards the end of the year, from January 1919 the "Spanish" gradually dying out and mortality returned to normal levels: in that month there were 26 deaths, just 2 more than in the year previous. There were 8 (outside of Preggio) those due to the disease. It allegedly made another 9 victims between February and 7 June 1919, when the prefecture sent the long-awaited communication to the mayor: "Since the influenza epidemic in the Province has almost ceased, the SV will be able to suspend the sending of bulletins which it relate ". The set of documentation collected allows us to quantify at no less than 142 the people killed by the "Spanish" in the Umbertidese area since September 1918. The photos of the documents are taken directly from the site. The other photos are by Fabio Mariotti from the historical photographic archive of the Municipality of Umbertide. By clicking on the link you can enter directly on the part of my site that tells the story of the "Spanish" in our territory. http://www.storiatifernate.it/pubblicazioni.php?cat=48&subcat=159&group=410 The Umbertide hospital in the early 1900s The church of Santa Maria in the 1920s 1918. The Collegiate Church seen from Piazza Guardabassi 1918. Ordinance of the Municipality who orders the bodies to be brought directly to the Cemetery Report on cases of new flu in the last 24 hours Ordinance of the Municipality which postpones the commemoration of the dead to December Preggio. Via di Mezzo in the early 1900s Telegram for reporting the number of deaths

The traditions In this section you will find contributions on our traditions. In the subsections will be inserted the stories of the individual customs. For now you will find the subsections: on the "crosses in the fields", on the "Ciccicocco", on the "Baca", on the "Street Games" and on the "Kitchen". The new page also, "memory and traditions, curated by Sergio Magrini Alunno, is a connecting page of a large "subsection" dedicated to the world of the last century, especially in the mid-1900s, which saw the end of sharecropping and economic development rapidly changing the economic and social fabric of our country (actually of our entire country, or rather of Italy) and act as a watershed in memory. remembrance of customs and ways of life that we want to preserve. Photo of the large tree that was present in front of the Garibaldi elementary school in the "gardens". 1960s photos by unknown author. We temporarily insert our watermark until the right attribution. The "voices" are at the beginning, some little more than set but so let's begin our story. We look forward to growing with your help. Sources: - Photo: Francesco Deplanu - Photo: historical photos of Umbertide from the web and from various private archives to which we applied the " umbertidestoria " watermark in this way we try to avoid that further disclosure on our part favors purposes that are not consonant with our intentions exclusively social and cultural. Help us remember umbertidestoria@gmail.com

THE HISTORY OF UMBERTIDE AVIS FROM 1959 TO 1995 From the book by Roberto Sciurpa "The blood of Fratta" curated by Fabio Mariotti THE PIONEERS The founder In the summer of 1959 the topic under discussion in the city bars and other meeting places certainly centered on the trial of the year: the Fenaroli crime, committed in September '58, but whose sensational implications were coming to light. in that time. It was talked about all over Italy, with the usual alignments between innocentists and guilty parties, as always happens in sensational and circumstantial trials. But in Umbertide there was a reason for greater interest. If the killing of his wife is not a usual exercise, and therefore makes news on its own, a witness of Umbertian origin and resident in Rome intervened in decisive support of the accusatory thesis. So enigmatic was that trial, which ended with the life imprisonment of Fenaroli and Ghiani, that it had after-effects, to say the least disturbing, even in our days if the revelations reported by Antonio Padellaro, in his book "Do not open to murderers", had a reliable foundation. But there were also those who thought of other things. Mariano Migliorati , in addition to carrying out his activity as a physician led by the Municipality, worked at the local hospital as a surgeon and gynecologist. The hospital of Umbertide, already during Fascism, had been downgraded to an infirmary and this status was still in force. Not having, therefore, a staff of its own, it availed itself of the work of doctors conducted on the explicit and formal assignment of the Municipal Administration. Only in 1969 will it be reclassified to hospital status with the consequent preparation of its own staff and with the possibility of planning adjustments and expansions that are still visible today. Dr. Migliorati was a gruff type in appearance, but good-natured, helpful and generous in substance. He knew how to combine the calm and reflexivity of his character with a decision-making and operational capacity worthy of all respect. He listened patiently, as he peered with a penetrating and understanding gaze that never made one uncomfortable. For these human qualities, as well as for the professional ones of the highest level, he instilled trust and security and was appreciated by all the citizens of Umbria. Not surprisingly, immediately after the Liberation, he was appointed "Mayor" of the city: the first, after the Fascist era. The official document of the Allied Military Governor, who had jurisdiction over the area, is very hasty. It limits itself to saying that Mariano Migliorati was appointed in the first week following the Liberation of Umbertide, which took place on 5 July 1944. Therefore, his appointment and his installation take place between 6 and 12 July 1944. He was 32 years old; was born on September 9, 1912. He remained in office for only a few months and resigned on 2 September 1944 to hold the position of chief physician of surgery at the hospital of Umbertide, a function incompatible with that of mayor since, for the reasons already set out, he would have found himself in the position of controller and controlled. The Allied Military Governor writes verbatim that this task was conferred by the desire of the population. It is an eloquent expression that indicates three things: the choice of the thirty-two year old mayor was prudent, being a very popular and respected character; his resignation was not related to dissent; the young doctor enjoyed such professional appreciation that he was preferred in the irreplaceable role of surgeon, rather than in the alternate role of representative of the community. Migliorati showed no attachment to the armchair and chose, without hesitation, the professional activity, like all those who have a profession, love it and honor it. He will remain in the hospital for a long time, until it is reclassified in 1969. In the summer of 1959, realizing the absolute need for blood, thanks also to his profession, he promoted a committee to set up a first nucleus of donors that could face the emergencies of the Umbertide hospital. The members of the Committee, in addition to him who was its soul, were Raffaele Mancini , Lamberto Beatini , Marta Gandin and Aurelia Nocioni. At the beginning it was a difficult job, both in terms of proselytism and organization, as always happens in the creation of the new, but the tenacity and wisdom of Doctor Mario and his collaborators overcame every obstacle. Along the way, the idea of founding a real section whose aims went beyond local borders took on more and more substance. He worked hard on this project, until 29 October 1969, when, during a visit to one of his patients in Niccone, he realized that the sudden illness he felt would be lethal. Any attempt to rescue was in vain. He left quickly, without disturbing anyone, he who in life and in his profession had chosen to be disturbed. Of Mariano Migliorati, the first mayor of the city after the Liberation, an appreciated and well-liked doctor, a talented gynecologist, a surgeon imposed by the desire of the population, founder of the AVIS section, only the elderly are remembered, even for some of his quick and happy jokes, and among some year will be covered by total oblivion. The younger ones, through no fault of their own, don't know who he was. In the sudden and voluminous urban expansion of our city and in the wide repertoire of street toponymy that had to be imprinted, not an alleyway, not a flowerbed bears his name. (Ed - After the publication of this volume, a street was dedicated to him in the expansion area of the city towards the Fontanelle). The naming of the streets does not respond only to administrative and logistical criteria, much less are they used by the dead since they do not appear to make them a reason for pride or ostentation with others. They have a meaning for the living as a testimony of a value, a document of a reality, a message of perennial relevance, gratitude for a remarkable work. Therefore, it becomes difficult to understand the inspiring logic, at least of a part, of the street toponymy of Umbertide and of certain systematic and deliberate silences which, in a small community, are hardly justifiable and very eloquent. Seven streets are named after Italian regions (Umbria, Tuscany, Piedmont, Marche, Lazio, Lombardy and Calabria) and eleven by cities (Siena, Perugia, Bologna, Rome, Florence, Venice, Novara, Pisa, Genoa, Naples and Turin). Upon immediate reflection, a badly concealed predilection of the Umbertidese community for central and northern Italy would seem to transpire. The flowers (azaleas and geraniums) and the ordinal numbers (3rd - 5th - 23rd - 28th - 33rd - 50th street) have bothered, as in the American metropolises, large yes, but poor in history. I stop here. Doing so dries up the memory and neglects the dutiful and grateful union with those examples that must link the past to the present. Unless the people in charge of managing public affairs have the modesty and the certainty to believe that history begins with them. I did not know Bruto Boldrini, but he should have been a balanced and generous man, as well as a present, wise and appreciated administrator for being the only contemporary Umbertide to have a street named after his name. I am delighted, but the exception proves the rule. In one of the AVIS rooms, hanging on a wall, there is the framed photograph of Doctor Migliorati, with an expression that hints at a thin smile and with the usual serene and penetrating gaze. Every time I look at it, the lines of a poem by Trilussa written in 1942 and full of bitter irony about the society of the time come to mind. It is called Lómo useless and describes the feelings of the poet through the mouth of a fetus, in spirit, which has a hand attached to the nose: "But instead I am drento ar museum, I look at the people and I make marameo. ...". Doctor Mariano Migliorati was not useless, even if he is locked up in the museum of oblivion. The committee The committees have a provisional function, aimed at achieving an objective or establishing stable and definitive bodies that can pursue the established goals and set up the appropriate organizational structure. With this understanding, the Committee, set up by Mariano Migliorati, set to work in that summer of 1959. Its members were well-known and credible personalities in the city environment, engaged in a professional activity that had forced them to the attention and esteem of the population. Marta Gandin and Aurelia Nocioni were the two Principals, respectively of the "G. Pascoli" Middle School and of the "Mavarelli" Professional Training; Raffaele Mancini and Lamberto Beatini, two elementary teachers. Beatini was secretary of the first Umbertide Didactic Circle; Mancini will become one of the second, a few years later, as soon as it is established. Aurelia Nocioni, generous and capable, sensitive to social problems and available to the spirit of service, which she already practiced with the boys in her professional activity, lavished energy and passion in this work. Marta Gandin, determined and strong-willed, was no less, and in the rigor rich in humanity, combined with the strong sense of duty, which has always distinguished her, she re-proposed those family values that were already witnessed by her father's brother, that General Antonio Gandin , Gold Medal, Commander of the Acqui Division, who on 24 September 1943 was murdered by the Germans, together with five thousand soldiers, in the massacre of the island of Kefalonia. Lamberto Beatini, the gentle giant, represents historical continuity. He was present then, in the constitutive phase of AVIS, and is now present in the life of the section, as a member of the Board of Directors, of which he has always been a part since its establishment in various roles, including that of President. The AVIS will not get rid of him easily, fortunately, and we will meet him later. Raffaele Mancini was not only the secretary of the committee, but also the right hand of Doctor Migliorati, and at that time he held the position of councilor of the municipality and of the hospital. In the initial phase, his work was instrumental. It should be remembered that the Umbertide hospital had been downgraded to an infirmary and for its redevelopment to a third category hospital, a substantial strengthening of the two nursing departments (medicine and surgery) then existing was necessary, with the creation of auxiliary services, the increase in hospital stays and building extensions. This objective began to be pursued with great tenacity since 1952 with the Benedetto Guardabassi administration and then continued with that of Alessandro Renzini until 1969, when the coveted recognition was formally granted. The hospital and the citizens of Umbria owe a lot to Renzini, Guardabassi and Mancini because it was precisely to their insistence and their personal sacrifice that our hospital obtained the desired requalification. Naturally, as always happens among humans, once things have been done, everything appears easy, due and taken for granted and to put it in a very significant rural proverb, the cage is made, the bird is dead. Those who most of all had worked to reach the goal and whose docility had been hardened by the obstacles encountered and overcome, did not enjoy the success for long as they were set aside for opportune alternation. Among the auxiliary services to be activated, that of blood donors was also taken into consideration. Mancini aims at a twofold purpose: that of strengthening the hospital for the reasons set out above and the other of constituting in Umbertide a service of high social and human value that was extremely valuable for any hospital emergencies. I spoke at length with Mancini, who in addition to having a fresh memory of past events, also has a good personal archive on the administrative events of which he was the protagonist. And he tells: "Dr. Migliorati, who came from a serious experience in Milan, immediately understood the great importance that a nucleus of local donors could have and, therefore, set to work briskly. The Board of Directors of the institution (the hospital), in perfect agreement with the initiative, made its administrative secretariat available to Migliorati for the necessary bureaucratic acts and invited me to closely follow the interesting attempt. The doctor immediately referred me the most urgent problems to be addressed, such as: - the possibility of visiting the volunteers who wished to register in the hospital outpatient clinic; - a room where to keep the medical records and the register of visits; - the purchase of the necessary material for the bureaucratic formalities. Thus it was that, with the approval of the President and the Council, they too understood the enormous importance of creating a group of donors available to our health facility (not only for the legal recognition of the hospital, but especially for the defense of citizens' health), I flanked, for the bureaucratic part of the work, Dr. Migliorati and his first collaborators: Maestro Lamberto Beatini, 1st Dean of the Middle School, Prof. Marta Gandin and the Dean of Vocational Training, Prof. . Aurelia Nocioni and some other willing people whose name escapes me now. I placed myself at the doctor's complete disposal to perform the functions of secretary and to draw up the first donor records. I had a small room adapted in the mezzanine of the hospital where the folders and other material relating to the nascent service were kept. Thus, the first nucleus of Volunteers was born spontaneously, but marked by great seriousness, which was to give life, then, to the AVIS Section of Umbertide, whose importance and availability are still cited today as a model of solidarity and altruism in the time of need, and also as a model of organizational efficiency. I believe I can affirm that, if in 1969 the Umbertide infirmary could be reclassified as a third category hospital, this is also due to the creation of our AVIS, as a support body of primary importance to the health unit ". The logistical and bureaucratic support, therefore, for the first years, is ensured by Mancini in the name and on behalf of the hospital administration, while the other members of the Committee carried out proselytizing work for a kind of voluntary service that was not so well known and widespread. as it is today. In the fatigue of the first moments, there are also some pleasant episodes. I mention one. During the thorough and meticulous examination, Dr. Migliorati asked an would-be donor if he had ever had mumps. The person concerned, who was unfamiliar with medical terminology because he was a typographer, asked what the mumps were and the doctor made it clear that it was the mumps. The typographer, known for having not really reduced auricles, replied promptly: "Ah, I was born with those!". The seed was now sown, and in fertile soil. This small group of bourgeois, to use a terminology then more in vogue than now, had created the premises for one of the most urgent and indispensable voluntary associations to help life and nourish hope. It must be acknowledged that the school world is in the front row. This school, like a karst river, appears only in moments of acute social crisis as accused of omissions and insensitivity, which generally belong to others, but it is always present in a happy and creative way even when, hidden and silent, it runs through its course. At the end of that year there were seven AVIS members. The magnificent seven The Committee began the search for volunteers starting from the known people who resided in Umbertide, following a centrifugal path. Do not forget the demographic and social situation of the city and its surroundings, described above, because the history of AVIS is closely linked to the evolution of that factor. As the capital of the municipality expands, so does the number of memberships and donations. The phenomenon recurs even today, in the youth sector, in the sense that the settlements of high schools, factories and services, appropriately reached by the AVIS propaganda, have determined a considerable influx of young and very young donors, more tiring in the fragmented reality of a time. The first adhesions, therefore, are those of volunteers close to the members of the Committee or their friends. At the head is Lamberto Beatini who affirmed his Avisian faith not only as an organizer, but also as an active member (he is the only member-donor of the Committee) who periodically underwent regular withdrawals over the following years, until the statutory provisions, relating to age limits, have allowed this. Followed by Bruschi Fernando, a veterinarian, who for professional reasons has left the city to visit it every now and then. Gambucci Luigi is the third, among the first to be called and among the most present and active in the daily life of the Section, even today. Gigetto is one of the pillars of AVIS, alongside a few others, and without his presence and his commitment, perhaps I would not be here writing this story. He works a lot, with dedication and competence, not only now that he is retired, but also before, when he was employed and then director of the local Post Office. Benedetto Guardabassi, the good and combative professor, could not miss it, just as he never missed any appointment in which something had to be built for Umbertide. He too represents a good piece of history, not so much of AVIS because his participatory state, through no fault of his own, did not last long, but of the post-war Umbertide reality. Rondini Aldo, a calm and taciturn traffic policeman, immediately boarded that Avisian train, making an important contribution as the only representative of the municipal employees in the group of seven. Silvestri Francesco, an elementary teacher, fully honored his choice and the always punctual response to the call for withdrawals demonstrates this abundantly. The last of the seven is Valdambrini Mario, an elementary teacher, who with generosity and enthusiasm answered the first call. Also in this case the school world offered strong signals of presence, implementing in practice the values of civic solidarity that in the classrooms it transmitted, in theory, to the pupils. By now the Committee was facilitated in its work, since these first seven donors became, in turn, the best external persuaders to increase the adhesions to the new initiative. And they were also ready in replying to the call for withdrawal if at the end of that year, according to what the individual files tell us, they managed to make a total of ten donations in just a few months. Not only that, but their avisian longevity demonstrates that the initial adhesions were not dictated by short-lived outbursts of enthusiasm if three of them were awarded the gold medal for the fifty donations achieved (Beatini, Gambucci and Silvestri). It is worth mentioning a few other characters who, at this starting point, had an important role, even if they were on the other side of the needle. He was a bleeder and not a donor. I refer to Staccini Mario (Mariolino) and to Lotti Italo. They were the pickers and, very often, also the authors of the donor calls. On the other hand, their work as technicians within the hospital placed them in a privileged observatory in terms of recording emergencies. They too were, in their own way, spreaders of the AVIS novelty and some good bottles of blood will have come out smiling when hearing Mariolino's jokes, to the benefit of the patient's depression. Valuable help was also offered by Franco Natali, the first collaborator of AVIS (1960), who worked generously for the affirmation of the Avisian voluntary service. His popular work continues today within the section. I pionieri La crescita I donatori I pionieri GROWTH Fervor and industriousness After the initial impulse, in 1960 there was a situation of worrying stagnation. The adhesions did not rise according to the hoped rhythm and throughout that year there was only one, that of Mario Cerrini. Donations also suffered a halt: only nine over the entire year, compared to ten in the last part of 1959. It was a physiological phenomenon, typical of the introduction of every novelty and linked to the difficulty in finding information tools for adequate propaganda, to the mental reserves with respect to a form of voluntary work, such as that of the gift of blood, which had not entered the common culture, waiting for the majority, who wanted to realize the following received. This state of affairs continued into the following years as well. In fact, 1961 did not yet allow the leap in quality. There were only two new members, Alpini Mario and Valdambrini Maria, with an evident drop in donations: seven overall, with an average of less than one for each donor. The situation did not improve in 1962 with only one new presence, that of Norberto Conti. On the other hand, donations increased slightly and reached the number of twelve. A sign of recovery occurs in 1963 with four inscriptions (Baldoni Domenico, Foni Raffaele, Sonaglia Luigi and Tognellini Rolando) and 14 samples. With Rolando Tognellini, from Pierantonio, the world of hamlets enters the group. The initiative was not in decline, but its growth was struggling and it was now clear that the difficulties were inherent in the organizational structure. The Committee had carried out its task very well and could not be asked for more, in addition to the promotional launch already given. The fervor and enthusiasm were not subsided, but alone they were not enough to pass from the avant-garde to the system. It was a question of asking for inclusion within the National Association of Blood Volunteers, to have an explicit and formal recognition by the provincial AVIS, to acquire the official Statute and to establish the governing collegial bodies. Among other things, there was to settle all the previous paperwork that went from the regularization of the membership, to the periodic call for withdrawals and the timely registration of the same. In the Garibaldi phase of the beginning, there was limited to the essential: visits to donors, the preparation of their folders and a provisional registration of donations. It also seems obvious to me that he acted like this. It was important to reach the goal and not get lost in the maze of procedures. But, by now, the time had come to take a reflective pause and from it emerged the not inconsiderable element that an efficient Board of Directors, in terms of external visibility and propaganda, would have been much more valid and appropriate than a spontaneous Committee that had operated with merit, but also exhausted the propulsive charge of the initial moment. These aspects were carefully evaluated by the members and Dr. Migliorati himself, meanwhile delegate of the provincial president of AVIS, Mr. Vincenzo Innocenti, was indicating the path that should be taken. Which then was only one and consisted in the preparation of all the requirements to have the recognition as a municipal section. The adhesions reached were not exceptional, just 15 in just over three years, but there was a lot of passion, combined with the desire to go forward in the certainty, not unfounded, of giving life to a Sodality that could reach remarkable levels. The awareness of the goodness of the purpose and the knowledge of the soul of the people of Umbertide, who never back down in times of need and solidarity, moved the intentions of the first donors, who had clearly seen the path to take. On the other hand, the experience and prestige of Doctor Mario, the founding doctor, instilled courage and confidence. Therefore, the time had come to make the qualitative leap, urgent and indispensable. We are moving towards the foundation of the AVIS Section of Umbertide. The birth of the section Foligno has always been at the forefront in the promotion of humanitarian initiatives and the coordination of the provincial AVIS, in 1963, was based in the city of San Feliciano where the President Vincenzo Innocenti resided. The same thing happened for AIDO (Italian Association of Organ Donors). In this regard, there is an episode that is worth remembering. In the autumn of 1977, the provincial councilor Hans Schoen, of Foligno, asked me to receive a person in my capacity as councilor for health of the province. "He is worthy of esteem.", He said to me, "He is a priest. Listen to him, then you will tell me." And he added no more. A few days later a priest showed up, already over the years, but still vigorous in appearance, his face with marked features and hollowed out by deep wrinkles. He told me his name was Don Pietro Arcangeli and to take care of the coordination of AIDO on behalf of the Bergamo headquarters. After having illustrated the aims and characteristics of the Association, he solicited my interest in a more stable organizational structure at the provincial level. And we talked about something else. The meeting and subsequent contacts with Don Pietro were a reason for reflection and interior enrichment. His generous humanity and willingness to serve suffering did not arise only from the pastoral mission he had chosen or from the reading and practice of the Gospel, but also from the profound knowledge of another book of the New Testament: the Apocalypse of the Mathausen concentration camp, from which he had had the rare privilege of coming out tried, but alive. Shortly after, the AIDO di Umbertide municipal group was formed and, later, also the provincial AIDO, based in Perugia. Don Pietro left us, giving us the work he had carried out on his own. Hans too is gone and his untimely and unexpected death took away from his family an exemplary father and from politics an intelligent and capable, open and honest servant. But let's get back to our topic. The Perugins arrived later, with the important contribution of the organization and the greater diffusion of the associative image, also due to their proximity to the buildings that count. The first nucleus of Umbertide donors, therefore, made contact with Foligno and in particular with Vincenzo Innocenti, the provincial president of AVIS. On June 2, 1963, the General Assembly of Members was convened at 8.30 at the hospital premises. Vincenzo Innocenti was also present, who assumed the presidency of the Assembly, convened to discuss three items on the agenda: the report by the delegate Dr. Mariano Migliorati, the constitution of the AVIS municipal section of Umbertide, the appointment of the Board of Directors and other corporate offices. Raffaele Mancini, appointed secretary, recorded the progress of the work in a detailed and precise manner. At the opening of the session, the President officially declared the UMBERTIDE MUNICIPAL SECTION AVIS and addressed words of applause to the donor members and thanks to dr. Mariano Migliorati and the members of the promoting committee, who had given life to the Association. Migliorati took the floor and reported on the activity carried out by the Committee, referred to the posters posted in 1961 and the consents and concrete contributions that followed, so much so that he could allow the opening of a postal current account with 125,850 lire, partly already spent for propaganda, the competition held in schools and insurance for members. The organizational situation was also described in detail: 44 the applications presented, 27 the diagnostic tests performed and 17 to be performed, the suitable 19, the unsuitable 8. The balance sheet was somewhat spartan: AVIS only had a refrigerator, donated by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and a wooden cabinet, donated by the Hospital of Umbertide. The report was unanimously approved. It was necessary to proceed to the election of the statutory bodies and here arose the first obstacle that Innocenti solved with intelligent speed. The statutes are made for the established bodies and not for those to be established and, according to the literal application of the rules, it would have been necessary to appoint an electoral commission to prepare for the holding of regular elections, with the loss of other precious time. Being a new institution, Innocenti unified the procedures. The commission was appointed (Cerrini Mario, Silvestri Francesco and Silvestrelli Antonio) which, on the spot, started the electoral operations, after having established that the Board of Directors would consist of five members. Silvestri Francesco, chairman of the commission, directed the voting operations. The Assembly was attended by 17 members, but only 15 voted because Dr. Migliorati and Raffaele Mancini, the only two present on the organizing committee, abstained. I report the names of the seventeen participants in the Assembly and, in parentheses, the votes obtained. It should be noted that, in addition to the presence of Raffaele Mancini as a collaborator, there are some donors who had already undergone the suitability visit with a positive outcome, but were not yet formally registered. It is the practice of the Section, in fact, to start the registration not from the moment of the presentation of the application, but from that of the acquisition of the active participatory status, which begins with the first donation. Present were: Migliorati Mariano, Mancini Raffaele (10), Alpini Mario (2), Beatini Lamberto (12), Cappanna Alberto (6), Ceccagnoli Orlando, Cerrini Mario (4), Faloci Serafino (7), Foni Raffaello, Gambucci Luigi (3), Guardabassi Benedetto (8), Pucci Angelo, Rondini Aldo, Silvestri Francesco (4), Silvestrelli Antonio (5), Sonaglia Celestino (2), Tacconi Mario (7). The five most voted members were elected: Beatini Lamberto, Mancini Raffaele, Guardabassi Benedetto, Faloci Serafino and Tacconi Mario. Another vote and another ballot for the election of the Auditors, with the following results: standing auditors: Alpini Mario, Cerrini Mario and Gambucci Luigi; Alternate auditors: Baldoni Domenico and Silvestrelli Antonio. Without proceeding to vote, the board of arbitrators was appointed by acclamation, consisting of the Mayor of Umbertide, Cavalaglio Umberto, the President of the IRB Celestino Filippi and the Director of the Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia, Umbertide branch, Carlo Bufalari. Again by acclamation, Doctor Mariano Migliorati was given the position of Medical Director. All the elected bodies would remain in office until the end of the year, since the Statute at the time provided for an annual and not a three-year duration for the corporate offices. The Board of Directors met immediately after the closing of the Assembly for the distribution of offices within it and agreed, without many dividing preambles, that Beatini Lamberto was the President, Mancini Raffaele the Secretary and Tacconi Mario the Bursar. From that Sunday of 2 June 1963, the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic, Umbertide had its AVIS Section, with all the statutory bodies elected and animated by a great operational will, the banner and the Members, who represented the true capital of the newly formed Association. Beatini and his friends on the Board began to work with great determination, especially in the propaganda sector. The results were seen very quickly because the number of members of the Association, from that year onwards, increased dramatically. On the more strictly bureaucratic and administrative level, very little could be done because the lack of an adequate location will prevent, for some time yet, the complete deployment of the available energies. On January 19, 1964, just six months after the first, the Shareholders' Meeting met to proceed with the renewal of the offices. Already the Donors had reached the number of forty and twenty-five of them were present at the meeting. The statutory provisions on the electoral procedure, even in this circumstance, were opportunely disregarded. There was no need to set in motion secret voting mechanisms for the renewal of a Council that had been installed six months earlier and which needed a longer period of time to carry out the announced programs. Antonio Silvestrelli, therefore, proposed the reconfirmation of all the positions assigned by acclamation and the Assembly stood up clapping his hands, while the President, Mr. Adriano Pasquarelli, Vice President of the provincial AVIS, twisting his mouth, timidly made a present that the procedure was not quite regular but, since it was a particular situation, an exception could be made. Headquarters Even after the constitution of the section, the logistical reference was that of the mezzanine at the hospital. There was no better and more the hospital administrators could not offer. A different, even if not definitive, arrangement was necessary. It was not possible to manage a sodality in evident growth and in defense of vital emergencies, with only a refrigerator and a wardrobe. It needed an easily accessible address, a minimum of furniture, a telephone. Until then, the first partners had also fulfilled the commitment of domestic availability, calling each other in case of need. From the very first meetings, therefore, the Board raised the problem of the seat. The situation did not improve when, after leaving the hospital, the section found accommodation in via Leopoldo Grilli, in the building of Mario Codovini, which was used as the headquarters of the ECA. I say accommodation just to be clear and certainly not why it was so in reality. The space reserved for AVIS consisted of a passage corridor and, given the use of the ECA, one can imagine that the traffic was intense, creating evident operational difficulties. The urgency of an adequate and definitive solution is gaining momentum. And both the oral history, narrated by the protagonists, and the documentary one, described in the minutes of the meetings of the time, indicate with what commitment and tenacity this objective was pursued. The problems were twofold: the economic one of finding resources and the functional one, relating to the structural characteristics and location of the headquarters. In terms of economic resources, Beatini and the other members of the Board worked hard on all fronts, soliciting contributions and making savings. In the session of 1 July 1965, the Board decided not to make the social trip to set aside an economy to be allocated to the headquarters. The decision was ratified by the Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting of the following 25 July. The argument was resumed at the Ordinary Assembly of November 4, 1965 and the need was argued to seek every way to increase the capital of the section (subscriptions, parties, limitation of any superfluous expenditure) in order to be able, by the end of next year , put in concrete terms the problem of the purchase of the registered office. As we can see, following an ancient and healthy popular wisdom, among the sources of income (subscriptions and parties) there is also the limitation of expenses, according to the ineluctable logic that, if the revenues are important, the prudence of the their use. With these criteria, the section will go ahead in an agreement and without hesitation whatsoever. On the other hand, the orientation regarding the structure and location of the headquarters was more vague, at least in this first moment. In the aforementioned Assembly there is talk of purchase and the expression clearly indicates that the intention was to buy a building that already exists and is available on the market. It is no coincidence that in the meeting of the Board of Directors on October 14, 1966, the problem was re-proposed in concrete and more explicit terms. President Beatini, after having communicated that 1,761,940 lire was available, pointed out that in via IV Novembre there was an apartment for sale at the price of 2,500,000 lire negotiable. The building was a little out of the way, but it could have done with us. The Council took note and undertook to submit the proposal to the Assembly. The following November 4, the Assembly was confronted with the problem of the apartment of four rooms which, with the demolition of a base, would become three, obtaining, in compensation, a room of m. 4x9 (little more than a dining room) for meetings. Any other solution would have been more expensive. The Assembly gave a mandate to negotiate, but no one negotiated. Tacconi, the bursar, did not express himself in the circumstance. Obviously, the purchase of the building did not convince anyone for reasons of location and scarcity of surface, much less Tacconi, who was thinking about different solutions. Mario Tacconi, who entered the first Board of Directors and has always been reconfirmed to date, was the soul and mind of AVIS in all circumstances, dividing himself between the position of head of public works of the Municipality and the activity of Avis volunteer. Even now that he is retired and with some health problems, he does not spare himself and his presence and his contribution are decisive for the life of the section. It is an irreplaceable pillar of AVIS. The organizational and functional explosion of the Umbertian Sodality is due to him and a few other executives. Tacconi, therefore, did not express himself at that meeting, because the solution did not convince him. Instead, he will express himself in that of the Board of Directors of 9 February 1967 in which he proposed the construction of a new headquarters, rather than the purchase of an inadequate structure. It was decided to call the Assembly immediately on the 19th of the same month to discuss the proposal. On that occasion, Beatini illustrated the hypothesis of choosing an area in the very central area of the old market, the opportunity of a tailor-made venue, and the like. Then Tacconi intervened who, having seen the building land, as a good surveyor, already had the project in mind. The report says: Tacconi goes on to illustrate, in its general lines, what would be the construction to be carried out and the possible savings that could be realized during the course of the work (to be carried out in economy), taking into account the current of sympathy among the population and the possibility that building contractors, transporters, skilled workers, unskilled workers, etc. can give free services, thus significantly reducing the costs that will be incurred for the construction, up to the coverage of the building. The building itself, which may have a size of m. 12x14, will consist of a hall on the ground floor, several rooms on the upper floor and, taking into account that the land used forms a certain depression with respect to the street level, carrying out the construction so that the floor of the aforementioned hall rises from the floor. of countryside of about m. 2.50, the lower part can be used as a warehouse, or for the heating system in the event that one day this system becomes necessary. In his capacity as financial director, he informed the Assembly that the financial situation of the section was as follows: postal current account 521,545 lire, deposit at the Cassa di Risparmio lire 600,000, deposit at Monte dei Paschi lire 631,360, deposit given to the seller of the land 400,000 lire and so for a total of 2,152,000 lire. He also pointed out that during the course of the work it was possible that the public bodies, given the good performance of the same, decided to intervene with extraordinary contributions. As you can see, the site is meticulously described in its current structure. The Assembly approved the proposal and gave a broad mandate to the Board to proceed with the utmost promptness. The subsequent formalities followed one another with enviable speed, considering the bureaucratic slowness of our public apparatuses. Architect Narciso Mariotti was commissioned to prepare the project, which saw the light in a very short time and, confirming the contributions provided by Tacconi, the professional offered his work completely free of charge. On 6 June 1967, the notary Mario Donati Guerrieri drew up the deed (Repertoire n.76519) with which the owners of the land, Wanda and Giacomina Rosini and Pierina Guardabassi widow Rosini, donated the building area to the AVIS section of Umbertide, whose value was calculated in 400,000 lire. On June 8, 1967, the building permit was granted (F. 59 - P 82) by the Municipality. The excavation work began and on Sunday 23 July 1967, with a solemn ceremony, in the presence of civil authorities (the mayor Cavalaglio) and religious, members and numerous citizens, the first stone was laid. The solidarity competition was unleashed by transporters, companies, workers to the point that a loan was drawn up with the Cassa di Risparmio of only two million which, together with the accumulated savings, allowed the coverage of construction costs . The attachment of the people of Umbria to their Avis section, as well as for reasons of solidarity and culture, is linked to the history of participation, involvement and legitimate pride that began here. The following year there was the official inauguration. It was May 26, 1968. In ten months the work had been completed! The ceremony was solemn and was celebrated in the presence of national and regional AVIS authorities, civilians, religious, and a large presence of citizens who, after Holy Mass, concluded the rite at the table. The headquarters were built, central, beautiful and functional. The furnishings were missing. And the solidarity competition continued with two talented artisans from Pierantonio, Giuseppe Ugolini and Rolando Sonaglia, who offered their free work to create the excellent and robust full-wall wooden shelving, which are visible and appreciable in the premises of the section. A few years later, for the needs of custody of various and voluminous materials, necessary for the planned activities (charity fishing, equipment for stands, etc.), the SEAS company granted the section a large basement of a new building for use, located in via Roma. In 1994, the section became the owner of it for twenty years with the consent of SEAS, the disinterested contribution of the surveyor Gilberto Pazzi and of the lawyer Vittorio Betti, who promoted and followed the issuance of the sentence of misappropriation by the Judicial Authority , renouncing their fees. Starting from the initial refrigerator and wardrobe, generously donated, AVIS now has a heritage worthy of respect, which belongs to all the citizens of Umbria. The affirmation The verification of the affirmation of a Sodality has two parameters of measurement: the number of members and the consensus enjoyed within the territory. The latter, in particular, is crucial in not making it appear an elitist phenomenon, entrusted to enlightened avant-gardes. There is no doubt that the voluntary service of blood donation soon entered the consensus and sympathy of the people of Umbria, who have always supported it in a generous and concrete way. The initial balls, the bicycle ride, the charity fishing, the donor's dinner, the social outing, have always recorded a massive participation of several hundred people, testifying to an attachment that is not episodic and occasional, but the result of a deep conviction and a widespread culture, which has made its way around the drop of blood. The economic contributions that the families of Umbertide pay to AVIS, through the bulletin attached to the Christmas newspaper, are not only the confirmation of a consolidated solidarity, but also the vital food that allows the deployment of initiatives and does not make the volunteers who work there every day. The annual budget of the section, approximately 40,000,000, is made up of three basic items: the proceeds of donations by the ULSS, the voluntary contributions of supporters and benefactors and the proceeds of some initiatives, such as charity fishing. While the former represent, in theory, certain and predictable income, the other two are entrusted to a magnanimity that may not always be certain and predictable. A real paradox occurs in Umbertide: certain entrances become uncertain, certain uncertainties. To be more explicit, it is good to remember that the regional contributions to be paid to the AVIS sections, through the territorial ULSS, established by a formal agreement with the Region in 13,100 lire for each bottle of blood and 17,100 of plasma, are far from timely, and considerable arrears accumulate. While understanding the economic difficulties faced by health care in general, this practice speaks volumes about the exaltation of a voluntary service, much acclaimed in words, but little honored in deeds. And to think that the blood drug, obtained free of charge, represents a considerable economic income in the regional and national health budget, so much so that the Region of Umbria has stipulated an agreement with the SCLAVO company of Siena, to which it entrusts, for a fee, the bottles exceeding the requirements or not usable by the expiration date, for the separation of the various blood products. It is an alarming phenomenon, which does not encourage volunteering, even if it seems consistent with the law of the market economy, which is so fashionable today, and according to which what is free it is worth little, it is due, and, in any case, it does not claim bills. If it depended on the expected and coveted contributions, the AVIS sections would be like Christmas lights, they would work intermittently with long and irregular intervals, to turn off definitively, after the party. It is a bitter observation, but also a solicitation addressed to those in charge, so that the commitments towards the Avisian volunteering, which produces resources, are among the first to be honored. On the other hand, it is a dutiful recognition to the people of Umbria and to their Municipal Administration, without whose substitute role the life of the Association would be difficult. Thanks to this support, the AVIS headquarters are open every weekday, from 3 to 7 pm to deal with emergencies and daily administrative work. This is a considerable amount of time, considering the voluntary nature of the commitment. In the beginning, when operating at the ECA headquarters, the opening hours were only Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6 to 7 pm. Since November 18, 1963, the section of Umbertide extended its sphere of propaganda and proselytism to the municipalities of Montone and Pietralunga (which has only recently become autonomous) and informed the respective mayors by letter, based on territorial divisions decided by the Council Provincial of AVIS. The territory became increasingly vast and the adhesions more numerous. Therefore, the need arose for a systematic contact between the section and the members, which could not be entrusted to the traditional letter, for economic reasons and lack of personnel. Hence the idea of the bimonthly magazine VITA AVIS which, since 1982, has never failed in appointments, with its 13,000 copies a year, produced in an artisanal way. The reports on the activities carried out, the proposals on the working hypotheses, the invitations for the many types of initiatives, the meeting calls take place through the columns of this modest information tool which, in its simplicity, has proved useful and appropriate in terms of effectiveness and savings. In a world that was becoming computerized, AVIS could not remain tied to the uncertain amanuensis exercises. An adjustment was required to make the whole mechanism of internal procedures faster and safer. The donor cards, the calls for collection, their registration, the achievement of the merit quota, the statistics are entrusted to the electronic system of a software that two talented and willing young people, Luca Inghirami and Fabrizio Bagiacchi of STOA, have elaborated and customized, free of charge, for the needs of the section. Thus the computer has become a precious and faithful collaborator, which anticipates and controls the various work plans. A very happy idea of the Avisian management was that of setting up the library. It does not appear rich in the field of fiction, but it was not, and is not, the intent of anyone the bibliographic enhancement of this literary genre, easily available elsewhere. Instead, it collects the entire series of UTET classics, which ranges from literature to science, from religion to economics. It is a valuable heritage in terms of quality and value, open to all those who need to consult. The TRECCANI Encyclopedia, now increasingly rare, and other encyclopedic works complete the book frame of this pearl of the section. The new headquarters, the consensus received, the clarification of the organizational structure and the provision of complementary subsidies, went hand in hand with the conspicuous increase in donor members. I do not dwell on the analysis, however boring and sterile, of this aspect. I prefer to let the following table speak for itself, which I think is more useful and immediate than any other consideration. The organisms The AVIS has an organization and a structure governed by precise statutory rules that derive from the institutive law n. 49 of February 20, 1950 with which the Association was recognized as a juridical body of law with humanitarian and moral purposes. The regional and provincial, district and section councils refer to the central promotion and coordination body, represented by the National Council and its internal functional divisions. It is a pyramidal organization, necessary to ensure that the apparatus of the Sodality mirrors the political-institutional structure of the territory. The need for contacts, planning and collaboration with Local Authorities is vital for the Association whose operational contents cannot disregard, for example, the situation of the hospital structures and, even more precisely, that of the immunotransfusion services, in charge of medical checks and blood samples. Mirroring, therefore, responds to criteria of functionality and referential parallelism. It is no coincidence that the district councils were born only recently, when, not only in Umbria but also in other regions of the country, the health organization of the territory largely coincided with the size of the districts themselves. The detailed analysis of the skills and work of all the bodies indicated does not fall within the scope of this work. I will limit myself only to saying that the Umbertide section has expressed its representation in each of them, including the highest level, the National Council of AVIS, of which Mario Tacconi was an alternate member for two three-year periods from 1987 to 1992. Systematic, on the other hand, is the presence in the regional and provincial councils, while the presence in the district council is very active which, from its birth onwards (1983), saw Mario Tacconi and Rolando Tognellini alternate as presidents. For our needs it is interesting a review of all the Boards of Directors of the section, which have followed one another from the foundation onwards, not only for a historical reconstruction which, with the passage of time could be more difficult, but also for a dutiful tribute to all those who have lavished energy in a spirit of solidarity and service. YEAR 1963 SHAREHOLDERS 'MEETING of 2 June 1963. PRESENT n. 17, VOTERS n. 15. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Mancini Raffaele (Secretary), Tacconi Mario (Treasurer), Guardabassi Benedetto (Director), Faloci Serafino (Director). AUDITORS: Alpini Mario (effective), Cerrini Mario (effective), Gambucci Luigi (effective), Baldoni Domenico (alternate), Silvestrelli Antonio (alternate). PROBIVIRI: Cavalaglio Umberto, Filippi Celestino, Bufalari Carlo. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Migliorati Mariano. YEAR 1964 SHAREHOLDERS 'MEETING of January 19, 1964. PRESENT n. 25, VOTERS n. 25. By acclamation, all those elected in their respective bodies are reconfirmed in office. TWO YEARS 1965/1966 SHAREHOLDERS 'MEETING of 4 November 1964. PRESENT n. 30, VOTERS n. 30. Following statutory changes, all bodies have a two-year duration. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Mancini Raffaele (Secretary), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Bruni Giancarlo (Director), Alpini Mario (Director). AUDITORS: Luigi Gambucci, Mario Cerrini, Benedetto Guardabassi. PROBIVIRI: there is no mention in the relative report. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Migliorati Mariano. TWO YEARS 1967/1968 SHAREHOLDERS 'MEETING of 4 November 1966. PRESENT n. 36, VOTERS n. 36. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Bruni Giancarlo (Vice President), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Tosti Mario (Public relations). AUDITORS: Pistoletti Boris, Chicchioni Giuseppe, Dario Dario. PROBIVIRI: Cavalaglio Umberto, Renzini Alessandro, Palazzetti Candido. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Migliorati Mariano. THREE YEARS 1969/1970/1971 SHAREHOLDERS 'MEETING of November 17, 1968. PRESENT n. 26, VOTERS n. 26. Following statutory changes, all the bodies have a three-year duration. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Bruni Giancarlo (Vice President), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Gambucci Luigi (Public relations). AUDITORS: Giuseppe Chicchioni, Boris Pistoletti, Dario Destroyed. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Cavalaglio Umberto, Renzini Alessandro. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Migliorati Mariano. THREE YEARS 1972/1973/1974 ELECTIONS of February 20, 1972. VOTERS n. 79. Considering the high number of members (204), the renewal of corporate offices no longer takes place in the meeting of the ordinary Assembly, but after regular voting, after setting up the polling station which remains open for the whole day. The members of the Board of Directors are raised from five to seven following a regular shareholders' resolution. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (Chairman), Gambucci Luigi (Deputy Chairman), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Tognellini Rolando (Director), Tosti Gualtiero (Director), Mariotti Adriano (Director). AUDITORS: Lisetti Renato, Chicchioni Giuseppe, Pistoletti Boris. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Cavalaglio Umberto, Renzini Alessandro. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1975/1976/1977 ELECTIONS of 22 February 1975. VOTERS n. 82. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (Chairman), Luigi Gambucci (Deputy Chairman), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Mariotti Adriano (Director), Bei Alberto (Director), Tognellini Rolando (Director). AUDITORS: Lisetti Renato, Chicchioni Giuseppe, Pistoletti Boris. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Cavalaglio Umberto, Renzini Alessandro. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1978/1979/1980 ELECTIONS of 5 February 1978. VOTERS n. 85. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (Chairman), Luigi Gambucci (Deputy Chairman), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Tognellini Rolando (Director), Tosti Mario (Director), Bistoni Renato (Director). AUDITORS: Lisetti Renato, Chicchioni Giuseppe, Pistoletti Boris. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Renzini Alessandro, Cavalaglio Umberto. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1981/1982/1983 ELECTIONS of 21 December 1980. Voters n. 275. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Luigi Gambucci (Vice President), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Tacconi Cinzia (Public relations), Tognellini Rolando (Director), Venturi Otello (Director). AUDITORS: Lisetti Renato, Chicchioni Giuseppe, Pistoletti Boris. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Renzini Alessandro, Cavalaglio Umberto. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1984/1985/1986 ELECTIONS of January 29, 1984. VOTERS n. 82. The ordinary Assembly had previously resolved to raise the number of Directors from seven to nine. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beatini Lamberto (President), Gambucci Luigi (Vice President), Tacconi Mario (Administrative Secretary), Natali Franco (Secretary), Tacconi Cinzia (Public relations), Tognellini Rolando (Director), Lisetti Renato (Director), Venturi Otello (Director), Bistoni Renato (Director). AUDITORS: Sciurpa Roberto, Rubolini Renato, Pistoletti Boris. PROBIVIRI: Palazzetti Candido, Cavalaglio Umberto, Montanucci Giuseppe. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1987/1988/1989 ELECTIONS of 8 February 1987. VOTERS n. ninety two BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tacconi Mario (President), Tognellini Rolando (Vice President), Gambucci Luigi (Administrative Secretary), Beatini Lamberto (Secretary), Tacconi Cinzia (Press and Propaganda), Bendini Giancarlo (Organization and Development), Venturi Otello (Organization and Development), Bistoni Renato (Director), Lisetti Renato (Director). AUDITORS: Codini Orfeo, Rubolini Renato, Sciurpa Roberto. PROBIVIRI: Broggi Umberto, Cavalaglio Umberto, Palazzetti Candido. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1990/1991/1992 ELECTIONS of 25 February 1990. VOTERS n. 57. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tacconi Mario (President), Tognellini Rolando (Vice President), Gambucci Luigi (Administrative Secretary), Beatini Lamberto (Secretary), Venturi Otello (Propaganda), Bendini Giancarlo (Propaganda), Gianfranceschi Graziano (Propaganda), Bistoni Renato ( Director), Lisetti Renato (Director). AUDITORS: Codini Orfeo, Sciurpa Roberto, Rubolini Renato. PROBIVIRI: Broggi Umberto, Cavalaglio Umberto, Palazzetti Candido. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. THREE YEARS 1993/1994/1995 ELECTIONS of December 20, 1992. VOTERS n. 288 The Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting had previously resolved to raise the number of Directors from nine to thirteen. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tacconi Mario (President), Tognellini Rolando (Vice President), Gambucci Luigi (Administrative Secretary), Beatini Lamberto (Secretary), Sciurpa Roberto (Press and Propaganda), Mariotti Walter (Recreational activities), Tognaccini Marco (Recreational activities) , Venturi Otello (Director), Lisetti Renato (Director), Bendini Giancarlo (Director), Gianfranceschi Graziano (Director), Magrini Sergio (Director), Tosti Paolo (Director). AUDITORS: Codini Orfeo, Bazzarri Luciano, Baldoni Domenico. PROBIVIRI: Broggi Umberto, Cavalaglio Umberto, Palazzetti Candido. HEALTH DIRECTOR: Bruni Giancarlo. La crescita DONORS Solidarity without a name Those who, for various reasons, are involved in the AVIS volunteer work hope to represent the moment. pioneer of the Association and hopes that scientific research, applied to the production of a blood substitute, will soon see his efforts crowned. Not because the practice of Avisin solidarity weighs on the choice of donors, but because it is desirable that a laboratory product is available more immediately and eliminates any possible area of risk that may be inherent in the methods, albeit scrupulous, of current sampling. Unfortunately, the prospect of the production of artificial blood, like any other human organ, is still very far away, the faintest horizons are not seen, and the practice followed today will remain in force for many years. The voluntary service of the donation therefore takes on very particular characteristics. Unlike any other kind of service based on solidarity and civic commitment, it is characterized by its essentiality and indispensability, aimed at life. It is a choice of life, for life; it is a silent pact whereby part of oneself is offered for the survival of others; it is a hidden bond that binds the donor to an ideal of the highest moral and civil profile and not to the recipient. Indeed, the most absolute anonymity must exist between the two. The donor knows this and has made his choice for this reason as well. The ostentation of merit and the solicitation of gratitude for the work done are attitudes that belong to other sectors and to other characters, certainly not to those who give blood with total disinterest. Thus, at the scheduled deadlines and for a lifetime, the generous, heroic volunteer receives the invitation to be taken from the section and fulfills the commitment, honoring a choice made at the time, without disaffection or second thoughts. The reader will be able to see on the following tables, how the average avisine longevity is very high, a sign of a strong ideal, alive and not weakened by the repetitiveness of the routine that flattens life in every field. It is difficult to make an identikit of the donor: it has no face, nor a particular physiognomy. It belongs to every possible social class, to every type of ideology and religious conviction; he chose to serve. Stop. In moments of crisis, such as those that our country is going through, the first values to be overwhelmed are those of support and altruism, the first subjects to suffer are the weak and the marginalized. In Umbertide, AVIS denies this trend line and reaffirms the meaning of human solidarity as a social cement and a lofty message of civilization, which does justice to any convenient individualistic utilitarianism. In this path many meet, over a thousand. And it is comforting, and full of hope, the observation that the young and the very young stand out, alongside numerous representatives of the female sex who, following the example of the first woman from Umbertide (Valdambrini Maria, 1961), have strengthened the ranks that wind behind the banner of the drop of blood. The happy island of Umbertide The title is neither boastful nor triumphal. The data speaks volumes. Every year in Italy about 2,000,000 units of whole blood are donated with a national per capita ratio of 0.03 (3%). In Umbertide, as can be seen from the following tables, the ratio is 0.09 (9%), three times higher than the national average. The more than 25,000 total donations made from the birth of the section to today, based on an average sample quantity of 350 cl, total 9,000 liters of blood. For those who like weight measurements, instead of capacity ones, I point out that it is about 90 quintals. The donations of the section, in the last decade, have been around 1200 on average every year, with a contribution of about 420 liters of blood. For our territory these are significant figures, that if they were extended nationally, we would not have problems with blood imports. Our country, poor in raw materials and therefore dependent on foreign countries for many aspects of its economy, is forced to import solidarity as well! It is a bitter and disheartening observation because it refers to a product that should abound in the Center of Christianity. Blood donations cover only two thirds of the national needs and for about one third it is necessary to resort to foreign support, with the relative fee. In Umbria, the situation is very comforting: self-sufficiency has been achieved on the blood side (red blood cells) and we are rapidly moving towards self-sufficiency on the plasma side. The donation index (donor / donation ratio) is also very good and stands at around 2.06, compared to 1.7 for the national figure. In Europe only France, Germany and Holland equal it, while Portugal surpasses it. The Umbertide Avis has lavished his generosity in many neighboring municipalities and also in distant areas of the national territory. He went where help was needed, as can be seen from the second table. Also in Arabia and Libya there is a trace of Umbertidese blood, following the presence of members who were in those countries for work reasons. At this point I would like to clarify the meaning of a terminology, already used several times. I have repeatedly used expressions such as "avisini umbertidesi", "donatori umbertidesi" and so on. I would like to clarify that these are synthetic lexical conveniences to indicate all the members who refer to the Umbertide section. I am well aware that some donors belong to other municipalities (Montone, Perugia, Lisciano Niccone) and I apologize to them, but I am sure they will understand the technical reasons of linguistics and synthesis to which the writer is subjected. The AVIS COURIER n. 3 of April / May 1995, reports the report given by Dr. Anna Lucia Massaro, Director of the AVIS Center in Turin, in a congress held in Rome at the end of April. The report is full of statistics. I use two that are very significant and show the most recent data on donations and donors. The numbers in the first row indicate the resident population with the relative percentage of the total national population. The numbers in the second row indicate the donations made and the relative percentages with respect to the total of them. The data in the third row indicate the ratio of donations for every 1000 units of the resident population. If the same method were applied to the Umbertide section, in 1994 (1385 donations) the index would be higher than 90. In the following table we can see the increase in the number of donors in the last three years and the tripling of those who have chosen the donation in apheresis. At the same time, a decline in the donation rate of the U.15 is clear. The increase in volunteers has, in any case, compensated for the slight reduction in the donation index which is very important in itself, but not to the point of preferring an increase in the solidarity of a few, instead of its extension to the greatest possible number of citizens. THE COLLABORATORS There are few moments of pause in the life of the section. As soon as you have finished working for one initiative, you begin to trade for the next one. Alongside the statutory obligations, which absorb a considerable amount of time, some demanding and consolidated appointments are now recurring. The donor's dinner, the social outing, the bike ride, the charity fishing and the newspaper are the main ones. Behind each of these deadlines, the purposes of which will be dealt with in another chapter, there is an intense and little-known work, which is well known. The members of the Board of Directors, or rather some of them, dedicate themselves almost full time and with the utmost self-denial to Avis volunteer work, but in some circumstances even their availability would not be sufficient to meet the needs, if not there was the precious contribution of the collaborators. Some of them are former donors, now emeritus, others have never been and contribute with the work performed to the needs of the Sodality. The dinner and the excursion require presence, availability and patience in collecting the memberships, registering the wishes of the participants about the group of friends not to be separated at the table or on the bus, dealing with the restaurant manager or the travel agency. Sometimes it is difficult to please everyone, since we are in the order of a few hundred people (dinner always records 5/600, the trip a little less) and some discontent escapes us, with relative protest. By now in the section we are used to and endure everything with great stoicism, even if some futility could be done without. The bike ride requires a stressful and concentrated effort in a few hours in the preparation of the refreshment baskets, in the assembly of the stand, in the preparation of the lunch at the Pineta Ranieri and so on. Also in this case it is good to keep an eye on some figures to understand the quality and quantity of the work. Participants are never less than seven hundred and the pasta being cooked exceeds two quintals. Charity fishing is the most laborious initiative. It begins in July with the mischief of 20,000 tickets and their housing in the broth ring. We continue with the procurement of prizes and the setting up of the structure to arrive at the most visible phase which consists of the drawing and delivery of prizes. The need for collaboration is essential to be attentive to requests during fishing, to supply the various sectors with prizes and to organize night surveillance shifts. The stand, which was originally set up more in the center, between the Collegiata and the Coletti Bar, has recently been moved (1986) to the square adjacent to the headquarters, precisely for reasons of functionality and speed of service. Even the newspaper, punctual to the scheduled deadlines, requires a lot of work. Drafting and printing are the simplest and most immediate tasks. Then there is the photocopy reproduction (1700 copies every two months and 7000 at Christmas), the folding, the set of addresses, the sorting by destination. I wanted to recall only some of the Avisian obligations and I apologize for having provided a sterile and boring list, but it was necessary to solicit, once again, a wider collaboration also on the part of those who have never been donors and want to be useful, in somehow, for AVIS. Fortunately, there has been no shortage of collaborators in the history of the section and they are the sixteen listed in the following table. At present, there are only 11 assets left, as can be seen. Among these, some offer occasional but timely and important services, such as the assembly of the various stands, others are present on a daily basis and are involved in all sectors. The problem of staff mobility, at AVIS, has been solved for some time and without grumbling. Lisetti Renato belongs to the latter category. He is always present and knows how to do everything, with unique precision and tenacity. He hasn't built eyes on fleas yet, just because he hasn't had a chance. In the Extraordinary Assembly of Christmas 1994 he was awarded the Silver Drop. LEISURE The focus on free time and the proactive role of related initiatives were a constant feature of the section. The logic that inspired this orientation is not competitive with other subjects, more qualified for similar tasks, nor the post-working one to satisfy the needs of the workers. Much more simply, it is the natural and necessary logic of an Association that intends to achieve its objectives. The first is that of the diffusion of nature and tasks. It is a propaganda requirement. In the society of commercials, one can easily grasp the importance of this aspect, which is not linked to the marketing of a visible and perhaps even useful product, which recurs on its own, but to a choice that is not very visible and which, referring to the solidarity, could be considered a problem of others, like the altruist of jokes who, engaged in powerful reflections on the evils of the time, bitterly concluded: "How selfish the world is! Everyone thinks of himself, only I think of me". In truth, the diffusion of the associative image, its indispensability and its tasks should also take place for other channels with greater audiens, such as those of a state television, paid for with the contribution of all. But in a corporate conception of life, based on costs and revenues, there is not much room for these utopias and you have to fend for yourself. For a very short period and on the initiative of the national AVIS, a beautiful and effective television advertisement on Avis volunteering was broadcast. Then nothing more. But AVIS is also the Association of Hope that confidently awaits some Minister of Health who, counting in hand, may realize that donors, after all, are also an investment. In the meantime, we do it alone, organizing those moments of associative life that best respond to the characteristics and requests of a specific territory and witnessing the practice of essential volunteering. The second is connected to the typical needs of each association, which must also look internally and prepare opportunities for meeting between its members and their respective families to strengthen the association ties. The characteristics of our reality have meant that this aspect has never been pursued in a restricted way and the initiatives of the section have always been proposed and open to all, so as not to give the impression of a reserved club. In general, the obsessive attention to the internal dynamics of any type of group, provided that it strengthens its vitality, always goes to the detriment of the consensus and sympathies that must be sought from the outside. Finally, some initiatives aim at creating economic resources, even if modest and marginal, which are essential for normal functioning. This key has already been touched previously. Rather than complaining about the delays of others or pitying around paralyzing difficulties, Avisian creativity has always placed itself in the forefront to overcome arduous obstacles and widespread institutional negligence, finding, among the people, consensus and concrete answers to its appeals. Consistently with the associative nature, which lives to give, it has aimed at its statutory duties, rather than at the rights sanctioned by complementary agreements, albeit important, which it is to be hoped that they will be respected with greater punctuality. Thus, since its inception, the section has organized parties, very fashionable at the time, today a little less so that they have gone into disuse, charity fishing and more. The fruits have been seen and are seen. Not only was the headquarters built, but the vitality of the Sodality is in good health. The party Leafing through the old archive papers gives off a subtle smooth smell. The notes chase each other quickly and the dance steps of the fans embroidering the floor can be glimpsed. Going into more detail, there are those who really dance and those who, arranging themselves as best they can, just squeeze. All around, attentive and inquiring eyes, they analyze clothes and attitudes, commenting on the party. It is the show within the show. The AVIS series of balls is quite long. To be exact, it has 23 editions. Begun in 1964, it was repeated until 1986 with punctual regularity. Inside, two phases can be distinguished: that of TEACINE and that of the PEOPLE'S HOUSE. There are also attempts to replicate Pierantonio (three veglioni) and Montone (one), but they don't last long. Clear sign that organizational investment did not find adequate participation responses. The Teacine phase runs from 1964 to 1979. For the first three years (1964/66), the archive is not of great support. The dates of the parties, the indication of the orchestras and the number of participants are missing. In a separate note, as well as on the relative report, the 1965 collection, equal to 412,000 lire, is reported. More details can be found in subsequent editions. In 1967 the party took place on February 4 with the presence of the singer Maria Doris, accompanied by the pianist Cappellari and the I RILEVATI orchestra. The animator of the party was Tonj Bani who successfully entertained the 420 people present at the Teacine. The two years that followed saw the same PINUCCIO orchestra and the MORITATs and the women's ensemble LE NAIADI on stage. The attendances on February 3, 1968 were 520, while those of January 25 of the following year dropped to 451. In 1970 the participation registered a further decline, despite the presence of a famous orchestra LA BANDA DI DON BACKY with the singer Bruna Lelli. Only 380 were present on that evening of January 24th. The following four years marks the era of LOS TROVADORES with the singer Eliana. It seems that the musical group has received a good approval rating to be reconfirmed four times. Participation also remained high, constant and loyal: 430 present on 1/30/71, 420 on 1/22/72, 480 on 1/7/27 and 575 on 2/23/74. On 3 March 1973 Pierantonio also made his debut with his first AVIS party. Things did not go badly. 410 people participated, cheered by the complex THE NEW FORMULA. Even two years later (8/2/75), the second Pierantoniese edition held up enough with 320 participants. But the following year (21/2/76) the organizers were disappointed by the 190 appearances alone. And the experience closed. Pierantonio ends and Montone tries. On 11 January 1975, there was the only Montonese edition of the AVIS party with 215 admissions. Too few. It is right to give blood for others, but not in all fields! The twelfth Umbertide edition took place on January 25, 1975, with the MARIOTTINI orchestra and 430 participants. The same orchestra will also be present in the 14th with 520 participants, on January 29, 1977. In the interlude (29/1/76) the Teacine hosted a complex with an interesting and fashionable name, the LIVING CROUP, which attracted 510 people. The series of the first phase is closed by the I MONELLI orchestra which on 28/1/78 and 10/2/79 was followed by 520 and 410 people respectively. By now the construction of the Casa del Popolo was finished. For the very young who will read these pages in a few years and will no longer find the building, I remember that it stood next to the Sports Hall, in the area currently occupied by the COOP, whose needs have left the people homeless. The AVIS section aims at a qualitative leap in the organization of the party. The new structure not only offered much larger spaces than those of the Teacine, but also allowed the possibility of restaurant service. From 1980 onwards there will be a party with dinner (based on fish). The mechanism worked, if we take into account that on March 15, 1980 the participants in the party were 2,070. Even if the call of the Goggi sisters, who animated the evening, was decisive, it alone does not explain the participatory success. The novelty factor also played a role. But it was the beginning of the end. Subsequent editions, prepared with care, maximum commitment and with the hiring of famous names, recorded a constant and worrying decline in attendance. On 17/2/81 with Ivan Graziani, there are 1,645 participants. The following year (13/2/82), with the PIERONI orchestra only 1,030 presences. By now the trend was downward and in the following years there will be a three-digit participation: 930 on 29/1/83, 759 on 4/2/84, 926 on 2/2/85 and 525 on 2/2 / 86. The preparation work was enormous and in remittance, despite the contribution of a massive volunteer, and it was appropriate to suspend the initiative. The last party, which closed the series and the story, was the 23rd, that of February 2, 1986. Tastes were evolving, nightclubs were in full swing, and television was offering competing shows. In this overall picture, the younger Avis people preferred other haunts and the older ones were getting a taste for slippers. The donor's dinner The dance ended, but dinner remained. From 1988 onwards, AVIS organizes this moment of meeting between donors, their families and friends, at carnival, during the month of February each year. It is a real opportunity to be together and in solidarity, without other reasons. From an economic point of view, in consideration of the symbolic price charged to donors, it represents a significant burden for the section's finances. The circumstance always attracts many people, equal to that recorded in the last party, between 500 and 600 people. Such participation posed various organizational problems and required adequate choice solutions, such as the search for a large restaurant, a not too sophisticated menu, quick table service and an affordable price. For now these characteristics have been found at FARO ROSSO, the Montanaldo restaurant in the municipality of Gubbio, which has always given satisfactory answers to the needs represented. The only problem is the distance from Umbertide, but there seem to be no better alternatives and once a year, it is worth facing the inconvenience. Charity fishing The first days of September are those in which the Umbertidese community finds itself, or at least found itself in the recent past, to rediscover its roots. In that period is the Nativity of the Madonna (8 September), Patroness of the town, and around the religious event, recreational and recreational events with an ancient popular flavor have flourished which, framing the Sacred Rites, re-propose ancestral uses. This happens almost everywhere on the feast of the patron saint. But even this dimension of authenticity is disappearing, under the banner of a mercantile and false triduum, represented by the Fairs which, moreover, give abundant signs of tiredness and decline. Among the customs that have remained there is only the bingo in the square and the charity fishing of AVIS, one of the first initiatives of the section that has happily survived since 1964. Its location among the celebratory events of the patron saint wanted to represent a modest but significant contribution of presence and involvement and, in a market season, it remains the only beneficial opportunity. And if luck helps you win something you like, so much the better. AVIS does not skimp in the selection of prizes to be offered, as the history of recent years can confirm. Thus charity fishing is becoming one of the few remaining traditions, despite its youthful thirty years of life. When the location of the structure was changed, from the Collegiata to the square adjacent to the headquarters (1986), serious fears emerged because the Fairs had moved the epicenter of the turnout to another part of the city, while moving further away from the transit area. . The fears turned out to be unfounded and the request and the exhaustion of tickets, with the same timeliness of the past, give hope that the Avisina proposal has become commonplace. It is a hope on which the AVIS counts a lot because fishing represents a source of contribution, even if limited, directed towards the self-financing of the section. The calculation is transparent and within everyone's reach. There are 20,000 tickets and knowing the price, you can establish the collection. According to the provisions in force on the subject and the practice generously followed, the value of the prizes is always much higher than half of the planned revenues. In each edition the net profit exists only thanks to the contribution, never lacking, of a significant number of volunteers and commendable quality. The contribution of the very young of both sexes is very significant, who, instead of going up and down the fairs, lend a hand in the distribution of prizes. The cycling walk The penultimate Sunday of June each year (the last, in case of bad weather), is dedicated to cycling. The event is truly spectacular and sees hundreds of cyclists with the AVIS insignia wind their way along the established route. There is everything: men, women, young people and boys. There are entire families who face the path according to the available energy. It's a walk, not a race, and there are no winners or losers. The organization is accurate with lots of relays, security staff, checkpoints and refreshment points. The vehicles that collect the participants in crisis and the medical ambulance close the colorful serpentine, as in all competitions worthy of respect. The itineraries, in general, are those of the city center and the outskirts of the Municipality for a length of about 20/30 kilometers. Twice the walk crossed its own territorial limits, in 1980 and 1982. In the first case it started from Città di Castello, after having mobilized the Umbrian Central, which transferred participants and bicycles to the Tifernate capital. In the second, the departure took place from Gubbio where the cyclists were transported by bus and the two wheels aboard the four trucks. The event is a good opportunity to make the presence of AVIS visible in the area and to stimulate curiosity and interest, but it is also a valid associative moment that enlivens interpersonal relationships between those who participate in it. The first moment of fatigue is followed by that of relaxation represented by the lunch at the Pineta Ranieri, set up by the AVIS volunteers, and by the musical show in the afternoon. The participation, always high, indicates the goodness of the choice and the growing satisfaction contributes to making the event an Avisian tradition, which has been repeated since 1979. Amateur sports groups Under the banner of AVIS, amateur sports groups have arisen which have contributed to spreading the associative image and its role. The sporting commitment, especially at the level of amateurs, is linked to passion, a little sacrifice and above all to age. When any of these requirements fade, the disintegration of the group is the natural consequence. This is what happened for the AVIS PODISTIC GROUP , founded in 1980 with excellent intentions and interesting initiatives. It remained active only for three years and from 25 April 1982 all traces disappeared. In 1993 the Umbertide AVIS CYCLING GROUP was born, equipped with a regular and lively sporty outfit with the colors and the symbol of the Association and animated by a great desire to do. The Board of Directors has deliberated the initiative with pleasure, with the hope that its presence and its activity will have long and happy results. The social outing The organization of trips for recreational purposes is quite common in all associations. In that of Avis the attention to free time is even greater because it is an important vehicle for the dissemination of voluntary blood work and propaganda, urged on several occasions by the statutory and regulatory provisions. In Umbertide the reminder was collected and also the trips, together with all the other initiatives previously described, became part of the associative practice. The social outing has the charm of escape, of curiosity for a new experience, of cultural and human interest in aspects of the world that are not directly known or not very usual in the flow of our existence. Furthermore, "traveling" realizes a natural necessity in every phase of life and in every epoch of history (Ulysses) because it interprets one of the intimate characteristics of the human soul, the desire for discovery and the thirst for knowledge. A little for these reasons and a little because the AVIS trip has entered the deadlines to be met, the request is always numerous and the participation is high. In some cases, and when it was possible, contact was made with other avisine sections of the areas visited, with the possibility of reciprocal exchange, which allowed a useful and constructive comparison of ideas and experiences. Even the trip, like the other events, is a familiar attraction and it is not always easy to reconcile the individual costs with their global impact within a nucleus that intends to participate fully. In the Extraordinary Christmas Assembly this aspect is the most debated to make the proposed itineraries compatible with the expected costs. The history of Avisi travels has already turned 125 and has allowed the numerous groups of participants to visit interesting cities, landscapes and monuments of our country, with a few trips abroad, as can be seen in the summary table below. All the AVIS trips, with the exception of the first two in 1970, were organized by the TUTTOTURISMO agency of Perugia with competence, high professionalism and general satisfaction of the participants. The Avisini and the Pope The trip that seventy Avisini from Umberto I made to Rome on Saturday 26 April 1980 was quite different. On that day the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, had set a special audience reserved for blood donors, in the Nervi room. The section did not desert the appointment. I apologize to those who consider it inappropriate to mention the event in this chapter, but the others lent themselves even less. On the other hand, free time is also a dimension of the spirit. AVIS AND THE SCHOOL Blood volunteering is not a missionary choice, but a civic commitment of solidarity on which, moreover, every form of social coexistence is based. It therefore affects the level of culture and education and directly calls into question the school, as a privileged place in which educational processes develop in an intentional and systematic way. The same Statute of AVIS, in article 6, explicitly reaffirms this concept and recurring agreements between the National Headquarters and the Minister of Public Education have planned various interventions in the school field. In Umbertide, the section was very prompt in collecting the proposal and schools of all levels have always offered the maximum availability and the widest collaboration. The first initiative addressed to the world of schools took place in 1961, by the Organizing Committee. The section wasn't there yet. Little is known about this "competition", the traces of which appear on a simple sheet of notes (the outline of the intervention of Doctor Mariano Migliorati at the founding Assembly of the section, June 12, 1963) and any type of material produced is missing. More documentation we will have later. It should be noted that the meeting with the school takes place on two tracks with different but convergent and complementary contents. In the first there is the direct relationship with the students, held by some members of the Board and above all by the Health Director, Dr. Giancarlo Bruni, to illustrate the association's purposes and the specific problems of blood. It is a fertile and constructive moment in which the interventions of the pupils enrich and personalize the debate, while building, on the inner level, the conviction of a noble and attractive objective to be kept in mind at the right time. The youthful age, charged with rigorous and disinterested ideal impulses, lends itself very much to a proposal of altruism and self-denial. And there is a sequel. It has been the practice of the section, for many years now, to send wishes for the completion of the eighteenth year of age, to all the young people of the Municipality. The letter, one of the first or the only one, that the recipients find in their hands on the day they come of age, also refreshes the seed thrown in the school desks. It is a kind and very fruitful initiative, if only in terms of human contact. The second consists in announcing drawing competitions or free compositions that stimulate youth creativity and end with the award ceremony for the best works. This sector is well cared for by the district management and in particular by its President, Tognellini Rolando, who dedicates a lot of energy and a lot of passion to it. In truth, Tognellini is also dynamic in the relations of the section (of which he is Vice President) with the outside world, both institutional and private. The second competition was launched in 1966. It was a free composition and there was a large participation. The works judged the best and awarded were those of Riccardini Graziella (class 3 ° B Middle School "F. Mavarelli"), of Boldrini Maura (class 1 ° B Middle School "G. Pascoli") and of Galeati Rita (class 4th Institute Professional for Commerce). It is a pleasure, after many years, to rediscover a piece of history from the past and I propose the compositions in the full text. “Why was this Association born? Why is everything done to spread it among men? These are questions that can only be answered: love of neighbor. By giving only a little of our blood we can give life back to a person who, although unknown, belongs to us because he is part of a large family: Humanity ". Boldrini Maura, 1st B “Who are you illustrious unknown, creator of AVIS? I don't know your name, but I can appreciate you, understanding how important the work that blood donors do. Where and how do you get the idea of such a beneficial initiative for humanity? Perhaps they were scenes of pain similar to those that inspired the well-deserving French officer who, on the fields of San Martino and Solferino, had the idea of founding that noble institution called the Red Cross? Now the white ambulances arrive in the most distant countries of the world to bring help to those who suffer, defying dangers of all kinds. Alongside this work, I place that of blood donors because they too, committed to the defense of human life, run right where life struggles most severely with death. I admire them and, if I can, I will also want to imitate them. It will be the best way to give thanks to God for making me strong. Bloodless bodies abandoned on white hospital beds pass before the eyes of my imagination, I imagine people anxious at those beds and I can therefore understand what satisfaction the blood donor will feel, if he helps to revive those who were about to die. I read in my anthology a phrase that made me meditate: "There is no more sacred good than life" and therefore I feel that it is admirable who runs where life launches its desperate SOS. At the ceremony held in my country in honor of blood donors, next Sunday, I would like all citizens to participate united in a true spirit of brotherhood and understanding for the great pains that illnesses and serious road accidents cause, so that we can all be hit ". Riccardini Graziella, 3rd B “There are particular moments in life when we need to feel close to our neighbor to hear the immeasurable value of a word of comfort, a good gesture, a smile. It is amazing, however, how easily we forget who has lent us a hand. It makes us wonder if altruism still exists or if it was the invention of some unrepentant idealist. No, altruism still exists because there are those who believe in love, in generosity, in neighbor. Our fault, if we can define it that way, is to live in the world, isolated from the world. We are used to looking at what happens outside our family, our environment, with a detached, foreign eye, participating only for pure exteriority in universal pain, without reflecting that there is someone who needs a word, of affection. Perhaps the fault lies with modern society, the frenetic evolution of progress, the intense rhythm with which the hours of our day, always full, are marked. But let's be honest, it's our fault too. We do not seek, as usual, a justification; we admit that we have dried up, that we have become socialists, opportunists, selfish and have forgotten the just, the true human values; we have distanced ourselves from those who suffer without thinking of finding ourselves at any moment in a hospital ward, looking for a friendly look, even just with our eyes, a reassuring and understanding smile. We expect a lot from others, but what do we do? Looking at the question from a religious point of view, the solution is at hand. “Love your neighbor as yourself”; the rest is peaceful. We know this too, but let's not lift a finger. When we are scrupulous we look around in search of a good work to do, but we never find it, perhaps because when something is uncomfortable, we prefer not to see it. This is reality, the worst side of reality, but fortunately there are still those who feel human pain and sacrifice themselves to relieve it. Is it possible to give back to a mother her own dying child, to save a life, a family? Yes, it would be enough for us to feel more human, more alive, more real. It would be enough for us to strengthen those bonds of brotherly love that unite us Christianly and make us feel a part of humanity. Have we ever thought about donating our blood, a part of ourselves to those who need it? Maybe yes, but we considered it almost absurd, beautiful, so beautiful as to make us feel heroes, but absurd. We have all experienced the anguish, the fear of losing a loved one. Amidst tears, with despair in the heart, it is too spontaneous to say to the Lord: "I offer you my life in exchange for his". This is not absurd, it is love, love that knows no selfish limits and repressed generosity, it is love in the evangelical sense of the word. We all have a heart, perhaps we don't listen to it often, because we could find what we are anxiously looking for all our life in a simple, very sweet smile of gratitude from an unknown person. Galeati Rita, 4th Institute Prof. There were numerous similar initiatives in the following years. The last was from 1995 on the theme AVIS, LIFE and the language chosen by the participants was that of drawing. The jury found itself in the embarrassment of having to choose one, because all the works presented were of a high level, both in the expressive technique and in the quality of the contents. The award ceremony took place in solemn form in the "S. Francesco" room on June 3, 1995 and one of the first prizes was awarded to Marcucci Maura (3rd class "F. Mavarelli" Middle School in Pierantonio) for the drawing that is reproduced . The world of school, a privileged sector of the Avisian attention, did not prevent a broader view and in 1967, a poetry competition was launched open to all on the theme MY VALLEY: MEN AND THINGS, PROBLEMS AND ASPIRATIONS. The copy of the announcement, due to the interest and participation it obtained, is reproduced here and the three poems that obtained the first prize ex aequo are also reported. They are by Roselletti Achille , Tosti Mario and Cancian Antonio . THE ABSENT Sooner or later it happens to everyone to wage the last battle of life, the one that no one has ever won. Those who have supplied considerable troops to the battles of others and after a generous militancy, suddenly misses the call, also undergoes this ineluctable fate. It is difficult to closely follow the personal stories of each donor. The number is high, the places of residence are more disparate, the sectional presence of volunteers employed only in the afternoon. It happens, then, that some mournful event becomes known in untimely circumstances to externalize a formal act of condolence. The subject has been debated for a long time and for some time, in the various Directors. On the one hand, systematic silence, even if innocent for failure to communicate the event, could appear as a symptom of indifference and insensitivity, inconsistent with the associative purposes. On the other hand, external participation in pain only in the cases of which we know, could be interpreted as discriminatory attention for some particular partner. The prevailing and practiced orientation is that of not resorting to any formalities, in cases of mourning involving the shareholders. But the Avisian family is not insensitive to a disappearance that also affects it directly and wanted to make a more lasting gesture than a simple crown of flowers. In the city cemetery a stone was erected, three travertine steles of unequal height, the DONOR'S CLIP . The names of the emeritus and active members, of the collaborators and of the founder who left us, are all there, engraved in bronze, and exposed to gratitude and memory. The list is already long and frames many other names of that strip of land where love and hatred, vainglory and humility, generosity and avarice end. The cippus, in its simplicity and harmonious composure, wants to be, in death, the emblem of the life of the avisino. It was conceived and edited by the architect Bazzarri Luciano . The inauguration took place in a solemn form on June 24, 1990. Many will remember that on that Sunday the cycling tour took place, which started after Mass at the Cemetery and the short inaugural ceremony, in the presence of numerous participants already in their starting clothes. . COMMIATO And the story continues. It belongs less and less to the elderly person who writes it and more and more to the young person who reads it. It is natural that this is the case, to reaffirm life with its burdensome commitments, sacrifices, pains, joys and hopes. It is a bit like the physical law of ice formation in the polar cold, which if they were not lighter than the underlying liquid that originates them, they would settle without the possibility of life on earth. The founders of AVIS found those who supported them and then replaced them in their daily organizational work; the first donors were joined by a large group of young people who grabbed the baton to pass it on to others, in the interminable relay race of solidarity. This will also be the case in the future, because the choice of volunteering from Avis has become connatural to the people of Umbria, testifying to the solid roots of human sensitivity and high civicism, not yet completely contaminated by the contemporary categories of prevailing individualism. In giving this modest work to the press, I feel the duty to thank those who gave me a hand: Luigi Gambucc who, with solicitude and concern, provided me with all the archive data, checking them with scrupulous diligence and with the competence of those who the history of AVIS has it in mind. Without his help, these pages would have come to light much later. So much gratitude also to the Publisher, the GESP of Città di Castello and to its owner Paoloni Sandro who, as a good Avisino, wanted to contribute with the utmost generosity by offering the section the free printing of the book, with the participation of Mrs. Franchi Roberta and the Mr. Ascani Ascanio. But I have to thank, in particular, all the people from Umberto I whose hidden and silent effort was a high teaching for me, which made mine lighter. Precisely to contribute, in a minimal part, to the concrete testimony of solidarity that is usually practiced at AVIS, I assign all the copyrights inherent in this volume, except for the right to modify its content, to the AVIS SECTION OF UBERTIDE which, with the offers obtained from its diffusion, it will be able to better meet the economic needs of its many initiatives. I donatori

INTERESTING INSIGHTS HISTORY OF MARIO TOSTI L'Enigma della Collegiata La grande diga sul Tevere La Meridiana della Piazza Grande della Fratta The great dam on the Tiber In 1983 a large number of poles came to light in the Tiber and were photographed by Renato Codovini. From the investigations of Mario, Marco and Matteo Tosti, it has been hypothesized that they formed the basis of the dam, born in the 12th century, up to 6 meters high, which enclosed the Fratta fortress in a basin. From a document of 1527, in fact, we have news of an artificial basin upstream of the bridge over the Tiber whose waters could form a "very clear lake", as it was described in 1565 by Piccolpasso. We leave the floor to the study of the engineers Mario, Marco and Matteo Tosti who have kindly allowed to report on this page. Study published in “L'Ingegnere Umbro” n. 43, December 2002 and reported to us by Alvaro Gragnoli. Photos added by Fabio Mariotti. (edited by Di Mario, Marco and Matteo Tosti) The discovery of a foundation piling. Dredging works on the Tiber bed in 1983 brought to light a large number of piles about 80 meters downstream of the bridge. It was Renato Codovini, unrivaled researcher of local history who noticed them, photographed them and understood their importance as the remains of the foundation of an ancient lock. A few years later, in their valuable thesis ("Discovery of the dam on the Tiber river, Umbertide in the province of Perugia", University of Florence, academic year 1987/1988), Alberto Crocioni and Roberto Codovini extensively documented the structure and the construction technique of the work, characterized by an original checkerboard foundation in oak planks and river stones. Thesis We wanted to deepen the subject, trying to bring engineering to the aid of history, intrigued by the imposing foundation piling in the direction of the river current, for an estimated length of at least 15 m: this clue suggested a huge investment, both financial and technical-organizational and, therefore, a purpose of great strategic importance. We tried to imagine what the clients intended, which could not only be to operate the blades of the nearby mill, which could have been built elsewhere with a much more modest barrier, perhaps on a small tributary of the Tiber. The most plausible and fascinating hypothesis was that the dam served to create a reservoir so large that it permanently flooded the moat all around the city walls; perhaps Cipriano Piccolpasso had not exaggerated in 1565 in using a superlative - “very clear lake” - at the sight of the Fratta river, which he described and represented in the oldest panorama of the place. And this is precisely the thesis we intend to demonstrate, reconstructing the history of the "great dam" and its structural and functional configuration. Archive news There is no direct and detailed information on this work, about which all the writers of local history have been silent. Only the military engineer Piccolpasso, in the aforementioned drawing, traced the structure of the dam, albeit with barely hinted lines, perhaps because at that time it had already lost its importance from a military point of view, which represented the topic of main interest for the author: commendable example of a good engineer who does not waste even an unnecessary pencil stroke. Or a sign of low satisfaction for the reimbursement of expenses requested in the parcel: "30 bajocchi for the horse from Castello alla Fratta, 30 bajocchi for dinner and dinner at Fratta, 10 bajocchi for those who will help me to measure, 30 bajocchi for the horse for Perugia ; and more 50 bajocchi made to give to the femeglia de messer Paulo, called messer Gherardo soldier of fortress for the fatigas of said messer Paolo ”. The surrounding tour of these last 50 bajocchi - delivered to a soldier to give to the family of Mr. Paolo who had struggled - arouses some suspicion, dear engineer Cipriano! Instead, there is indirect information on the existence of the barrier, the oldest of which dates back to a registration dated February 6, 1527, where the expression versus clusam molendini is used, in describing the activities carried out in the buildings adjacent to the barrier, at edge of the river, at the end of Piazza S. Francesco. In fact, in that area the dam made it possible to supply the necessary energy to various factories: the water, conveyed along a derivation canal, through the opening of the respective doors according to agreed shifts, operated the millstone of the Molino di Sant ' Erasmus; he made the wheels of the blacksmiths turn for the grinding of sickles and other irons (swords, spears…); he operated the wooden mallets in the fulling machine, to compress and firm the woolen cloth; it flowed into the public wash basin; finally it returned to the riverbed of the Tiber downstream of the dam. The lack of other more detailed information has prompted us to seek objective elements to find out more. Photo by Fabio Mariotti. La grande diga sul Tevere The simulation of the reservoir First of all, an attempt was made to estimate the extent of the reservoir. In a first phase, the configuration that would have today, in the event of restoration of the dam, was identified after evaluating the height of the dam: for this reason, the level of the floor of the ancient public washhouse of Caminella was taken as a fundamental reference, where in the 1960s the original tank was still visible, even if its use had been converted into a breeding leech for the pharmacy, using the stagnant surface water that was collected there. This reference is certain, as the share has remained unchanged with respect to the period of use; on the other hand, the presence - in the immediate vicinity and at the same level, of the other users of the dam just described, much more relevant - excludes the hypothesis that the wash house, with the abundance of the reservoir, used vein water. The height of the floor of the public wash house, which was equal to 238.25 m asl, can therefore be reasonably assumed as the overflow level of the reservoir, the contours of which have been defined on the basis of the corresponding level curve in the current configuration of the land. The boundaries as determined above were subsequently corrected on the basis of changes made by man and the river over the centuries, of which traces have remained. These elements reasonably lead to the conclusion that, in the period of maximum military efficiency of Fratta Perugina (15th century), the reservoir surrounded the entire islet of the historic center, which could only be accessed through the rampant bridge of the Piaggiala, the drawbridge. della Rocca and the bridge over the Tiber. The height of the barrage The difference between the overflow level at 238 m asl deduced above and the altitude (232 m asl) of the river bed area from which the foundation piles emerge today, allows us to estimate the height of the dam at about six meters: for those times the great Fratta dam was truly a gigantic work. Site plan in a drawing by the authors (1) Public wash house; (2) Molino di Sant'Erasmo; (3) Churches of Santa Croce, San Francesco and San Bernardino; (4) Great dam; (5) Tiber; (6) Bridge over the Tiber; (7) Regghia stream; (8) Rocca, with drawbridge and “calzo de fuora”; (9) The rampant bridge of the Piaggiola, the round tower and the Porta della Campana. The functions of the barrage The significant complexity of the project, the grandeur of the structure and the economic burden of its construction confirm the thesis of a military use of the large dam: its primary utility was to keep the moat around the walls constantly flooded, for safety. of the inhabitants of the castle, and to reduce the stresses on the foundation pillars of the bridge just upstream. The other benefits of an economic nature (supply of energy for production activities and taking fish from the weir), although more important for the well-being of the population, were collateral and irrelevant to the decision to build the work. The birth The non-existence of records relating to these works does not allow us to establish with certainty the period to which they date back. However, the hypothesis is likely that only after the passage to the dominion of Perugina (1189) did the conditions exist to build such an imposing work. Only a city like Perugia could have had the necessary economic capacity, technical-military knowledge and political motivations: this is precisely the period in which it pursued a strengthening as a Municipality, to consolidate its vital space among the great powers of the moment in the Center- Italy, capitalizing on the advantage of equidistance from Florence and Rome. On the contrary, in previous times there were no conditions to justify such a huge effort: at first - until the death of Matilde di Canossa - it was marginality, as a remote border place of the Marquisate of Tuscany, to discourage the investment. Then after the dismemberment of this in many territories dominated by small lords, it was the scarcity of economic resources that made the enterprise impracticable. The same lack of news relating to the construction of the dam, attributable to the disappearance of the Annals of Perugia - from 1190 to 1230 - relating precisely to the presumable period of construction, constitutes a confirmation clue of the thesis that is being supported, as it is not likely that such an impressive work no formal acts have been performed. It can be concluded by affirming that the construction of the great dam can be placed between 1189 (beginning of the dominion of Perugia over Fratta) and 1230 (availability of the Perugian Annals). The overall design system Let us now try to define other details of the dam and its functional organization. The reservoir was divided by a "central guardian", slightly inclined with respect to the flow direction of the river. Between this and the left bank - the western basin - the main current had to flow, which flowed downstream from the top of the dam perpendicular to the bank. The other segment, arranged obliquely so as to extend the length of the front of the jump, was perhaps of a higher height so as to contain the damage on the left bank, of great value for the presence of production activities: the mill, the blacksmiths, the fulling machine; in short, a kind of industrial area of the lower village. The capacity of the reservoir, considering the height of the dam equal to 6 m, the width 70 m and the length of the lake upstream of 1,200 m, was estimated at 250,000 m³. The maximum power obtainable, with a useful flow of the river assumed equal to 10 m ³ / s, has been estimated at 600 Kw, based on the following relationship: P = p Q g Δ H P = power; p = water density; Q = volumetric flow rate; Δ H = geodetic difference in height Assuming a width of the adduction channel to the mill equal to 1 m², a current speed of 2 m / s, a head of 3 m and a reasonable efficiency for those times, the order of magnitude of the useful power can be placed around 100 Kw. For a correct functionality of the military security system, precautions were also taken to prevent the ditch being buried due to the debris deposited by the floods of the Regghia, at the point where it flowed into the reservoir under the Rocca, slowing down its fury. We think that this was precisely the function of the “ … lock of the river of the Regghia alter dicta el Battifosso which is contiguous to the horto della Roccha and to the walls of the said castle… ”. The death Let us now try to clarify how and when the barrier ceased its function. In this regard it is known that on 20 October 1610 two arches of the bridge and the Mulinaccio tower collapsed at the corner of the walls along the river; the contemporaneity of the collapses, just upstream of the great dam, made us suspect that the disaster had originated - with a "domino effect" - from the deterioration of the dam. Archival records confirmed the hypothesis: as early as 1606, in fact, the barrage had shown the urgency of repairs. The question became the subject of a legal dispute on the occasion of another flood, in 1611; the tenant complained that the mill was " spotless and unsuccessful " and the dam had been " badly kept and badly restored ". The subjects called into question - the Bishopric of Gubbio and the Community of Fratta - tried to discharge each other the responsibility and the burden of reparation; the first claimed that the dam had been damaged by the collapse of the bridge; the second claimed the opposite thesis, attributing the expenses to the Bishop, as in fact " it had always been ". It seems to us that - Monsignor forgive us! - the Community was right, as it is really strange that the very heavy debris of the bridge, instead of lying on the bottom of the river, overwhelmed the barrier a hundred meters downstream. However, for our deductions, it is only interesting that the mill did not grind since that time, demonstrating that the dam had just collapsed. But there are many other confirmations: even the blacksmiths were forced to go to other mills in the vicinity that had suitable wheels; but the loss of those of Sant'Erasmo was incurable if, a few decades later (1647), four blacksmiths from Fratta brought 14,000 raw sickles to Rome (hammers were not yet produced in the red Umbria), entrusting the finishing to grinders of the capital . Therefore, even the wheels had finally stopped. Similarly, the activity of the fulling mill was moved to a similar factory, in Pian d'Assino, whose structure is still visible on the left bank of this stream, just upstream of the bridge that crosses it just before flowing into the Tiber. All these facts concur to confirm the dependence of the factories in Piazza San Francesco on the large barrage and the superimposition of their respective periods of operation (from about 1200 to 1611). In short, the dam was born when it was necessary to protect the safety of the castle with a lake and no one wanted to take care of its maintenance since these needs were overcome by the evolution of warfare. For all the time in which it was of military interest - and only for that - it was also a source of work and well-being, respecting a sad priority to which man has always had to submit. The death sentence of the Great Dam was issued for the opposite reason that led to its conception. Here below some photos with Mario Tosti and the Tiber river south of the bridge in the place of the "great dam"; photo compared with the 1565 drawing by Piccolpasso showing the position of the dam. Picture of by Fabio Mariotti. Sources: - " The Great Dam of Fratta Perugia ", by Mario Tosti, Marco Tosti and Matteo Tosti, in “ The Umbrian Engineer ” n. 43, December 2002 - Photos and original article drawings: Renato and Roberto Codovini, Mario, Marco and Matteo Tosti. - Photos added: Fabio Mariotti THE ENIGMA OF THE COLLEGIATE by Mario Tosti (taken from "Pagine Altotiberine" *, n. 45, 2011) * "Pagine Altotiberine" is a series of books published by the historical association Alta Valle del Tevere, which gathers members from our valley. The main objective of the Association is to provide citizens with the possibility of publishing texts on local history, without any charge for the author, who receives five copies of the book that contains his work free of charge. The association is financed by the members' fees, who receive the three books that are published every year for free. The history of the construction The history of the Collegiate Church has been the subject of research that has made it possible to know the events in an exhaustive way. In the first place, they were deepened in the monographic book by Monsignor Pietro Vispi (1) , from which we extracted a summary of the information regarding the origins and construction details of the church. We also submitted to Monsignor Pietro, who kindly made himself available, the thesis supported in these notes, to exclude that any additional information to his knowledge would dismantle some links in the logic of the deductions. The chronicles of the time tell that, on 14 September 1556, "A girl of 7 years old ... who was struppia [crippled] in a cossa [thigh], so that she could not walk without support, while she was praying in front of this image [Editor's note: the Majesty painted in a small chapel near the Collegiate building ], it is said that this spoke to him and incontinent found herself free and healthy, and walked frankly ". A few days later the bishop of Gubbio sent his vicar Cesare Sperelli, who "... visitevit ecclesiolam beate et gloriosa virginis marie vulgo called the madonna della regghia prope et juxta muros castri fratte ..." Therefore: the small church in which a miracle took place stood near the walls of Fratta, in the word "Madonna d ella Regghia". Out of thanks, it was decided to build a temple in the immediate vicinity. From the deed of sale of the land of 15 April 1559 we learn that the owners, Graziani of Perugia, "Give and concede for the Madona and the chapel in writing to the Comonità della Fratta all the reasons that they have above the Capella or true Oratory of the Madona de la regghia in front of the walls of said Castle and also above the houses in the said adjacent Chapel and such a quantity of land contiguous to the said chapel that it will be necessary for the construction of a church to be built in that place in Honore de Dio and Della Glorioss. Virgine Maria provided it does not exceed the containment of the garden contiguous to said Capella ... ". So: the church was surrounded by a group of houses and a vegetable garden. Shortly after, thanks to the copious alms of the people, the construction works of the temple began, with the contribution of various architects: Galeazzo Alessi, Giulio Danti, Bino Sizi, Mariotto da Cortona. A drawing by Piccolpasso shows that in 1565 the construction of La Madona had reached its first register and leads us to believe that the houses adjoining the chapel with the miraculous image, designed to the west of the church, towards the Regghia, were in the area of the current Reggiani palace. The Collegiate was completed in 1597-1599. After about twenty years, in 1619, the original dome showed a lesion: consequently it fell or, more likely, was demolished. Today you can get an idea of the primitive dome from the painting by Bernardino Magi kept in the church of San Bernardino. The reconstruction of the current dome, no longer with a lowered sixth but with a round sixth, with a smaller base diameter, was entrusted to Filippo Fracassini (until 1650) with the architects Rutilio, first, and Beniamino Sermigni, later. In order to consolidate the base of the vault, without compromising “The ornamentation of the interior ... the order of the beautiful columns, to whose transport is to be attributed one hundred and forty-one pairs of oxen were needed in 1623 ”. The lantern on top of the dome was finished in 1664, along with the wooden doors. The clues to the solution of the riddle The above information tells us everything about the reason for the location of the Collegiate Church, about the artists who built it, about its main events; but they do not reveal the reason why the church of the Patrona has been set up in the configuration from which, for over four centuries, it has scrutinized the life of the mortals who alternate around its bulk from the top of the lantern. By asking ourselves this question during a walk with friends around the octagonal church, the intuition emerged that the orientation had been chosen with the intention of offering the best scenery to the faithful who proceeded to the temple. The research that followed led to the emergence of several elements that seem to support this hypothesis, as we will try to demonstrate in the following pages. Starting from the assumption that the orientation of the church could not have been accidental, let us analyze the objective elements of knowledge currently available, from which a reasonable answer to the enigma can be deduced. For this we make constant reference to figure 1, where the essential elements of the church plan and the nearby buildings indicated by historical sources are shown. 1. "In the Italy of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries ... the formation of sanctuaries on places of miraculous events attributed to the Madonna ... There was also the trend, made known by the solution of the Sanctuary of Loreto (started in 1469 ), to incorporate the pre-existing chapel inside. " (2) 2. The small church outside the walls of Fratta with the miraculous image was adjacent to some buildings, as evidenced in the historical summary reported above. Therefore there were not even the practical conditions to incorporate it, unless the adjacent buildings were demolished. 3. "The attention to the astronomical orientation of places of worship, carefully researched in the Middle Ages, disappears in Renaissance buildings when the introduction of the compass and modern philosophical and scientific theories loosened the bonds of a mythical, magical, mysticism that united the men of the Middle Ages with the observation of the sky, favoring instead the positioning of the building in relation to the urban context. In the case of the Collegiate Church, some measurements were nevertheless carried out to verify the actual orientation of the building with respect to the astronomical cardinal points and to identify any related explanations. The results of the surveys, shown in figure 2, allow us to deduce some considerations. The eight-pointed decoration visible on the floor in the center of the church, similar in shape to the wind rose, is not related to the cardinal points, but is only a decorative element subordinated to the shape of the building, which in some way reflects. The particular historical methods of foundation of the octagonal buildings were also verified: " Generally the orientation of the octagon required that the cardinal directions pass through the vertices of the polygon, a rule that was not always respected during the construction of the baptisteries while it was respected, in the period around 1000, when several octagonal churches were built. " (3) In our case, the orientation of the octagon does not respect the criterion of cardinal points passing through two opposite edges. It would seem to be possible to say that the altar is oriented at the dawn of the winter solstice, with the sun rising behind the celebrant, but there are no openings in the wall that capture and highlight this phenomenon which, consequently, does not seem to have been priority in the plant of the building. In conclusion, it seems unlikely to attribute an astronomical explanation to the orientation of the church. " (4) 4. The sandstone portal to the north, consisting of two columns surmounted by a tympanum, projects perpendicularly to the wall face. Above the tympanum there is a round arch of unloading (platband), made of bricks in a radial arrangement, which is used above the architraves in order to reduce or eliminate the bending stress. 5. The west portal, apparently the twin of the north one, has several peculiarities: it protrudes from the wall facing in an oblique direction, with an angle of about 24 ° with respect to the perpendicular to the wall; the brick arch above the tympanum is not visible on the outside. 6. A panoramic drawing of Fratta (figure 3 shows the detail of the area in question), made in 1565 by the military engineer Cipriano Piccolpasso, does not seem to show the opening to the west of the Collegiate, although the church appears to have been erected until the first register: the signs on the left of the wall are not in the center of the side of the polygon and do not have a regular geometric shape, but seem similar to trees, such as those shown also on the right of the building. It should be noted that the design is to be considered very reliable, as evidenced by the accuracy of the details represented in the other more important buildings. The drawing highlights another important detail: the original path of the Regghia is moved, compared to today, towards the Rocca, confirming the subsequent movement of the river bed and, therefore, the need to build a new bridge, as documented in point 9 following. 7. The differences between the two portals exposed in the three previous points reasonably suggest that the one to the west was opened at a later time, after the construction of the first register. In any case, the anomaly highlighted in the west portal suggests that this had been considered in the alternative to the north one: therefore the importance of the latter must have been truly extraordinary if it had prevailed, for the purposes of choosing the orientation, with respect to to the alternative of enhancing the chapel which had even motivated the work. 8. At the time of the design of the church, the oldest and most important access inside the walls was undoubtedly that of the Porta della Campana, which showed the emblem of the castle (the ancient lily in bas-relief, an ancient weapon of Florentines (5 ) ) and allowed the people to enter the main road network of the valley: the "Strada del Piano", which connected Città di Castello to Perugia, along the left bank of the Tiber, across the bridge over the Carpina, the church of Santa Maria, the Collegiata (in fact), the Madonna del Moro and Ponte Felcino. Therefore, for the inhabitants of the castle of Fratta, the most important way to go to the Collegiata was the one leaving the Porta della Campana, which entered the “Strada del Piano” through the Piaggiola and Boccajolo. It was also the shortest way, because the possible alternative was to go down the Via Retta (the Corso), leave the walls towards Piazza San Francesco and go up to the Collegiate Church on Via Soli. So: for the people of the castle of Fratta it was natural to access the large church outside the walls from the "Strada del Piano". 9. There is news (6) of an old bridge over the Regghia starting from July 1632, from which it is deduced that it was probably composed of masonry heads where wooden beams rested for crossing. The continuous adjustments and renovations in the seventeenth century indicate how much it was subjected to wear. In particular, he had had to work overtime in absorbing the transit of heavy loads of materials coming from the furnaces of the Borgo Superiore, necessary precisely for the "factory" of the church of the Madonna della Regghia. Other consolidation works were carried out in 1726. Furthermore, the state of the bridge was a source of dangers, so the situation became increasingly unsustainable. Finally, in the meeting of April 4, 1770, the City Council took the question head-on: "Being that since some years ... several times thought by the Defenders and by the representatives of this Earth to obviate the dangers that have occurred and that can happen in the future in passing with horses slaughters and some over the bridge that passes over the river Palace under the church of the Most Holy Virgin, which being so narrow and without sides or parapet, it happened several times that horses and oxen were in danger of rushing with loads and wagons, and other hauls. " By cutting off the bull's head, it was decided to redo the now unsafe bridge from scratch, making it wider, with sturdy sides and suitable for bearing greater loads. In confirmation of this intention, the Chapter of the Collegiate gave the Municipality "land for the construction of the new bridge over the Royal Palace in the direction of Montone" (7) . The project was promptly carried out, if in the rough color plan of 1780 by Giuseppe Fabretti (8) (figure 4) the bridge is located in the new position and is connected through a twisted junction to the old route of the “Strada del piano”, which in the meantime had become less and less important, compared to the more recent road on the right bank of the Tiber. The road will only subsequently be rectified and enlarged, forming the current Via Veneto. The construction of the new bridge in a location other than the original one was also determined by the need to expand the square under the Rocca (9) , whose first modest works began in 1803, in order to solve a very old problem. At the end of 1846 the Judiciary of Fratta bought, for this purpose, another piece of land with these reasons: "... the need for this expansion [Editor's note: of the area for the livestock market] is making itself felt every more and openly demonstrated by the last Cattle Fair in which not only the current square was filled with oxen, but even though the adjoining road that leads to the house of Signor Mavarelli and a large part of the Collegiate field that would be occupied by the proposed extension ... ". It is reasonable to think that on that occasion it was decided to move the riverbed of the Regghia away from the tower. The refurbishment of the area was completed in 1880, with the construction of the retaining walls and the raising of the level of the market square. Ernesto Freguglia had just had time to paint the area (1875) in its original configuration, with the clearing still at the level of the bed along the river bank. In this year 2011, a suggestive realization has turned back the hands of time, restoring a condition similar to that of the seventeenth century, demonstrating how man does not disdain to emulate Penelope in adapting the environment to his variable needs. A hypothesis for solving the riddle On the basis of the objective information detailed above, it can be deduced that the configuration of the area of the Collegiate and the surrounding area in the year 1600 (immediately following the completion of the church) was that shown in figure 5, which can be compared with that of figure 6 , relating to the year 2000. For a more immediate perception of the changes undergone over the last four centuries, the situations indicated in the plans are replicated in the drawings of figure 7 - taking advantage of the prodigious pencil of Adriano Bottaccioli, used to photographing scenarios that have now disappeared from our castle - and in figure 8 , in which the changes that led to the current scenario are superimposed. At this point we can deduce a likely explanation for the enigma posed to us, which we set out below. Already in the positioning phase of the new church, it was decided not to incorporate the small chapel with the image of the Virgin, as was customary in that period (point 1), because it was too close to other valuable buildings existing nearby ( point 2). The church was originally conceived with the main entrance - and, initially, probably the only one - corresponding to the current north portal, aligned with the main access road from the castle, as shown in the drawing in figure 7. In this way the scenography that was presented to the faithful on their way to the church (point 8) was of the utmost spectacular. On this portal, at the same time as the construction of the wall, the discharge arch was created above the opening (point 4). It is probable that only later, during the construction of the church, did someone come up with the idea of "uniting" the old chapel and the large church in some way. The goal was achieved with the opening of a second access (not drawn in the overview of the Piccolpasso referred to in point 6) on the side facing the original aedicule, which was obtained by tearing apart the masonry. On the occasion, the platband was not built on the external face, for various possible reasons: either because the engineers were less scrupulous; or because it was more complicated to obtain an aesthetically acceptable result, having to inscribe the arch on an opening obtained by tearing. However, it cannot be excluded that the platband was built at a lower level, so as to be hidden by the sandstone tympanum. Jutting out from the wall, a twin portal to the existing one was built, but with an anomalous angle, in order to orient it towards the original chapel (point 5); in fact the land donated for the construction of the church was in fact "contiguous" to the chapel, as reported in the deed of sale of the land of 1559. The anomalous angle can have two different explanations, depending on whether the construction of the portal was started after or before having decided to demolish the chapel - perhaps due to the precarious state, such as not to justify its restoration - and to move the image of the Virgin inside the church. In the first case, in anticipation of the maintenance of the chapel, the new portal should perhaps have constituted one of the two ends of a portico connecting the new and old structure; faced with the decision to move the effigy and demolish the aedicule, the portico was no longer built, leaving the work unfinished, due to the unexpected disappearance of the final destination. In the hypothesis that the architects of the work were less fickle in their decisions, it seems more likely that the idea of building the anomalous portal was triggered after having decided to demolish the chapel, with the consequent necessary compensation by evoking it forever. in the imagination of the faithful. In any case, in all probability this architectural strangeness remains today to indicate the direction along which the ancient chapel with the Majesty must have been. The opening of the second portal will have involved the need to move the altar, placing it on the side of the octagon opposite the one between the two doors, in order to give a new symmetry to the temple. Conclusion If the one described was really the sequence of decisions and works, the enigma we tried to unravel was born, many decades after the completion of the Collegiate, following the decision to move the route of the "Strada del piano" and to replace the old bridge over the Regghia on the road to the upper Borgo with a new one, in a different position. There were two reasons: the state of decay and danger of the bridge; the need to expand the space around the fortress to be used for the livestock market, after having moved the riverbed of the Regghia and demolished the access ramp to the now obsolete drawbridge. Basically: the orientation of the temple and the presumed location of the original main access road to the church explain each other; with the modification introduced since, during the 18th century, the pre-existing bridge and road were moved to the north-east, the original scenography was canceled, creating the enigma for which this hypothesis of solution was proposed. PS In the recent restructuring of the area surrounding the Rocca, the opportunity was lost to restore the original scenography to the Collegiata, with the simple positioning of the new sidewalk along the route of the ancient Strada del Piano. * * * Thanks to Alvaro Gragnoli who, thanks to his intuition, started the research and to those who made their knowledge available: Giovanni Cangi, humanist engineer, as regards the engineering aspect; Francesco Rosi, architect, expert and passionate about archaeoastronomy; Monsignor Pietro Vispi, parish priest of the Collegiate, precious source of historical information, Adriano Bottaccioli, art director of communication and painter. Note: 1. PIETRO VISPI, The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Reggia, Radio Elettra & M SpA School, Città di Castello, 2001 2. LUCA SPORTELLINI, “The Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Assunta in Rasina”, Fabrizio Fabbri Editore, 2011, p. 24 3. A. GASPANI, Astronomy and geometry in the ancient Alpine churches, Priuli and Verlucca editori, 2000, Turin 4. Contribution by FRANCESCO ROSI 5. BELFORTI - MARIOTTI, History of Fratta, year 1780 6. CODOVINI - SCIURPA, Umbertide in the XVIII century, GESP, Città di Castello, 2003, p. 42 7. PIETRO VISPI, The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Reggia, Umbertide, 2001, note on p. 60 8. GIUSEPPE FABRETTI, News of the Land of Fratta, (ms BAP 2011) 9. RENATO CODOVINI - ROBERTO SCIURPA, Umbertide in the 19th century, 2001, GESP, Città di Castello, pp. 51, 122, 377. L'Enigma della Collegiata THE SUNDAY OF THE GRANDE PIAZZA DELLA FRATTA by Mario Tosti In the memory of Renato Codovini and Amedeo Massetti With the following notes I propose to shed light on the events of a sundial found in our historic center. I try to demonstrate the hypothesis that it represented the local reference for solar time: the time of Fratta, our local Greenwich mean time. For this mission, she lived in symbiosis with the clock of the Torre della Campana, which stood on top of the Piaggiola. His odyssey began on a window sill in front of the Rocca, on the first floor of the building that housed the headquarters of the Podestà and the hall of the municipal council, in Via Alberti. After a couple of centuries of honorable work, she was evicted and imprisoned under the plaster of the Garibaldi's room in Piazza Fortebraccio. Today he is enjoying his well-deserved retirement in the bucolic Umbrian countryside. For the sake of completeness, I have also tried to reconstruct the evolution of time measurement tools available to the community up to the present day. Let us hope that they continue to measure a time of peace and serenity. THE FINDING Around the middle of the twentieth century, in the course of renovations, a sundial was found under the plaster of the wall in front of the entrance to the room on the ground floor of the building at no. 9 of the current Fortebraccio square, in front of the Rocca (Figure 1). It was Rinaldo Giannelli, owner of the restaurant, who reported it to me, proposing to look for clues about the story. THE SEARCH FOR INFORMATION At first, I had come to a hypothesis that turned out to be incorrect after meeting Mauro Bifani who, together with Manlio Suvieri, was carrying out a research on the sundials of Umbria. I pointed out to him the existence of our find, which has become the subject of his expert analysis. In the book they subsequently published - The ancient hours, Sundials and Roman-style clocks in the municipalities of Umbria, Futura edizioni, 2017 - an entire chapter was dedicated to The sundial of Piazza Grande alla Fratta, in which I was able to integrate with my historical reconstruction of the results of their technical and functional research. STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS The small sundial (36 cm x 36 cm) of Fratta, in octagonal terracotta, at Italic hours, was designed to be used in a horizontal position. Several engravings are visible on its surface. At the top, the date of construction (1658) is engraved. A little below, a motto in Greek and another in Latin are engraved: “ΧΡΟΝΟΧ ΑΝΤΑΧΟ Υ ΑΝΕΜΕΙ” (Time resists winds). “AMBIGUIS ALIX LABILIS HORA VOLAT” (The fleeting hour flies on mysterious wings). In agreement with the authors of the book, I add a different translation reported by Mons. Pietro Vispi, also based on the identification of a Greek "p" partially canceled by a crack in the tile: "ΧΡΟΝΟΣ (Π) ΑΝΤΑΚΟΥ ΔΙΕΠΕΙ" (Time always arranges everything) “ΑΜΒΙGUIS ALIS LABILIS HORA VOLAT” (Time that passes flies with elusive wings). I gladly report the two translations, both fascinating, also to demonstrate the complexity in the interpretation of the thoughts handed down to us from the past. The inscription “AD ALTITUD GRAD 43” confirms that it was built for our latitude. The symbols of the four main zodiac signs are represented: Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra. The names of the winds are engraved on the external frame: Mezzodì, Garbino (term used on the Adriatic coast to indicate the Libeccio wind), Ponente, Maestro, Tramontana, Greco, Levante, Scirocco. THE CLUES Hypotheses on the events of the sundial can be deduced starting from the information concerning the measurement of time in the castle of Fratta and the function of the existing buildings in the area of the discovery (Piazza Fortebraccio, Via Alberti, Piaggiola). A recording dated 1477 refers to a Porta della Campana (figure 2), open towards Montone in the north corner of the castle walls, at the top of the Piaggiola. Originally, a tower 22 meters high rose above the gate. In the 16th century it was raised with a wooden tower of 11 m, at the base of which a niche was obtained, with the painted image of the Madonna. At the top a small loggia was opened to house the public bell. The building became one of the main references for the people, so much so that the entire surrounding district took the name of Terziere della Campana. The donzello of the Municipality was in charge of ringing the big [bell] to signal, in addition to extraordinary events, the canonical hours: Lodi (at dawn), Prima (around 6), Terza (at 9), Sesta (at 12) , Nona (at 15), Vespers (at sunset) and Compline [sic], before going to bed. Where the bell was not within earshot, it was the position of the sun in the sky that marked the time or, if the sky was cloudy, the intensity of the light was enough to mark the slow life of our ancestors. Then, with the spread of mechanical clocks, one was installed below the bell. The task of supervising, maintaining and charging it passed to the moderator of the public clock [moderator: who knows if this name meant inviting the spheres not to be in too much of a hurry?]. It is likely that the imprecision of those first mechanisms made it necessary to put them back at the right time almost daily. This function, in the absence of today's time signals on the radio, could only be performed by a sundial. The symbiosis between the two instruments is confirmed by the coincidence of the presumable period of the installation of the mechanical clock (17th century) and the year (1658) engraved on the Fratta sundial. The room of the discovery (outlined in green in figures 3 and 4) is located on the southern edge of the fifth of buildings of the current Piazza Fortebraccio, originally "Piazza Grande del Comune", in front of the Rocca "(platea comunis dicti castri ante cassarum) . There are several documents that allow us to deduce the evolution of the buildings on the corner between Piazza Fortebraccio and Via Alberti. In the fourteenth century the building in which the sundial was found did not exist, but in its place there was an external ramp (figure 5), which was demolished (figure 6) when it became encumbered for the drawbridge that would lower towards the square from the Rocca under construction: in fact, among the works commissioned to Trocascio (27 May 1385) there was also that of demolishing it and rebuilding it inside ("Eo Trocascio I promise ... remove the staircase of the podesta's palace and remake it inside the said palace or elsewhere, so that it does not harm the cassaro [Rocca] "). Figures 5 and 6 show details regarding the rear building, towards the west, taken from deeds of the notary Nicola di Antonio. First of all it belonged to the Municipality, as shown in a document dated July 1443: "... in the square of said castle, in front of the Palazzo del Podestà and the Rocca (... in the stalls dicti castri ante palatium potestatis et arcem)" ...; in 1448, "in the Town Hall and residence of the said Podestà of the said Castle, in the upper room of the said palace (... in the palatio Communis et residentiae dicti potestatis dicti castri in the upper room dicti palatii) ..." (1). In another act of the following year we speak of the "lower room" (2). He refers to "upper room" in acts of 1464 and 1466 (3). It is therefore assumed that in the building there was a large room on the ground floor (current service entrance to the theater in Via Alberti, 22), which could be used for the meetings of the City Council, and an apartment on the first floor (with entrance at no.20 ) in use by the Podestà, which was accessed by an external staircase. Today the new staircase, whose intrados is visible just to the left of the entrance at no. 22, allows you to go up to the first floor from the entrance to n. 20 of Via Alberti. A map by Anonymous dating back to 1730 (figure 7) shows us that the building where the find was not yet existed. The same indication comes from a drawing by Fabretti of 1780 (see final note), which also highlights the existence of a chapel annexed to the Monastery of the Nuns of Castelvecchio, indicated in figure 4. THE DEDUCTIONS On the basis of the clues described above, I tried to reconstruct the events of our sundial. In the first place, it is presumable that it was not part of the religious complex adjacent to the site of the discovery. In fact, the monastery of the Nuns of S. Maria di Castelvecchio had been suppressed at the end of the fourteenth century, two centuries before the construction of the sundial. Furthermore, the hours engraved on the surface of the octagon - Italic hours for civil use, rather than Italic for bells used for bell towers - support the hypothesis of a civil use and exclude the religious one. A further trace: the small distance - a few tens of meters - of the room where the sundial was found from the civic tower of the Bell (and, later, of the Clock), suggests that the two systems of time measurement were in close symbiosis, confirmed by the coincidence of the respective construction periods. The adjacency to the hall of the municipal council and to the seat of the Podestà suggests that it was exhibited somewhere in the square. The window sill of the "upper room", on the first floor of via Alberti 20, was probably the ideal point (figure 8) on which to display it in the horizontal position for which it was conceived. In fact it was sunny and protected, within reach of the highest authority of the castle. Mauro Bifani confirmed the validity of this hypothesis, found in other situations: inside the Sperelliana library in Gubbio, the sundial originally exhibited on the window is preserved, where traces of the well-oriented seat in which it was positioned remain; also in the Marches there is another, still in its place, which makes a good impression on a window sill. The Platonic marriage between the solar instrument and the mechanical one, not consummated due to the distance of their respective residences, went into crisis in the nineteenth century, for various reasons. The signs of old age arrived for the bell tower: in 1815, due to a subsidence of the foundations, it had been shortened, but with poor results: in 1820 it was completely demolished. But the clock was too important for the inhabitants of Fratta to do without it: at the same time a new tower was built (figure 9) in the central square - Piazza del Grano - in front of the current Town Hall, which had become the new center of gravity of the country. But the purchase of a new watch resulted in the death sentence of the old one, already in bad shape due to worn and rusty wheels. The solution proved to be precarious because, after just half a century, in 1873 it was decided to enlarge the Piazza del Grano to give air to the current Piazza Mazzini; to make room, the fledgling tower was sentenced to death at the bitter age of 53. As can be seen, even in the past, not all choices were far-sighted. Even for the sundial, widowed, the end loomed. To put a load of eleven there was the construction of the building at number 9 of Piazza Fortebraccio, as shown by a plan of the Gregorian Cadastre (figure 10) dating back to the period 1830-1850. From that moment on, the area assumed its current shape. The new construction "blinded" the window of the upper room where the sundial had lived, depriving it of its function. As a result, she was fired and evicted. He found refuge in the room where it was found, downgraded to a simple decorative element, albeit with the advantage of protection from the elements. Subsequently it raged, segregating it under the plaster. In short: in addition to life, the solar instrument and the mechanical one also seemed united in the end. But there was a surprise for the sundial. THE FINAL REST Rediscovered in the third millennium, by the owner the sundial has been moved to its natural environment, outside a pleasant cottage in the sweet Umbrian countryside. Although hanged vertically - contrary to its nature to relax horizontally - and with a random orientation with respect to the cardinal points, it is very happy to have rejoined the sun, remaining an interesting testimony of the history of Fratta. THE HEIRS Since the appetite comes with eating, I was intrigued to know who took over the sundial and the clock her husband, in the task of marking the time of our community after the demolition in 1872 of the ephemeral tower in the square. Nobody could tell us better than Egino Villarini, who joined me at the PC keyboard. In November 1876 the works for the enlargement of the old Piazza del Grano were completed, decided by the Municipality due to the increase in the volume of commercial activities, the growth of the population and the fact that it "was in a cramped confined space. "; last but not least, "the not very decent appearance of the buildings" which impoverished the Sorbello palace, seat of the Municipality. The square (now Piazza Matteotti) took the name of Umberto I. A new bell clock was placed in the center of the building opposite the town hall (Figure 11). It was operated by large stone blocks which, hung from a chain, descended from the top floor to the ground, where the Post Office was located. In more recent times, the task of turning the crank to raise the weights could not fail to be entrusted to Gino Vannoni, watchmaker. It was the engineer Villarini himself who relieved him of his duty by automating the operation. In 1918, the primary school clock (Fig. 12) entered the life of the people of Umbria, with the task of informing the schoolchildren, at a quarter past 8, that it was time to set off and, at 8:30, that the it was closing. Today, clocks are everywhere - on the streets, in the squares, on everyone - to synchronize with the hasty rhythms of modern life. But it would be quite another sensation to respond, as yesterday, to the call from the voice of the school: a solemn rite of the community, testifying to the collective concern reserved for the process of integrating young people into the cycle of social life. Those familiar tolls were then perceived by everyone, thanks to the silence in the town and the concentration of the houses; today they would perhaps be suffocated by the noise of cars and muffled by the remoteness of the suburbs. Yet they could represent the symbol of a cohesive and harmonious community, sickened by decades of excessive individualism. They would be especially appropriate in these times of seclusion. NOTE Regarding the volume of Fabretti, I want to tell a singular detail. Together with Amedeo Massetti we were consulting it in the Augusta Library in Perugia, when we came across a map referring to “Fratta” (figure 13, left), but it appeared totally different from that of our country. We thought it was the result of an error, also likely due to the low quality of the drawing, attributable to a novice author. After various considerations, we discovered the dilemma: the image had been copied against the light on a window pane, but on the wrong side. It was enough to do the opposite operation - this time with the PC - to get the right drawing, but with the name “Fratta” inverted (figure 13, in the center). An enlargement of the plan (figure 13, right) reveals the lack of the building of the find. There is also an interesting detail: a small church is marked with a cross (barely perceptible) - indicating that it was still officiated - annexed to the adjacent monastery of the Nuns of S. Maria di Castelvecchio. NOTES TO THE TEXT: Arch. Notar. di Umbertide, Notary Nicola di Antonio, acts 1448 - 1450, cat. 276/74, card 11 / v Arch. Notar. di Umbertide, Notary Nicola di Antonio, acts 1448 - 1450, cat. 276/74, card 99 / Arch. Notar. di Umbertide, Notary Nicola di Antonio, acts 1464 - 1466, cat. 283/5, cards 10 / r, 120 / v, 225 / v THANKS For this little research, I have made extensive use of the work of friends: Renato Codovini, generous initiator and prompter for all researchers of local history, who exhumed historical documents otherwise destined to remain buried in the archives; Amedeo Massetti, unforgettable friend and perfect citizen; Egino Villarini, an inexhaustible source of the innovations introduced in the country, with the reliability and details of having been the protagonist; Adriano Bottaccioli, who imagined the missing pieces of our country from every point of view, reconstructing them with the artist's ability and with the affection of the ex-emigrant; Mauro Bifani and Manlio Suvieri, who provided the technical information necessary for the reconstruction of a plausible history for our sundial. Fabio Mariotti, who checked the text (once I relied on Amedeo), enriching it with images. La Meridiana della Piazza Grande della Fratta

TERRITORY and MEZZADRIA (edited by Simona Bellucci and Francesco Deplanu) Flat land towards Montecastelli view give her hills of Spedalicchio di Umbertide: note the landscape characterized by the scattered settlement. The territory of Umbertide, like that of almost all of central Italy, was "shaped" by the very long choice of economic management of the properties that began at the end of the Middle Ages, it went into crisis after the war and ended in 1964 with the legislation that put an end to the new sharecropping contracts. Even the landscape of our area it can be defined with the terms of the rural landscape used for the whole of Europe, that is, it falls within the agricultural landscape a bocagé and does not belong to the other large category of openfields. Openfields that developed where the property came from managed directly by large landowners or jointly. In central Italy it was instead the indirect management of the land, through sharecropping, which gave rise to the division into plots and the distinction by hedges, trees and ditches, of the various plots. Plots that often went unevenly to form a farm, the economic unit of indirect land management typical of our areas. Thus from above the territory appeared completely fragmented. This subdivision, although decreased after the sixties, is also clearly visible from the satellite images that can be seen with "Google Earth": ditches, ancient oaks and other types of trees continue to be inexplicable functional elements within the fields without "seeing them. "with historical eyes. The plots of different positions and types that made up the farm they are a consequence of the need to make the family that settled there work well in several periods according to the different crops or maturation times. The economic management of the territory in an indirect form has therefore given rise to a particular rural landscape: the scattered settlement and polyculture. Particularly stable type of settlement with isolated houses in the plains and hills which today sees the replacement of the old farmhouses connected to the "Poderi" where the sharecroppers lived with houses often second property and, for 20 years and more, birth of a new economic use of the rural territory devoted to tourism. Farmhouses, country houses, holiday homes with swimming pools, often in the area of the old "ara", enrich our hills and flat areas. Polyculture was clearly visible in the so-called "Alberata", that is, in the mixed cultivation of vines alternating with cereals and in the small crops around the farmhouses. What is sharecropping The sharecropping is an agrarian contract under which the agricultural exercise was carried out on a farm. On the basis of the sharecropping agreement, a subject (grantor), holder of the right to enjoy a rustic land, associated himself with another subject (sharecropper), on his own and as head of a farmhouse for the cultivation of the land and the exercise of related activities, in order to divide the products and profits in half. In particular, the grantor conferred the enjoyment of the farm, while the sharecropper lent his own work and that of the farmhouse, with the obligation to reside permanently on the farm. On the day of San Martino, on the decision of the "owner", the change of farmhouse could take place based on the real ability of a "family", also for this patriarchal and numerous one, to make the "farm" profitable in an adequate manner. The first forms of sharecropping were born around the year one thousand but had a rapid growth in the fourteenth century. starting from the areas of the municipal counties. This form of contract dominated in our areas until the twentieth century, when after the war there was a rapid decline in sharecropping not only due to the push towards the direct cultivation of the farms, which took the form of the law n. 756 of 1964, but also due to the growing refusal of farmers to reside in old farmhouses, often without electricity and running water. Plain of the Tiber at the crossroads of the road to the Umbertide cemetery in the 1960s: you can see the use of the rural territory with the promiscuous culture of the vine, probably with field maples as a support, pruned like a candelabra, a useful form also for collecting vine shoots at the time of pruning and wood collected to dry. Plain of the Tiber at the crossroads of the road to the Umbertide cemetery in 2019, unfortunately in summer, among the leaves of the "downy oaks" you can see the complete disappearance of the arborata with the promiscuous culture of the vine; the division with the ditches of the plots remains. The same plain of the Tiber at the crossroads of the road to the Umbertide cemetery in the IGM "Tablets" with relief carried out in 1941, where you can see the cemetery on the right in the middle of the image and the land completely cultivated with the promiscuous culture of the vine: in fact it can be seen how the plots are characterized by "circles" to indicate the presence of a crop, with a sort of wavy line inside with shadow that characterizes the type of crop of the plots themselves, or the symbol of the vine. The "Tablet" thus represents the dominant presence of the arborata with the promiscuous culture of the vine. The Mezzadria in Umbertide Simona Bellucci who dealt with the sharecropping system and the relations between the two worlds of "owners" and "workers" writes about it in its " The incomplete modernization. Umbertide farmers and owners between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries ": " The form of land management determines the type of farmer prevalent in Umbertide, the sharecroppers, who are flanked by the laborers:" The sharecropping contract applies everywhere, There is a good number of laborers. "The sources never mention the small owners direct farmers because in the Municipality we find only medium and large land ownership. Small peasant property is scarcely present in all of Umbria, limited to certain Apennine areas, only "in the immediate post-war period there is a whole movement for the formation of small peasant speculative of the sharp rise in land and without adequate support for the necessary transformations and the exercise of the activity itself, it was quickly wrecked around 1930, after which it quickly returned to the pre-war structure. "" The large owners adopt the sharecropping management system, long-standing contract, dating back to the Middle Ages, which generally provides for the division of products in half, due to its characteristics of a corporate pact particularly suitable for maintaining social peace. In Umbria, however, there are clear signs of a worsening of the sharecropping contract at the end of the nineteenth century due to a relationship that becomes more unfavorable to workers due to excess labor. However, sharecropping is not a real corporate pact, because the settler suffers injuries to his individual freedoms, from those concerning marriage, to education, for which he must ask for and obtain the master's consent. The contracts, all disadvantageous, also provide for a series of obligations for the sharecropper, in fact he is subject to additional donations of poultry and eggs on certain festive occasions such as Easter and Christmas, he must also bear part of the land tax, the wife of the settler, in addition, she has to do laundry for the owner's family. The sharecropping contract has different clauses from area to area, in Umbertide «in principle the division of the products takes place in half; only for grapes to a third in favor of the owner ». In the general condition of poverty there are, however, sharecroppers who live in a better way than others, they are those who cultivate farms in the plains, more fertile than those of hills or mountains and where the number of arms is in balance with the extension of the earth. ". Consequences of indirect management Over time, this type of management of agricultural property also imposed a cultivation method: polyculture, exemplified in our area by the mixed cultivation of the vine mixed with cereals but also by the fruit and walnut trees in front of the house. It characterized the typology of human settlement in the Umbrian-Tuscan-Emilian countryside, that is the scattered settlement, or our "landscape" with our hamlets called "Ca '" or "Cai", the water mills, the country churches with their viability necessary for a world of faithful who moved on foot, and microtoponyms still alive in those who frequent the countryside. The characteristic of polyculture was combined with the need to produce cereals and grapevines taking the form of the “mixed cultivation of the vine”: that is, parts of a cereal field divided by rows of vines. Often "married" to trees, to favor their growth. In Umbria, especially in the south, usually the vine was associated with maple, even today, which has been replaced by concrete poles, the maple is visible in our countryside as a "residue" of the ancient way of farming. For aesthetic / affective reasons, the landscape has continued to maintain "survivals" that are no longer functional to the economic context that had generated them as in the residues of "promiscuous culture" that are sporadically encountered in the countryside. An example of "survival" can be seen just beyond the junction of the road that climbs to the cemetery in the direction of Montone, near the junction for S. Lorenzo. The end of Sharecropping the law N ° 756 of 1964 discouraged the stipulation of these contracts then prohibiting the establishment of new ones starting from September 1974, while acknowledging those already existing. The law No. 203 of 1982 then imposed the termination of sharecropping or middle-range contracts with their conversion into rental contracts. Rural architecture and appliances There is a commendable text, published by the Umbria Region and written by the professors, Melelli, Fatichenti of the University of Perugia that can guide us to re-read the historical stratification of the landscape both in terms of rural architecture and the appurtenances and open spaces of our Region and also of our Valley: Alberto Melelli Fabio Fatichenti Massimo Sargolini. “ Architecture and Rural Landscape in Umbria. Tradition and contemporaneity. "Umbria Region, Quattroemme Srl. But there are many human elements that are found in the apparently natural agricultural landscape, the fruit instead of one historical economic stratification that has remained stable for hundreds of years and then has changed rapidly, in the text indicated by prof. Fatichenti indicates in fact, as "historical assets" a series of elements: “ Minor elements of religious architecture (chapels, oratories, farm churches, country cemeteries, road crosses, niches or votive plaques, tabernacles, newsstands); - service goods (public springs and wash houses, taverns, springs, aqueducts, masonry huts, stone boundary stones); - appurtenances to buildings (farmyards in beaten or paved earth, wells or cisterns with or without cover, wash houses, fertilizers, ovens, dryers, barns, sheepfolds); - agricultural arrangements (terracing and embankments, dry stone walls); - hydraulic arrangements (embankments, canals, dams). " It must be said that in our area, unlike the rest of Umbria, the "barns" were not used, the hay was instead collected and left to dry outdoors, in the large "sheaf" near the threshing floor, a space that was also the small "square" of the farm house or of the groups of neighboring houses. Harvest time, Montecorona area, 1928 The rural house The rural house is an expression of the needs of the production system in which it is located. Its housing structure, the new parts that are built and the annexes are all functional to that economic cell of the exploitation of the property in an indirect form which is the appoderamento, or rather the farm with the typical farmhouse of sharecropping. The space in front of the house is used for the arrangement of agricultural work; new buildings, if they exist, are an expression of production needs, stables, dryers, any barns, even the external bathrooms are usually built in the same area where the excrements of animals taken from the stables for fertilization are kept. Usually the house has two floors, with an external staircase that ends in our areas with a small roof, in the basement often hens or rabbits were placed; downstairs there is the stable for the animals, now rearranged in beautiful halls; upstairs, with an internal hatch to go up and down with a wooden staircase for the winter, there was space for the settlers. The second floor always had a large fireplace in the central room which had to be enough to heat all the rooms, where we all ate together. Especially in the hills the external structure of the rural house appears from far away in harmony with the colors of the surrounding nature; this happened unintentionally because the building materials were being taken from the surrounding terrain. This last geological typology is clearly visible on the roads leading to Pietralunga or Gubbio with the yellow "sandstone" sections that protrude with "teeth" alternating with gray "marls"; marls also present as on some badlands forms visible going up from Umbertide towards the Monte Acuto area. The great majority of our rural houses have the use of marly stones, more gray, or sandstone, of a browning yellow, leaving the external appearance of the houses in harmony with the surrounding hills. The fortress of Umbertide itself is built from stones of this type and for the finishing of the portals and the first step is also the "Collegiate". From a geological point of view, the area of the Municipality of Umbertide insists on fluvial-lacustrine sedimentary deposits of the alluvial plain together with a Miocene sedimentation area, of marly-arenaceous type, which characterizes the high hill between the Tiber and the limestone ridge of the Umbrian-Marche Apennines. These geological structures they are interrupted by some calcareous rocky outcrops of more ancient formation which occupy a limited area of their own near Monte Acuto. Just look at the rural houses once you enter the Gubbio plain to notice of the difference with those of our area, and of how the limestone quarries have the choice of the construction material of the houses. The housing structures closest to Umbertide have the most frequent use of bricks deriving from clay. Stratification of architectural elements Let's have two here examples of historical stratification in the still visible rural buildings, an older one, the dovecote tower, and one much closer to us, but now already a "historical" stratification, or rather the "dryers" of tobaccos. Among the elements that the sharecropping system has left in our rural landscape architecture are the dovecote (or palombine) towers . Example of an Umbrian rural house rebuilt maintaining the previous characteristics, including the "dovecote tower" and with original materials, with the ancient housing structure on the upper floor with the old "shed" integrated, however, in the roof. "Buzzacchero" area. Photo 1. Dovecote tower in the countryside, located on the banks of the "Assino" stream. Photo n. 2. Dovecote tower in the ancient countryside, located towards the Polgeto road. Photo n. 3 Probable dovecote tower on the border between the urban area and the old one countryside, placed in front of the walls of Fratta. Other sources would be needed to be sure, but the four-storey height, the "roost" between the third and fourth floors suggest this type of architecture. They seem to have arisen earlier than the rest of the buildings and although it is thought that the use of buildings from urban towers has extended, they have become characteristic of the rural environment. They wore various advantages advantages in addition to the meat of the pigeons, there was the fact of eliminating the seeds of weeds from the farmyard to the fields and providing a precious fertilizer for the cultivation of hemp and flax, but in any case it was also used to fertilize olive groves and vineyards. They could have three, four or five floors (those born with defensive purposes) but usually the last level, still reachable from the inside or with an external ladder, consisted of the real diver. Levels could be used for different purposes. On its walls often numerous niches were opened with nest functions, they were plastered and made very smooth so as to prevent weasels, stone martens and other predators from climbing up and killing pigeons. "Outside there were the entrance holes for the doves, and the rose window for the ventilation of the compartment, both overlooking the" roost "(or" walk ") which served both as a shelf for the dove but also as a further obstacle to predatory animals. " Today many of these towers in our territory are used for tourism purposes and perform an attractive function for tourism. The breeding of doves or pigeons was an activity of breeding present well centuries before the construction of the dovecote towers in the area, just think that in the "Statutes of Fratta of 1535" we read a specific rule: " DELI PIGLANTI LE COLOMBE DOMESTICHE or DE COLOMBAJO ". The Statutes deal with "the taking of domestic doves ", specifying the penalty for those who have stolen or killed them: "... X de dinars worth of money for everyone who steals in any way, palomba de palomboro or domesticho or casalengho ". The characteristic tower probably acquired an aesthetic value and in the twentieth century also the rural houses that did not use them for such purposes they equipped themselves with towers, as reported by prof. Fatichenti for the Spoleto in “Architecture and Rural Landscape in Umbria. Tradition and contemporaneity. ". Our country lacks studies on this aspect and so we can hypothesize that the numerous turrets that can be seen which however have a four-pitched roof were built for aesthetic or "rank" reasons. We recommend reading the Degree Thesis on the "dovecote towers" of our territory created in 1990-91 by Professor Anna Maria Boldrini who kindly allowed us to show it on this page. Photo 1. Probably a turret built in ememulation of the "dovecote tower" for the fact that it is different type of cover (four sides). "Poste" area. Photo 2. Probably a turret built in ememulation of the "dovecote tower" for the fact that it is different type of cover (four sides). "Station" area. Photo n. 3 Probable tower built in ememulation of the "dovecote tower" for the fact that it is different type of cover (four sides). "Buzzacchero" area. Among the recent constructions that the introduction of a new culture has left over time there are the tobacco "dryers" , rather tall buildings with many chimneys, today sometimes replaced by "dormers" when the buildings were reused as homes. These annexes next to or directly separated from the farmhouse were connected to the cultivation of tobacco by carrying out the drying time here with the leaves strung on strings, placed on poles which were then raised to a considerable height. Tobacco production allowed the birth of a thriving manufacture. just think that in 1946 the "Tabacchi plant in Umbertide, employed 230 people, 180 women. The total rose to 315 people in 1951. Subsequently the shift to cooperative and mechanized (bulk-curing) forms of production first concentrated drying in large buildings and then replaced it with machinery. Thus almost all of the "dryers" lost their function. A similar fate also for the large buildings such as those of the FAT company in Città di Castello which today are used in a museum key for the works of Alberto Burri after the relocation to Regnano. Tobacco cultivation that contributed also to homogenize the use of agricultural land from the early 1900s to the seventies in our flat and low hill areas, contributing to the elimination of the "tree" with the promiscuous culture of the vine. 1/1 Figs. 1-4: we show here some of the many characteristic dryers of the whole upper Tiberina Valley, here photos starting from the border with the Municipality of Montone at Tenute di Montecorona. Buildings of this type can be seen almost in every area of the municipality. We present here in .pdf a reconstruction of the agricultural use of Tobacco made by Prof. Simona Bellucci who kindly grants us from her work: “ Tobacco and tobacconists. The tobacco plant in the economy and society of Umbertide ", Crace / Fondazione Museo Storico Scientifico del Tabacco, Città di Castello 2009, pp. 58-61. Umbertide and his countryside, year 1933. In the lower left corner it is clearly visible the mixed cultivation of vines on the right bank of the Tiber. To deepen the relationship between rural architecture and sharecropping in our territory, we refer you to the page of the "Graduation theses" where there is the beautiful and accurate work of Professor Anna Maria Boldrini: " Rural architecture in the upper Tiber Valley: Umbertide in the century XVI ". Clicking on the image below opens the complete work directly. We conclude by returning to the present: today between Farmhouses, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfasts, Holiday Homes, etc. present in the Municipality of Umbertide in the "Alta Umbria" site are counted 96 accommodation facilities ... almost all of them belong to that agricultural system that it has today changed economic function. Facilities that usually must to the scattered settlement born with the appoderamento their existence. Sources: - Alberto Melelli Fabio Fatichenti Massimo Sargolini. “ Architecture and Rural Landscape in Umbria. Tradition and contemporaneity . " Umbria Region, 2010, Quattroemme Srl. We present some elements in summary - http://www.treccani.it/encyclopedia/mezzadria_%28Dtionary-di-Storia%29/ - IGMI Tablet, Series M 891, Edition 3, Sheet, NICCONE, 122, I, NO - http://umbertide.infoaltaumbria.it/Ricettivita/Dove_Dormire.aspx - Simona Bellucci, " The incomplete modernization. Umbertide peasants and owners between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries ". Edimond, Città di Castello 2004, pp. 18-20. - Simona Bellucci, “ Tobacco and tobacconists. The tobacco plant in the economy and society of Umbertide ", Crace / Fondazione Museo Storico Scientifico del Tabacco, Città di Castello 2009, pp. 58-61. - Simona Bellucci, Umbertide in the 20th century: 1943-2000, Nuova Prhomos Editions, 2018. - Photo: Francesco Deplanu. - Photo: historical photos of Umbertide from the web and from various private archives to which we applied the " umbertidestoria " watermark in this way we try to avoid that the further disclosure on our part favors purposes not consonant with our intentions exclusively social and cultural. Henri Desplanques, Campagnes Ombriennes, 1969 “ A complex historical stratigraphy is the basis of rural landscapes. . .. " Help us remember umbertidestoria@gmail.com

THE CERAMIC ART IN UMBERTIDE curated by Fabio Mariotti The potters of Fratta from 1400 to 1800 The working of ceramics in our city, which was then called Fratta, dates back to 1400 as reported by Filippo Natali in his essay "News and memories on the figuline and the art of the potter in FRATTA (Umbertide)" published by the Tipografia Tiberina in 1890. “News that the Magi, Cristiani and Pellicciari left handwritten, village historians who lived between the first half of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and which are preserved in the Communal of Perugia. But what better than anything else attests to the existence of ceramic factories in Fratta, are the works themselves, as can be seen from the objects scattered around the various museums and private collections, not only in Italy, but in Europe. also, manufactured in this place ". Natali reports what was written by the Magi on the so-called "War of the Grand Duke of Tuscany" and the siege of Fratta in 1643: "The Florentine army after having given free passage and walk to the prey and luggage, he made high, part beyond the Nicone, part of this river, and waited for the slope of the waters (sic) in order to cross the Tiber and attack the Earth from the weakest side; also the Pallavicino to have its people more united, and to take away from the Every advantage of the Florentines caused all the houses and shops to be set on fire of the village and the market square, where the Vasari business in that time, to the great benefit of the public and private sectors, it flourished. Fire lit in the church of S. Erasmo, it was secretly pitiful by some extinct soldiers. The rest was completely incinerated. It was all done with such speed, that the owners of the shops and houses did not have time to save anything ". "The furnaces and the shops of the potters of Fratta, burned and destroyed in 1643, arose further north of the country, no trace of the former can be traced, for the houses that today were built on those rubble make up the Largo di via Cavour (the current area of Piazza Marconi, Ed.) at most it could be found in Campo Mavarelli near the road limited by the wall. The new furnaces were raised near the mill, where still today there are three, those of Martinelli, whose family for a series of uninterrupted generations, he has practiced and still exercises the art of the potter; and I am not mistaken to say that the scratch works that can be seen in some collections, of the 17th and 18th centuries have come out of the Martinelli factory… .. ”. This centuries-old tradition has been revived since the first half of the twentieth century by courageous and innovative entrepreneurial initiatives that have been able, despite a thousand difficulties, to establish themselves on a national level, starting with that of Ceramiche Rometti . The rediscovery of this artistic and high-quality entrepreneurial activity is due, in my opinion, to the great exhibition that the municipal administration of Umbertide dedicated in 1986, in the new exhibition space "Center for contemporary art" recently created at the restored Rocca, to the works created by Cagli and Leoncillo in the period in which they worked within the Umbertidese manufacture. It is no coincidence that the exhibition had this title: “Cagli and Leoncillo at Umbertide's Ceramiche Rometti”. Inaugurated on 13 September, it ended on 30 November 1986 with a great success with the public, testified by the presence of over two thousand people from all over Italy. There could not have been a better start for the Rocca's exhibition space which, in its 35 years of activity, has hosted the works of the best Italian interpreters of contemporary art and which continues to do so even today. After Rometti, from one of its ribs, Ceramiche Pucci was born in 1947 on the initiative of Eng. Domenico Pucci whose business ceased in 1962, after he changed his company name to Maioliche Pucci in 1958. Despite the short period of time in which the Ceramiche Pucci operated, they showed "the significant expression of an artistic path that has left an indelible mark on each of its specimens", as stated by Angelica Pucci at the end of her essay, dedicated to the history of this manufacture, published in the catalog of the exhibition held at the Rocca in 2006. CERAMICHE ROMETTI - History of a manufacture by Marinella Caputo (From the catalog of the exhibition "Le Ceramiche Rometti" - Rocca di Umbertide "Center for contemporary art" - June / November 2005) It is possible to say that the Rometti brand entered the history of Italian ceramics of the twentieth century, thanks to a happy combination of events. The cultural climate of the twenties, of enthusiastic experimentation, but also of functional rigor and technological momentum, must have undoubtedly favored the birth of an entrepreneurial project that was also a creative adventure, with difficulties and dark periods, but also unquestionable successes. In the fervor and inventiveness that characterized the applied arts in those years, ceramics played a central role. Already in the nineteenth century ceramic production was increased, thanks to the influence of the Arts and Grafts movement which rediscovered and valued artistic craftsmanship, together with the expertise and secrets of ancient traditions. In the twentieth century a new social configuration, in which the middle classes are emerging, is at the basis of the great development of the production of decorative and functional objects destined for a wide diffusion. There are many Italian centers in which new activities are started, just think that Richard Ginori was born in 1923, under the artistic direction of Giò Ponti, and the Italian Ceramic Society of Laveno in the same year began to make use of the collaboration of Guido Andlovitz. The versatile research of the two designers will lead to the affirmation of a trend that will soon spread very widely, stimulating the emergence of a taste that was certainly perceived as modern. At a local level it is worth mentioning La Salamandra di Perugia (founded in 1923) which inaugurates a modern decorative line in the field of Umbrian ceramics. The 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, which became so famous as the starting point of a new style, called déco, in fact sanctions a trend already underway, giving it peremptory visibility. Design applied to industry in the third decade of the twentieth century has, despite its inevitably pragmatic aspects, a flavor of utopia, nourished by the experience of the Bauhaus, or inspired by the various constructivist movements present in Europe. In the Italian context, the theoretical source may perhaps be found in the manifesto of the Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe, published in 1915, with the signatures of Balla and Depero. The idea of "rebuilding the universe, cheering it up" must have seemed an electrifying prospect to many, in those roaring years, of heroic or sinister roars. The need for a new taste, the urgency of a modern lifestyle, were no longer claimed by a privileged and blasée elite, but penetrated very deeply into society, becoming, as they say, a mass phenomenon. This was the heated climate, on the creative and productive side, in which the Ceramiche Rometti di Umbertide saw the light. “Ars Umbra” is born, the first embryo of Ceramiche Rometti Settimio Rometti founded the de facto company Ars Umbra in October 1927 together with his nephew Aspromonte Rometti. Both are owners of the company, registered with the 1st Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Foligno, with a capital of L. 40,000 (1). This is the official beginning of the Rometti Artistic Ceramics, even if for some years now, Settimio Rometti, who was an adult man well integrated in public life, had shown interest in ceramic production. His first contacts took place at the Pasquali Furnace (formerly Pasquali & Cerrini) in Umbertide. In 1920 the firm had founded a School of Art applied to Industries, where Rometti worked as a technical teacher. It is therefore to be assumed that he already had significant experience. The school represented a production reality for artistic majolica, glazed tiles and ceramics. The works were marked La Frattigiana-Umbertide, and it is assumed that Rometti's contribution in this type of activity was decisive. The Frattigiana becomes an independent factory, within the Pasquali Furnace (owned by Roberto Cerrini) and the collaboration of Settimio Rometti, in a role that we could define as artistic direction, constitutes the indispensable premise for the start of his own business. Soon, the production of the Pasquali furnace and consequently of the Frattigiana, went through a crisis that culminated in the failure of 1923. Settimio Rometti, from this date until 1927, will certainly have designed his own factory, leading to the creation of Ars Umbra. It is possible that in those years he had carried out a type of reduced production, with provisional means, dealing with practical problems, but also updating himself from an aesthetic and formal point of view. His training in the field of drawing and applied art can be traced back to the Municipal Technical School, directed, from 1913 to 1926, by Decio Scuppa. We know that in 1910 Septimius and his brother Barbato were among the best pupils of Scuppa, who in that year was a teacher of drawing. The graphic ability of Septimius is confirmed by drawings and canvases made at an older age, as there is no documentation of his youthful years. In any case, his taste in the decorative field will certainly have refined in the early twenties, moving towards secessionist trends that still showed considerable vitality at European level. The experience of the Roman secession, at the end of the second decade of the twentieth century, had created a beneficial opening towards the climate of the avant-gardes, helping to promote a new creative path, more meditated and certainly moderate, compared to the radical proposals. and traumatic, of futurism. In his entrepreneurial project, Settimio welcomes the contribution of young people, in the figures of his nephews, Aspromonte, known as Riego, son of his brother Paolo and Dante Baldelli, son of his sister Stamura. His intention to give life to a new and quality creative proposal is clearly delineated from the very beginning. Since Umbertide did not have a prestigious ceramic tradition, such as Deruta, Gubbio or Gualdo Tadino, he sought his collaborators elsewhere. From Gubbio comes the turner Crescentino Monarchi, from Gualdo Tadino come the Angeli brothers, one a turner, the other a painter. From Rome, where he had gone to attend courses at the Academy of Fine Arts, his nephew Dante Baldelli arrived in 1928 and at this moment he would begin his fruitful collaboration with Ceramiche Rometti, which lasted a whole decade. His friends Corrado Cagli and Mario Di Giacomo will soon join him. Corrado Cagli and Mario Di Giacomo arrive in Umbertide This is the most experimental and innovative period of Rometti, a true golden age, perhaps evoked in many of the subjects that appear on the vases of those years. These are allegorical figures or scenes marked by an Edenic vision, expressed with youthful optimism and purity. There is, of course, a didactic intention that seems to escape the celebratory momentum so widespread at the time. However, it must be attested that most of the forms, the decorative repertoire and the figurations, which emerged in the first years of Rometti's life, will last for a long time, constituting the distinctive character of the manufacture. It is an experimental and extremely productive era on the creative side. The sculptures produced by Cagli and Di Giacomo between 1928 and 1930 represent artistic results of indisputable value and are configured as exclusive sculpture experiences. In fact, Cagli will subsequently develop his research especially in the field of painting and Di Giacomo will commit suicide in 1934. At that moment the "black fratta" (NF) appears, as it is called in the commercial catalogs of Rometti. Sometimes the acronym NF is also found in the brand. Obtaining this enamel took on legendary tones that refer to a fortuitous circumstance. According to oral testimonies, collected by Codovini, the composition derived from an error in the color formula. The result of the wrong dosage was placed in a two-quintal barrel and it was discovered by chance that it produced a metallic black of notable effect. The enamel owes its reverberant quality to the presence of lead crystalline, manganese and copper, with a prevalence of crystalline. This technical innovation, developed between 1927 and 1928, must undoubtedly have increased the plastic research of the artists, since it is a color particularly suitable for sculpture. Cagli created some of the most significant works of his debut in NF, such as Santone, Icaro, Eolo. Di Giacomo gave life to his figures as supple as arabesques, exploiting the evocative elegance of black and the surface, made mobile by iridescent reflections. The euphoric climate that developed in Rometti's early years fed on many different components. The late echoes of the secession are welcomed above all by Settimio Rometti who crystallizes the organic element in stylized motifs in his plate with the Madonna of the grain (probably from 1927), organized in a dense two-dimensional texture. Even the tableware or services belonging to the early days of the manufacture have floral decorations, resolved in fluid cascades of emulsified colors. On a similar level, of symbolist inspiration, are the Salome and other similar sculptures by Di Giacomo, while his Battitore belongs to a twentieth century tradition, for the synthesis of the volumes and futurist for the dynamism of the subject. The fundamental contribution of Cagli with his NF sculptures, plates and vases, has a rather eclectic connotation that will be analyzed more extensively in the course of the text. For the moment it is sufficient to state that the young artist looks in various directions, undergoes the fascination of a futurism that has become pragmatic and applicative, looks in the direction of Valori Plastici (see respectively Icaro and Santone) and at the same time opens up to international experiences. How can we not think, looking at the plate with the figure of a Reaper, a bacchant running with ear and scythe, of the Picasso of the famous Two women running on the beach (Paris, Picasso Museum) of 1922? As for Dante Baldelli, who soon took over the technical and artistic direction together with Settimio and Aspromonte (3), his stylistic orientation certainly goes in the direction of deco and futurist graphics and design and many of his works find comparisons in ceramics. by Andlovitz, by Ivos Pacetti (Ilsa and Spica, Albisola), by GB De Salvo (Casa dell'Arte, Albisola Capo), by Tullio d'Albisola in the production of the Faci of Civita Castellana or of the Galvani of Pordenone. He is an artist of remarkable graphic skills, updated on the most innovative orientations of Italian and international design. The collaboration of Cagli and Baldelli. in the two-year period 1938-1939 it was undoubtedly very narrow, so much so that at times individual attribution is difficult. Both shared an interest in simple vascular shapes, emphasized by geometric motifs. among which concentric circles predominate, with graphite and painted linear figures, in which the hand of the single artist is more evident. During his stay in Umbertide, Cagli often returned to Rome. At the end of 1929 he took part in an exhibition at the Società Amatori e Cultori di Belle Arti together with Balla, Dottori, Fillia, Prampolini and other futurists. The work he exhibits, Il Vasaio, seems a clear allusion to his current activity. Mascelloni attributes the NF sculptures to the period preceding the 1929 exhibition, while most of the vases should be ascribed to his second stay in Umbertide (1929-1930). This is a problematic dating, where brand analysis or stylistic definition rarely helps. The head of Icarus, however, with its highly aerodynamic character, is perhaps more directly connected than other works to the Futurist experience, and could be dated just after the exhibition, perhaps at the beginning of 1930. Cagli definitively left Rometti at the end of 1930 to settle in Rome. Before leaving, he painted the wall paintings of the Mavarelli-Reggiani house, with agricultural scenes, commonly identified with the title Battle of the grain, the name of the project implemented by the fascist regime in 1925 to increase the production of wheat. The language of these paintings finds compelling comparisons in many of the motifs found on the ceramics. At this point Baldelli and Aspromonte (Settimio remains more concentrated on the administrative sector) become the dominant figures of Rometti, but Cagli's legacy remains, unequivocally, at least for the entire first half of the thirties. Rometti launches on the national market From 1931 the company began a greater presence on the market and a more intense advertising campaign (4). The first recognitions also arrive, such as the two gold medals obtained in that year, at the Nice Fair and at the Bologna Littoriale Fair. Participation in the Florence Handicraft Fair was also appreciated by the press, and so was the participation in the Permanent Umbrian Handicraft Exhibition in Perugia. The following year is characterized by the renewed presence at the Craft Fair in Florence and at the Fiera del Levante in Bari. In relation to the latter, a sales and exit voucher was found with the heading Ceramiche 'Rometti Fonda "Ars Umbra Umbertide (Umbria). Among the cuttings of the typography Barbagianni di Umbertide, packaging labels were found with the words Icafa Industria" Ceramica Argento "Fonda Amedeo. It is a commercial collaboration, in view of the creation of a company that did not see the light due to the death of Fonda in an accident, which occurred during the journey to Umbertide to stipulate the company. 1932 is also the year of Mussolini's visit to Rometti. At this date the factory is in full working order. Fifteen workers work there, with a daily wage of L. 5-6 and six or seven women with a wage of L. 2-2.50. It is interesting to consider that the Santone head, the most expensive object for sale, cost L. 600 (Catalog Rometti 1931-1933). In October 1932, Gerardo Dottori wrote an article on the "Empire", in which he talks about the success of some vases with subjects inspired by fascism and states: "Reading the news in the newspapers and seeing the photographs of the Rometti ceramics, we were amazed not to see the name of Corrado Cagli, who we knew was the creator, designer and often performer of these ceramics ". This is an important testimony that ascribes to Cagli vases and plates with subjects such as The March on Rome, I Ritardatari, L'Ascesa, however attributable to the artist on a stylistic basis and, in some cases, signed. Thus we have further confirmation of the duration of the creations of the two-year period 1928-1930. The years between the third and fourth decade of the twentieth century, despite their creative verve, correspond, in Europe and the United States, to a period of profound economic crisis, in which exports undergo a significant decrease and objects luxury goods are increasingly exclusive and inaccessible to a large number of consumers, contrary to what had happened in the previous decade. Even the Ceramiche Rometti, which had established themselves as an example of an original and poetic design, are suffering the effects of the economic crisis and Settimio, the company's dean, tries to run for cover. We have already talked about the search for partnerships with the Fonda company in Pola, an attempt to inject new capital into the company. The data would lead to affirm that everything happened in 1932, rather than in 1934, because the documents that mention the Amedeo Fonda company date back to 1932, but it is possible that the negotiations went on until 1934, the year of the sudden death of Amedeo Fonda according to the testimonials. According to the story of Rolando Fiorucci, the Fonda company supplied the material for a line of cups with a silver ring at the base, too expensive to establish itself in a period of economic depression. In any case, Septimius was very upset by the event, seeing the possibility of saving Rometti vanish. Also among the clippings of the typographical printed matter, a Program for the newly established "Ceramiche Rometti" Umbertide Limited Company, dated 1933, emerged. At that date, therefore, the Anonymous Company was in the process of being established and the heading Ceramiche Rometti Ars Umbra continued to be used. which also appears in the brands of the time. Speaking of brands, the time has come to say a few words on a rather delicate issue. From 1927 to 1935 both "Ceramiche Rometti" and "Ars Umbra" (composed in a triangular graphic solution) were used with great ease, sometimes accompanied by "Umbertide" or "Made in Italy". sometimes a triangular graphic sign made up of three lines with the letters RCB at the vertices that certainly make us think of Rometti, Cagli, Baldelli. Between 1933 and 1935 we sometimes find the inscription SACRU of the Società Anonima Ceramiche Rometti Umbertide. It may be interesting , in this regard, to cite two articles on the V Triennale di Milano, both of 1933, one on the "Illustrated Magazine of the People of Italy", the other on "Lidel. The first talks about Sacru, the second by Ceramiche Rometti. It is therefore possible that the SACRU brand appeared sporadically even before SACU, perhaps on the initiative of Settimio who may have proposed it to the members of the manufacturer that will take that name by omitting the R of Rometti. The variety in the trademark heading was explained by some former workers of the firm, who argue that beginners were required to practice signing before moving on to more demanding jobs. It can be assumed that there were signature models that the most inexperienced people imitated, choosing from the various headings. It is an image that gives a taste of lived to the typical Rometti italics. Returning to the events of the manufacture, 1934 was the year of the establishment of the Società Anonima Ceramiche Umbertide, made up of twenty-five local shareholders, with shares of L. 50 each, (in number from 2 to 6). In April 1935 the bankruptcy of the de facto company Ceramiche Rometti was registered with the Royal Civil Court of Perugia. Neither Settimio nor Aspromonte were among the founding partners of Sacu and this is connected to the absence of the name Rometti in the new company name. It is known from oral evidence that Septimius did not take the decision well at all and left his city for some time, going to Rimini, to a local ceramic factory. A few months later he worked as a technician at La Salamandra in Perugia and, according to the oral testimony of Rolando Fiorucci, he subsequently went to France, to Nice, to work in the construction company of his brother Clotide. Fiorucci recalls that Septimius used to say: "I'm saving lira for lira, in order to be able to return to Rometti as an owner and not as a worker". And he returned there, recalled by the Sacu partners who felt a deterioration in business after the departure of Settimio and his nephews Riego (or Smucchia) and Dante Baldelli, both outside Umbertide, Riego in Milan and Baldelli in Città di Castello. In March 1937 the change of the company name to Sacru (Società Anonima Ceramiche Rometti Umbertide) was communicated to the Provincial Council of Corporate Economy. The production of these years includes research on the shapes and color combinations of the glazes. Essential silhouettes, geometric decorations, the subjects are increasingly stylized. Black enamel is associated with coral red and in the polychrome, synthetic and fluid figurines, the combination of colors is rather lively. The war years marked a period of sharp decline and, it seems, for about a year, of interruption, in the production of Rometti. In 1942 Settimio decides to leave Sacru and establishes the Rometti Settimio company, Artistic Ceramics Manufacturing. In the meantime, Domenico Pucci had already become a majority shareholder in Sacru for some time and in 1943 he transformed the company from a limited liability company into a limited liability company, continuing to use the Ceramiche Rometti brand. From 1942 to 1947 there are two Rometti companies We are faced with two Rometti companies, one located in via Spalato (today via Spoletini - Ed), managed by Domenico Pucci, the other in via Garibaldi, managed by Settimio Rometti. The production is quite similar, but Settimio's Rometti gives more space to small sculptures, reliefs, plastic vases, while that of Pucci is more concentrated on services, boxes and small objects of use. Settimio Rometti, in the new headquarters which is the same as the current Ceramiche Rometti (before moving to the new factory in the middle of the straight - Ed), can finally manage the new company by himself. The grandchildren took different paths, Dante Baldelli has his own ceramic factory in Città di Castello and Riego works in Milan, achieving some success as a window dresser. Next to the factory there was (and still is partly) a pine forest, where Septimius led the workers to do gymnastic exercises before starting work. In the vicinity, then, stallions were allocated seasonally who inspired the Rometti logo with the prancing horse that is found starting from 1942. There are also sculptures of the Rometti horse made in fratta black - which re-emerged after the early thirties - in shaded gray or in red. The overlap of the two companies lasted five years, until the establishment of the Ditta Pucci in 1947. The following year, the Rometti company also changed its name from Rometti Settimio to Ceramiche Rometti di Rometti Settimio and in 1952 it became a Limited Liability Company. A series of sketches for the Four Seasons and the larger-scale realization of Primavera at the end of the 1940s give us an idea of Settimio's orientation, towards a lively and popular taste, perhaps to evoke freshness and vitality, after a period darkness of dictatorship and war. The creation in the 1950s of functional or decorative objects, such as liquor and smoking sets, boxes in the shape of a house, baskets, candelabra, vases with relief elements, tiles and ornaments follows the trends of the era of a calm stylization and a picturesque, sometimes naive taste. In this phase, the company increased its exports and participated in exhibitions and fairs, such as the one in Milan, taking advantage of the climate of economic rebirth, widespread internationally. Even the Pucci firm, oriented towards a production that favors tea or coffee services and other tableware, is experiencing a phase of economic stability that lasts throughout the 1950s. The Pucci Ceramics Company was liquidated in 1960. Pietro Finocchi takes over from Settimo Rometti Settimio Rometti retired from the scene two years later, leaving the company, which still exists today, to the partner Pietro Finocchi who had followed the events of the company since 1934 and had joined the company - since 1959 a general partnership - together with Manlio Banelli (who died in 1962). We can therefore fix at the dawn of the sixties the epilogue of the historical period of the Rometti manufacturing, a disruptive project that tended to shape the taste, rather than follow it, but also a fascinating example of micro-history that involves the small center of Umbertide in a great creative experience. * * * * * * * * * * In the sixties the historical period of Ceramiche Rometti ended, however they continued their activity by orienting themselves towards a more commercial and less artistic production. Pietro Finocchi was replaced by Dino Finocchi who carried out the business with great commitment, also going through difficult phases linked to the crisis in the reference market. With the arrival of Massimo Monin I, patron and entrepreneur of art, and Jean-Christophe Clair , multifaceted and visionary artistic director, Rometti begins in 2012 a new and prosperous phase, still ongoing. The extraordinary ability of the two manager-artists lies in finding a perfect balance between a contemporary vision and the enhancement of the Rometti heritage. The Manufacture boasts prestigious collaborations with brands and artists who have chosen its uniqueness to produce exclusive pieces and collections. B&B, Roche Bobois, Cartier, Borbonese, Fresh and many other big brands, international design names such as Ambrogio Pozzi, Liliane Lijn, Sergio Fiorentino, Chantal Thomass, Studio MAMO, Christian Tortu, Ugo La Pietra and Kenzo Takada: a constellation that shapes the past and present history of the iconic Rometti brand, fueling the race to collect pieces that have embellished almost a century of art. The Rometti Ceramics Gallery In 2011 the permanent art gallery of Ceramiche Rometti objects was inaugurated at the "Modern Factory", in Piazza C. Marx, the collection of works created by the artists who have worked in the prestigious Umbertidese factory in almost 100 years of history. . Corrado Cagli was one of the most important Italian artists of the twentieth century and at the beginning of his career he constantly worked on Ceramiche Rometti. The Cagli Archive therefore made an important contribution to the creation of the exhibition space. The collection consists of about 200 works recovered by the current owner in over 40 years from antique dealers, markets and private individuals that allow you to retrace the history of the company but also the history of Umbertide who is internationally recognized with this manufacture. The opening of this exhibition space, as well as the due recognition of the many people from Umbertide who have worked in the company in almost a century of history, also constitutes a new opportunity for the many art lovers and tourists who will visit Umbertide. You can admire objects made with the famous and unique "Nero Fratta" (metallic color with iridescent reflections) or with engravings on "bianchetto", another innovative technique by Rometti since the 1930s and finally decorations that marked a revolutionary phase for the tradition Italian ceramics. The Rometti Prize To relaunch its artistic production, re-engaging with the historical tradition, the Rometti Ceramics launched in 2013 the “Rometti Prize”, a special recognition that aims to reward projects and artists who offer an original contribution to the art of ceramics. Intended for students enrolled in academies and art and design institutes from all over the world who embrace the initiative, the Rometti Prize gives the finalists an internship in manufacturing where they will concretely carry out their project and a cash prize. Sources: - “Le Ceramiche Rometti” - Ed. Skira, 2005 - Catalog of the exhibition at the Rocca from 25 June to 6 November 2005; - "Cagli and Leoncillo at the Ceramiche Rometti di Umbertide" - Ed. Mazzotta, 1986 - Catalog of the Exhibition at the Rocca from 13 September to 30 November 1986; - "Amabili presenze - Ceramiche Rometti from Art Déco to Design 1927 - 2012 "- Catalog of the Exhibition in Rome from 3 October to 3 February 2013. The photos were taken from the catalogs. I vasari di Fratta dal 1400 al 1800 Ceramiche Rometti - Storia di una manifattura Ceramiche Pucci - La storia Ceramiche Rometti - Storia di una manifattura I vasari di Fratta dal 1400 al 1800 CERAMICHE PUCCI - The history by Angelica Pucci (From the catalog of the exhibition "Le Ceramiche Pucci" - Rocca di Umbertide "Center for contemporary art" - June / October 2006) 1947, the Ceramiche Pucci Umbertide are born It was May 1, 1947 when Ceramiche Pucci Umbertide was officially born: "[...] in recognition of the effective and competent work carried out by the Sole Director Dr. Eng. Domenico Pucci in the ten years that have passed since he took over the administration of the company [...] "-, SACRU (Società Anonima Ceramiche Rometti Umbertide) considers it appropriate to change the company name to" Ceramiche Pucci Umbertide ", a limited liability company whose object is the production and trade of artistic ceramics of family and industrial use. The presence of Domenico Pucci in the factory dates back. therefore, far back in time: former shareholder of Ceramiche Rometti Umbertide, managing director and then chairman of the company's board of directors from December 1936, starting from March 28, 1943 he became majority shareholder and sole director and without board of statutory auditors of the Ceramiche company Rometti Umbertide, which on that very date was transformed from a limited liability company to a limited liability company. In fact, it is therefore he who personally directs the new company, although this will still retain the "Ceramiche Rometti Umbertide" brand until May 1, 1947. With perfect management continuity, of workers, systems and products, the Ceramiche Rometti brand therefore gave way to the Ceramiche Pucci brand in the middle of the post-war period. In the post-war reorganization, although much more attention was paid to the reasons of the market, the social principles that had always characterized the profile of the company were not evaded, accompanying its transformations and witnessing - with the presence among the shareholders of citizens of all social extraction and any economic power - how the artistic ceramics factory was felt by Umbertide not only as an economic force, but above all as the expression of a village community proud of being able to boast a quality product, the result of the skill of workers competent and specialized in the various sectors of the supply chain. The management not only maintained this priority, but also worked to ensure that the social objectives could be satisfied in the best possible way, allowing the expansion of the activity, which even in the midst of the difficulties experienced by craftsmanship in general, saw the number of fifty-two employees. Domenico Pucci was not an "artist", but an "entrepreneur" and as such he had long ago brought his managerial skills to the service of the business with a remarkable foresight for the time. The character qualities, the propensity to always look forward with optimism even in times of difficulty and, above all, the experience gained through personal contacts with the Milanese environment, receptive to innovations and dynamic in the most disparate sectors of the economy, had always solicited great attention towards the production chain and the diversification of the product with the intention of marketing it not only on the Italian market, which was then in severe crisis, but also towards those foreign markets which, like the American one, showed interesting signs of vitality . The economic marginality of the Umbrian region and of the town of Umbertide were therefore not an obstacle to the desire to project itself decisively on the national and international market with the awareness of the exquisite shapes and decorations, which still make today, of the remaining specimens, objects sought by the collectors from all over the world. The birth of Ceramiche Pucci, however, takes place in a particularly difficult historical and economic moment, because, to the difficulties generated by the war, are added the no less serious ones of the post-war period when the urgency to rebuild what is necessary inevitably made the desire to look with interest at an asset that could be considered luxury. The minutes of the assembly, already during the conflict, complained about the difficulties in supplying raw materials, the need to make up for the absence of male workers called up to arms with female personnel, the limitations or even the suspension, by government decree, of the production of an asset not compatible with the state of war, the almost total closure of international markets, energy costs in continuous rise. Difficulties begin after the war Despite this, with the exception of 1944, the year of the bombing of Umbertide, the financial statements manage to close in the black, albeit with extremely low margins. The real difficulties emerge after the war, just at the moment in which the transformation takes place and the Ceramiche Pucci brand is born. When in Italy the reconstruction begins, in fact. the artisanal sector does not find substantial support in the choices of governments, which instead goes to support large companies, as if only the latter had to support the economy of a country that was trying to recover. However, it should be noted that craftsmanship, by its very nature. it could not collect the breadth of consensus typical of large industry and agriculture. Disappointment and regret constantly emerge in the minutes of the post-war assembly which see the lack of government support as a serious aggravating factor in a situation that is already very difficult in itself, an inevitable consequence of the precariousness of the moment: the costs of raw materials undergo significant increases, electricity in 1949 it rose by about 50 per cent compared to 1947, the social and insured contributions paid by the employer increased by 40 per cent in 1948 alone, the percentages in banking transactions became ever higher. Competition on the international manufacturing market of other countries that have resumed their activity becomes tighter, the internal market of the sector is in crisis, because that middle class, which constituted a large part of the clientele, is forced to turn its interest towards basic necessities. All these difficulties hardly make it possible to maintain a balanced budget and jobs, but do not produce profits that can be reinvested to expand an activity which, in any case, in the small town, plays an economic role of fundamental importance. To overcome the difficulties, action is taken on several fronts The rather complicated entrepreneurial choices are faced by Domenico Pucci with immediate interventions on several fronts, with the primary objective of consolidating the presence in the market both in defense of jobs and of that "made in Italy" which, for his awareness and conviction, receives appreciation for the originality and quality of the product. The key issues on which he decides to operate are many and simultaneously affect both the structural elements of the production process and distribution in the markets: - reorganization of the supply chain; - maintaining the old prices in order not to reduce sales beyond a certain limit and to safeguard production; - diversification and upgrading of the product aimed at conquering foreign markets still sensitive to the taste and refinement of Italian artistic ceramics. The modernization of the supply chain, which had already started between 1943 and 1944 when the factory was moved from via XII Settembre to via Spalato (now via Spoletini), is completed in the large, newly built premises which facilitate its reorganization in all aspects. The geographical location, the lines of communication, the means of transport and the difficulties inherent in the historical period had led to choices that favored functionality and autonomy as much as possible. The latter went so far as to equip the company with functional appendages such as a sawmill for the production of packing cases and shavings, essential for the safe transfer of such delicate goods on long road, railway or even transoceanic sections. The processing residues were used, in winter, to heat the compartments, such as the warehouse, which were not reached by the heat produced by the ovens. The organization of the company spaces was conceived by favoring a serial layout which required to incorporate the schemes of industrialized work without going to the highest levels of the production chain, not properly suited to an exquisitely and unequivocally "artistic" production. The location of the departments highlighted a specific attention to minimizing the travel spaces since the material, very delicate, in its various processing phases was transported without automated systems; the "dirty" areas were kept separate from the "clean" areas, and moreover, areas with a "naturally" controlled temperature were located, to allow a correct drying phase of the worked clays. The earth was pre-worked in an external pavilion, where, from the material first taken from the fields, by means of chalking and passing through the sedimentation tanks and filtering phases, clay loaves were obtained; these entered the real "factory" in which it was possible to identify the two "lungs" of the layout: the processing of clay and terracotta decoration, separated from each other by the area reserved for the cooking ovens, which served both departments. Being able to count on a stable supply of electricity, the wood-burning ovens used during the war had been replaced by electric ovens which, with a more stable and controlled cycle, the quality of the product increased. There were always two stages of cooking (clay-bistugio, bistugio-decorated product), sometimes three when the artifact was finished in pure gold or with special enamels. The intermediate location of the ovens area favored a balanced distribution of heat, which in winter kept the work spaces at temperature and in summer allowed the dissipation of excess heat to the outside, through suitable ventilation of the central area, without the other two departments were disturbed. The warehouse for the storage of the finished product, packaging and shipping was a body adjacent to the production area and saw, for most of the time, the shipping area located in a strategic position towards the railway station, located in the immediate vicinity, since the delivery took place almost entirely by rail. From the warehouse the crates were transferred, on hand-pushed carts along a very short path, directly to the freight cars, through a reserved access at the rear of the station. The exclusively commercial and accounting sector had a reserved area, but always and in any case contiguous to the production area, and was equipped with an exhibition room, which was nothing more than the historical archive of the objects produced, systematically marked with the number of catalog or often, as happened with the most commercially successful products, with a name that recalled the most evident characteristics of the decorative element. Participation in fairs and exhibitions in Italy and abroad Outside the factory, the company organization expressed itself with the marketing of the product through multiple initiatives aimed at developing the ability to enter the markets, first of all the representation system and participation in events of national and international interest such as trade fairs and permanent exhibitions. The more or less fixed presence of highly skilled representatives in strategic positions on the national and international territory (Europe, Central and North America, Japan) reveals choices sensitive to the reopening of markets after the war. The goal is to support competition from manufacturers from other European countries, such as France and Germany, or from outside Europe, such as Japan, which among other things benefit from the support given to the sector by national governments, that support which, as underlined previously, it lacked the productive vivacity and artistic originality of the Italian artisan enterprise. It is always with a view to the market that Ceramiche Pucci are systematically among the exhibitors of the Fiera Campionaria di Milano, sporadically also among those of the Fiera del Levante in Bari and occasionally also among those present at the Toronto, Casablanca and Barcelona fairs, with costs often consistent, but still justified by the hope of rising turnover. Upstream of these interventions there is an incessant and careful preparation of the samples that every year see renewed shapes and decorations by extremely qualified and competent workers, as well as sensitive to the needs of customers and to the orientations of taste. In this regard, it is enough to recall the decorations in pure gold and special enamels that characterize the early fifties, when the taste is oriented towards greater richness and lively and brilliant colors, expression of a vision of reality now far from the austerity of the war period. It is a very specific phase which, during the fifties, promoted particular decorative choices on the artistic level - which best characterize the originality of Ceramiche Pucci - and, on the commercial level, contributed to a valid affirmation of the product on the markets, positively influenced by the economic revival now underway. However, artistic innovation never lost sight of the two fundamental needs of customers, to be identified in the double diversification of the product and prices, two fronts on which precise choices are made aimed at creating very varied objects; that from the object of pure and simple decorative furniture (vases, centerpieces, decorative tiles, etc.) goes up to the always very refined but functional artifact (tableware, tea, coffee, dessert, ice cream, smoking, for children etc.), or even the prestigious article that large confectionery industries, such as Perugina, Motta or Pernigotti, choose for the luxury packaging of their products. The decoration, to adapt to a wide range of prices, differs while maintaining the same shapes to the object. Double-variant decorations are proposed, with gold and special enamels and, consequently, at a higher price due to the further firing phase; or without gold and special enamels, and therefore at lower prices, accessible to a wider clientele. This phase of intense research for artistic and market innovation sees Domenico Pucci present in the United States for a long time. where assisted by the capable collaboration of qualified representatives, he manages to place heterogeneous and rich samples which, at the time, allowed the foreign turnover to compensate for the stagnation of the internal market and which, today, find examples of products signed "Ceramiche Pucci Umbertide - made in Italy "jealously guarded by overseas collectors. Since the shapes and the decoration are linked to the originality and inspiration of truly capable workers, it is not possible to forget the skill of the staff involved in the final realization of the product. The decoration entrusted to an almost exclusively female staff reveals the acquisition of exceptional abilities, of mastery of different painting techniques, in which already expert workers taught those young people who entered the world of work without the slightest experience. Beyond, in fact, the apprenticeship courses that the company was able to organize in collaboration with the Professional Training School, the real school was the factory. where day after day the new generation learned and experimented the techniques of each production sector in order to become skilled workers and then carry out, in the first person, the dual role of "workers" and "masters. This approach to work played a role socializing of fundamental importance. The factory also as a place for socializing Inside the factory, in fact, a family atmosphere prevailed that excluded any strongly individualizing element, allowing different generations to relate with a spirit of collaboration and, something not to be underestimated at the time, it gave women ample space to achieve themselves thanks to constant and patient commitment required, which allowed them to acquire extraordinary skills, especially, as already mentioned, in the decoration sector. There were many moments of socialization experienced outside working hours in the same spaces of the factory, spaces which, on special occasions, were decorated by the workers themselves to provide a pleasant background for playful moments also open to the participation of family members. The aggregation was also favored by a village reality, at the time still contained within the limits of a community and by the same size of the factory; not so big as to contribute to the dispersion of interpersonal relationships, nor small enough to restrict them to a family level. A reality that has determined a particular way of conceiving the work experience and has significantly affected the aggregation process. In the fifties this is the physiognomy that characterizes Ceramiche Pucci and which, towards the end of the decade, begins to take on different connotations, strictly dependent on changes in taste and relations with an increasingly competitive market where new materials are imposed that allow obtain innovative products, with a satisfying aesthetic appearance, functional, resistant and less expensive. In 1958 the Pucci ceramics are transformed into Pucci majolica and new modernization needs asked to be satisfied: the taste is oriented towards different shapes and decorations that are realized in a production of profound break compared to that of the past. In this period the company is enriched by the precious contribution of Orfei, thanks to which the shape and the decoration evolve towards a greater geometricism and stylization which - although an artistic expression of value - distance the new production from those elements that characterize the Ceramiche Pucci in their truest expression. This is a moment of different experiments also on the type of product, which is enriched by the coatings sector (floor and wall tiles), in which the taste of free and loose hand brushstrokes is revived. The production of Pucci Majolica ceases in 1962 A choice was then required: to lower the level of manufacturing by moving towards a more commercial and less refined product or to raise the level towards an even more niche production that is less and less serial and essentially aimed at the collector's item. Neither line was found to be prosecutable. The first would have denied the history of Ceramiche Pucci, which had made quality products its flag, and found even more fierce competition; the second would have to find in subsequent generations a vital spirit, which it did not find: different choices had already been made. The decision made, even if it was painful. if it has not completely satisfied, it has at least complied with all the needs, especially in light of the fact that in the early sixties the economic boom was also reflected in Umbertide in a growth in production activities both within the same sector and in other quality manufacturers . What remains today is, however. the significant expression of an artistic path that has left an indelible mark on each of its specimens. Sources: - "Le Ceramiche Pucci" - Ed. Skira, 2006 - Catalog of the exhibition at the Rocca from 10 June to 22 October 2006 The photos were taken from the catalog (excluded those of the carnival ball that they are from the historical photographic archive of Corradi and those of the exhibition at the Rocca and of the pages of Umbertide Chronicles that are by Fabio Mariotti) Ceramiche Pucci - La storia

Descrizione dell'Umbertide storica: dal Castello di Fratta ad Umbertide. Immagini e mappe storiche del nostro paese. From the Castle of Fratta to Umbertide ( edited by Francesco Deplanu) The first evidence of the castle of Fratta dates back to 1189. In fact, the deed with which "Fracta Filiorum Uberti", previously owned by the successors of Arimberto, was subjected to Perugia by the Marquis Ugolino di Uguccione, ascendant of the Marquises of Petrelle. Over the centuries the territory of Fratta it only once experienced a domination other than that of Perugia. In fact, in 1550, for a few months, the castle with all its territory, villas and rents was run by Paolo and Giovanni di Niccolò Vitelli Domicelli from Città di Castello. This did not mean a stable and peaceful life for the Castello della Fratta, on the SIUSA site we read: " In 1351 Fratta was devastated, on the occasion of the battles between the Visconti and Perugia, by the army of Giovanni di Cantuccio Gabrielli di Gubbio, captain of the archbishop of Milan. In the following decades, Fratta and its territory suffered the consequences of the clashes between the mercenary captain Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone and two thousand horses sent by Ladislao d'Angiò king of Naples, between 1403 and 1408; it was again devastated, in 1478, thanks to the plague, by the troops of Federico Duke of Urbino and, the following year, by the Florentines. Finally, Valentino too, at the head of the papal troops, moving towards Fossato di Vico, occupied it in 1500. " Also in this period the history of Fratta depended on the political life of Perugia, the struggles between the different opposing factions that took place in Perugia from the second half of the fourteenth century to the first decades of the following century often had repercussions in our country. In fact, on the Siusa website you can continue to read: "at the castle of Fratta, on various occasions, the exiles found refuge; it was the main interest of the Perugians, therefore, to" recover "or recapture the aforementioned castle. In 1385, for example, Fratta was occupied by the exiles, thanks to an uprising led by Tommaso di Ciardolino, captain of the guard; reconquered the following year by Albertino di Nino di Guidalotto and by Mattiolo di Angeluccio di Colle, being captain of the Perugia Pellino di Cucco Baglioni war, Fratta was extensively restored, in the defensive structures and equipped with an imposing fortress. " Thus our "Rocca" came to life. The construction was thus entrusted from Perugia to Alberto Guidalotti, the architect was named "Trocascio", or Angeluccio di Ceccolo. It was finished in 1389. Today the Rocca is consisting of large walls that at the base reach a width of 2.40 meters, is more than 30 meters high, presents with two circular towers, a square bulwark and two doors with a drawbridge, although today only one remains. Other episodes of occupations and recoveries took place in the years 1394, 1431 and 1495. During the rebellions for the salt gabelles in Perugia and then the famous "salt war" of 1540 Fratta, however, remained faithful to the papacy and thus saved himself from the destruction of the walls that he would otherwise have suffered. fig. 1 and 2: La Rocca in the 60s and a few years ago. Of this period there remain the precious Statutes of 1521 " ... of the sacred statutes of the notable castle of Fratta of the filioli de Uberto countryside of Perosa of the door of sancto Angelo ". A statute in the vernacular that also gives us a picture of the language used, although adequate for a clearer and more common linguistic expression in contemporary Tuscan. The notary, " Marino di Domenico di Marino Sponta of the dictum castle of Fratta, minimum servant of the community " rewrites the ruined ones of 1362. According to Francesco Mavarelli, who wrote about them in 1903 in “ Of the art of the Blacksmiths in the Land of Fratta (Umbertide). Memories and Documents ", they were only adequate copies of those of 1362 which had gone over time and were ruined. But what was Fratta like in the 16th century? In addition to information from Cyprian Piccolpasso there are also two maps of the sixteenth century that can tell us about it. let's start from these less known by Ubaldo Giorgi and Ignazio Danti. Thanks to the historian Fabrizio Cece who kindly provided it to us, we have an image, a detail, taken from the Map of the Diocese of Gubbio drawn by Don Ubaldo Giorgi in 1573. The intent to represent the Diocese with all its parishes characterizes the map : among others you can see S. Maria, S. Antonio, one of the first patrons of Fratta, S. Andrea and, in the center of the walls of Fratta, S. Giovanni. Fig. 1 and 2: Map of the Diocese of Gubbio drawn by Don Ubaldo Giorgi in 1573 and Detail of Fratta. Photo provided by Fabrizio Cece from the Diocesian Archives. Here we present, instead, the Texas University website that you can browse and zoom to see the description of Fratta in 1584 by Ignazio Danti. Here is the direct link to the portal of Texas University . Fratta owns the bridge over the Tiber, the only one on the map before "Ponte di Pattolo", "Ponte Felcino", "Ponte di Val di Ceppolo" north of Perugia. Yup they can see several designs of towers in the city with a part extended south of the bridge along the Tiber. Above all, as we indicated at the beginning, we have the best known map of Piccolpasso from 1565 with the representation of "Fratta" and then of its main quadrilateral defensive walls (at this link of the Municipality of Umbertide you can download the two documents in .pdf). In this period, Piccolpasso reports, the Community of Fratta presents itself as a place where " The men of this country sleep diligent, ingenious and solicitous and circumspect because their little site for the continuous exercise make it fruitful as a large countryside and a very large place. you work very well with archebugi and auction arms ". Further on, according to what Mavarelli and Prof. Porrozzi also report, the men of Fratta " have no cattle or pasture ". The city occupies " 138 reeds " of earth and " fires about 80 ", or 80 families. In the period between the middle of the sixteenth and the last years of the seventeenth century, the loss of much of the documentation of the municipal historical archive does not allow us to establish whether there have been particular changes in the institutions. The crucial year for the documentation is 1799: in fact, a large number of municipal papers were destroyed in a fire in the public square. Guerrini writes in his " History of the land of Fratta, now Umbertide ": " when in 1799 a gang of wicked brigands with blind vandalism and fury burned in the public square, as an infamous holocaust at the foot of the tree of Liberty, all the books and papers of the Town Hall ". TO starting from the mid-eighteenth century there is a fatigue towards the assumption of public responsibilities and a progressive worsening of some problems, such as the training of the bussolo (to choose the various institutional figures) and the choice of officers. From that moment on were introduced norms and new institutional figures that would allow the proper functioning of the government of the Community of Fratta. Thus it was from the point of view of the management of public offices it continued with a certain organizational difficulty, until in 1787 Pius VI, in April 1785, with an appointment of the then governor general of Umbria, Monsignor Angelo Altieri, found in the Perugian lawyer Silvestro Bruschi, the judge commissioner and general visitor of the communities of the territory of Perugia including the Community of Fratta . On January 28, 1787 the general council of Fratta was held and they emerged, according to what they report Sargentini Cristiana e Santolamazza Rossella who edited the item Fratta / Umbertide on the SIUSA site, " conspicuous administrative irregularities to be ascribed to the admixture in the exercise of the functions assumed by the administrators, to which was added a heavy debt of Fratta towards Perugia. Two were therefore proposed. assistants on public affairs, the canon Don Emanuele Cantabrana and the layman Paolo Mazzaforti, as practitioners of the interests of the community; moreover, having found that the number of councilors was not fixed, Bruschi ordered that the entanglement be carried out in his presence. decree established that the presence of at least twenty-four councilors was essential, << possessors, of good morals, and capable >>, the same number, that is, of the individuals who made up the magistracy's compass, up to the maximum number of thirty with the honorary members; and that, for the session to be valid, at least two thirds of the councilors were required . Particular attention was paid to the drafting and conservation of public writings, in such a way that << each of the four priors is given his key to the public case, where in addition to the documents and original receipts of interest, the community is kept closed the great seal. custodial and all the others, except that of the letters to remain with the secretary, according to the usual >>; moreover, that << it is the responsibility of the magistrate to do it, that all the books are kept exactly from the secretary, and that he is always at par in the register of deeds >> ". Silvestro Bruschi concluded the minutes of the visit to the Fratta Community with an approval dated September 16, 1787. The era of the French and then Napoleonic Revolution was coming, even for a an unimportant territory such as that of Fratta, changes arrived. With the proclamation of the Roman Republic, on February 15, 1798, the innovative principles of French administrative policy entered the former papal territories by right. The constitutional charter, published on March 17, contemplates the classic tripartition between legislative power, entrusted to two chambers (Senate and Tribunate), judicial power, exercised by elected and irremovable judges, to the courts, executive power attributed to five consuls. Four ministries (justice and police, interior, finance, marine warfare and foreign affairs), the large police headquarters (national treasury) and large accounting (national computisteria) depend on this. The territory of the State is divided into eight departments: Metauro ( Ancona), the Musone (Macerata), the Tronto (Fermo), the Trasimeno (Perugia), the Clitunno (Spoleto), the Cimino (Viterbo), the Tiber (Rome), the Circeo (Anagni). In turn, the departments are divided into cantons, and within the latter, which constitute the smallest of the state circumscriptions, the ancient pontifical communities undergo an incisive process of homogenization, as only the centers with more than 10,000 inhabitants constitute their own municipality, governed by building blocks, while the others are grouped together until this minimum population threshold is reached. Fratta thus became part of the Trasimeno Department, based in Perugia, as "Canton" with his own consular prefect: Giuseppe Savelli. The local company of the National Guard was also organized, with its own commander, the papal coat of arms was demolished and the municipality was given the name of municipality. But the Republic fell after 18 months with the surrender (29 September 1799) to the Neapolitan and Austrian armies. Fratta thus returned again under the state of the Church. Sources: - Antonio Guerrini: History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide from its origins until the year 1845 (for Antonio Guerrini completed by Genesio Perugini) - Tip. Tiberina Umbertide, 1883 -Francesco Mavarelli: On the art of blacksmiths in the land of Fratta (Umbertide) - Memories and documents - Stab. Tipografico Tiberino, 1903 - Cipriano Piccolpasso, The plants and portraits of the cities and lands of Umbria submitted to the Government of the city of Perugia , edited by G. Cecchini, Publisher of the National Institute of Archeology and History of Art, Rome 1963. - Bruno Porrozzi (edited by), Umbertide in the images. From the 1500s to the present day , Pro Loco Association Umbertide, Rubini and Petruzzi Typolithography, Città di Castello, 1977. - SIUSA (Unified Information System for Archival Superintendencies) on Umbertide http://siusa.archivi.beniculturali.it/cgi-bin/pagina.pl?TipoPag=prodente&Chiave=50311&RicProgetto=reg-umb&fbclid=IwAR2ydRABe1Uw3MxVbj3WkZrexe4eu0lBSPZe_991_1LwwGoww - http://siusa.archivi.beniculturali.it/cgi-bin/pagina.pl?TipoPag=profist&Chiave=84&RicProgetto=reg%2dumb - http://siusa.archivi.beniculturali.it/cgi-bin/pagina.pl?TipoPag=comparc&Chiave=330615&RicProgetto=reg%2dumb - https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth187370/m1/1/zoom/?resolution=6&lat=4964.5&lon=4844 http://www.umbertideturismo.it/content/download/293210/3113338/file/Immagine%20di%20Fratta%20disegnata%20nel%201665.pdf Photo: Fabrizio Cece Photo: Francesco Deplanu Photos: historical photos of Umbertide from the web and from various private archives to which we applied the " umbertidestoria " watermark in this way we try to avoid that the further disclosure on our part favors purposes not consonant with our intentions exclusively social and cultural. Help us remember umbertidestoria@gmail.com Marc Bloch , Apology of history « The story is there science of men over time "

LA FRATTA DEL QUATTROCENTO a cura di Fabio Mariotti Notizie generali, le strade e la Rocca La Fratta del Quattrocento è per lo Stato della Chiesa, specialmente nell'ultima parte del secolo, un punto di vitale importanza strategica. Posta al confine con i possedimenti fiorentini, funge da baluardo settentrionale per la difesa di Perugia. La zona urbana è formata da tre nuclei ben definiti. Il primo, costituito dal centro cittadino racchiuso nelle mura castellane e diviso in terzieri: "della Greppa", la parte tra l'attuale via Cibo e il Tevere, dalla Piaggiola fino al ponte verso San Francesco; "Superiore" detto anche "della Campana" (dalla campana posta sulla torre in cima alla Piaggiola), dalle mura a nord, quindi dalla Rocca, verso il centro fino alla chiesa di San Giovanni; il terzo, "Inferiore" o di "Porta Nuova", che dal centro raggiungeva le mura verso sud, lungo il corso della Reggia fino alla porta di uscita del ponte sul Tevere. Il secondo nucleo, del "Borgo Superiore", posto al di fuori delle mura settentrionali, oltre la porta della campana e la discesa dell'attuale Piaggiola, era divisibile in due parti. Una veniva detta il "Mercatale", l'odierna piazza Marconi, il piazzale del sagrato della chiesa di Sant'Erasmo; la zona poi si spingeva verso la chiesa di Sant'Andrea (dove sorgerà nel 1877 il vecchio ospedale) fino alle fornaci. L’altra parte era il "Castel Nuovo", comprendeva l’attuale Boccaiolo (via Bovicelli) e la zona vicina, ove si trovava anche la chiesa di Santa Maria dei Meriti. II terzo nucleo, anch'esso fuori delle mura, detto "Borgo Inferiore", era situato a sud di Fratta, oltre la Reggia e prospiciente il Tevere (attuale piazza San Francesco). Cuore di questa zona era il "sodo dei frati" o "pratale", lo spiazzo su cui si affacciavano la chiesa e il convento di San Francesco, la chiesetta di Santa Maria (poi detta Santa Croce), possesso dell'omonima confraternita di Disciplinati. Nel borgo c'erano numerose officine di fabbri ed anche un mulino di proprietà del vescovo di Gubbio. Fratta godeva di libertà di fiera; erano fiorenti le arti della merceria e spezieria, il commercio del cuoio, del "bambage", del vino, degli artefatti in ferro, della ceramica. Esisteva un discreto servizio postale che utilizzava cursori, corrieri, fanti di procaccio e "cavallai" di posta i quali potevano effettuare un buon lavoro in quanto il paese non era molto distante dalle grandi vie di comunicazione. L’istruzione era a cura della comunità di Fratta, ai cui rappresentanti i genitori si rivolgevano per iscrivere i ragazzi, pagando la retta del maestro. La spesa era relativa al numero e al tipo delle materie di insegnamento: latino, aritmetica, religione e geografia. Nel 1486 la magistratura locale fa un invito all'istruzione aperto anche ai non possidenti. Esistevano sette ospedali, annessi alle chiese, per i poveri, i pellegrini e i malati non abbienti; ben dodici luoghi di culto, fra chiese e cappelle. A Fratta, nel Quattrocento, viveva una comunità ebraica di una ventina di persone, qui insediata fin dal secolo precedente. Le strade di comunicazione Nel Quattrocento la nostra Fratta era fuori dai grandi percorsi viari dello Stato Romano che partivano da Roma nei secoli XVI e XVIII, e se erano così allora, all'inizio del Quattrocento non erano certo più numerose e meglio percorribili. Comunque verso nord partiva una sola strada di grande comunicazione, che dopo il lago di Bracciano (Baccano) si ramificava in due bretelle: - una proseguiva in direzione di Firenze, via Bolsena, Siena, San Casciano; - l'altra strada si dirigeva verso Fano, via Terni, Foligno, Nocera, Cagli. Quest'ultima aveva una diramazione da Foligno e da qui iniziava una strada che passava per Perugia, il lago Trasimeno, la Val di Chiana, la valle dell'Arno centrale, fino a raggiungere anch'essa Firenze. Erano percorse dalla maggior parte della gente allora in movimento: eserciti, cavalcate, grandi carri a quattro ruote dei mercanti, pellegrini, religiosi, cortei di principi, cardinali, governatori che si spostavano da una città all'altra, mendicanti, uomini dei servizi di posta che correvano a piedi o a cavallo di stazione in stazione. Fratta si trovava in posizione isolata e non vedeva molto di questo transito se non saltuariamente e, comunque, in misura molto ridotta. Il nostro castello aveva bisogno di comunicazione con la città di Perugia e ciò era possibile attraverso la pianura del Tevere. La città dominante svolgeva un'attività di tutela dei mulini sul Tevere (Ponte Felcino, Ponte Pattoli ed altri), per cui questi dovevano essere senz'altro allacciati a Perugia con una strada carrabile. Considerato questo e anche che Fratta era il castello del confine nord di Perugia, dunque tenuto sempre militarmente approntato, è facile capire che dovesse esserci una via da Fratta a Ponte Pattoli, a Perugia. Oltre questa strada (che sarà detta poi “del piano”), Fratta era unita a Perugia anche da un percorso montano, non carrabile, per soli pedoni e cavalli in quanto l'asprezza dei luoghi (diverse salite) ne sconsigliavano il passaggio, specie d'inverno, ai carri piccoli. Iniziava oltre il ponte sul Tevere, sulla sinistra (odierna strada per la Badia di Montecorona). Dopo circa trecento metri lasciava, sulla destra, la stradetta che saliva a Romeggio (bivio visibile anche oggi) e proseguiva diritta. Passava sotto e nei pressi dell'odierno Palazzo del Sole (abitazione Ramaccioni), poi si inerpicava, come ai giorni nostri, verso la base di Monte Acuto. Alla Villa di Monte Acuto svoltava a sinistra, lungo la base del monte, passava a lato della casa-torre di osservazione (ancora esistente - gruppo di casa Ferranti), passava a lato dell'ospedale di Galera (in piedi ma disabitato) ed arrivava al pianoro di Galera (apprezzabile come complesso abbandonato) ed arrivava alla casaforte di confine con Perugia (non utilizzata). Da qui scendeva alla Nese, passando a lato di quell'ospedale (lebbrosario?) e proseguiva per la Villa di Pantano e Cenerente, da dove iniziava la salita finale per Perugia. Altra strada era quella di Montone, ma non volendo transitare per quel territorio, si poteva percorrere la via che portava al torrente Niccone, subito dopo il ponte del Tevere. Dal Niccone, passato il fiume sulla barca oltre Montecastelli, ci si ritrovava sulla via tracciata da Città di Castello, in pianura ed abbastanza transitabile. Infine c'era la strada per la Toscana, alla foce del Niccone sul Tevere. In proporzione al grande traffico nazionale, molto limitato appariva il transito nelle nostre zone ma, considerata l'importanza commerciale di Fratta, c'era comunque sempre un movimento di persone e merci che ne aiutava molto gli abitanti, alla ricerca delle soluzioni dei loro problemi quotidiani. Lavori alla Rocca La Rocca di Fratta fu voluta nell'anno 1374 e disegnata, molto probabilmente, dall'architetto Matteo Gattapone da Gubbio. Venne posta ad est delle mura castellane, unico tratto sprovvisto di forti, sia per aumentare la difesa del castello dalla parte di Perugia, sia per allungare meglio lo sguardo su tutta la pianura del Tevere verso Montecorona. La Rocca consisteva, all'inizio, in un semplice parallelepipedo esterno alla cinta che, nella zona sud, aveva un'alta torre sopraelevata di una quarantina di metri dal prato sottostante. Questo volume fu costruito nel primo ciclo dei lavori, dal 1375 al 1384, mentre il completamento, come voleva il disegno originario, avvenne con un ulteriore intervento tra il 1385 e il 1386, quando fu unita alle mura castellane. Così la Rocca si presenta all'inizio del Quattrocento. Ha i lati contrapposti lunghi dodici metri e quelli perpendicolari, sette. Per il passaggio delle persone è collegata al castello di Fratta da una porta (visibile ed agibile anche oggi) munita di ponte levatoio che faceva perno sul forte, cadeva sulle mura castellane sostenuto da una sola trave e passava sopra un tetto realizzato nella seconda fase dei lavori (1385-86). Nel punto di battuta era stato costruito, interno al borgo, un piccolo edificio merlato detto "chiostro" in cui c'era un posto di guardia, essendo questa zona militare sorvegliata per impedire l'accesso anche agli abitanti di Fratta. La Rocca aveva poi un'altra entrata fornita di ponte levatoio. Conduceva all'esterno del castello, verso il prato sottostante. Era la "porta del soccorso", elemento comune a tutti i forti e le rocche. Serviva, in tempo di guerra, a far rientrare qualche soldato rimasto fuori o in altri casi straordinari. Questo secondo ponte levatoio era sostenuto da una sola trave il cui vano è ancora esistente e visibile dalla zona sottostante. Poggiava sopra un alto muro di pietra, rimasto fino alla metà dell'Ottocento. Fra il muro e la torre passava il letto naturale del torrente Reggia. Da qui iniziava la strada, in forte discesa, verso il prato sottostante. Il tutto era chiamato "calzo de fuora". Nel gennaio 1405 fu costruita la grande volta in muratura che univa (e unisce tuttora ) la Rocca alle mura castellane, al posto del tetto sotto il ponte levatoio. Fu pure innalzato il tratto di mura castellane prospiciente alla piazza del Comune (ora piazza Fortebracci), elevato di circa tre metri e munito di feritoie. Fu tolto il ponte levatoio ovest e restò solo quello "del soccorso", in funzione fino alla fine del Settecento. Nel 1495 la Fratta era occupata dai fuorusciti perugini della famiglia Degli Oddi. Erano combattuti dai Baglioni che portarono qui l'assedio fino a che, l' 11 settembre 1495, Fratta si arrese alle forze di Perugia. La città dominante, riavuto il nostro castello, pensò bene di restaurarlo e di aumentarne le difese militari, affinché potesse resistere ad altri eventuali attacchi. Dal 1495 al 1499 vennero eretti i torrioni laterali circolari merlati, uno a nord e uno a sud, e la Rocca assunse l'aspetto attuale. Per la costruzione dei torrioni si dovette abbattere il "chiostro" ed un tratto di mura (per costruire il torrione nord), mentre sul lato della piazza del Comune venne aperta una nuova porta d'ingresso. Foto della Rocca di Fabio Mariotti (quella antica dall'Archivio fotografico storico del Comune di Umbertide) Fonti: - Calendario di Umbertide 2004 – Ed. Comune di Umbertide – 2004 - Renato Codovini: Storia di Umbertide - Il Secolo XV. Dattiloscritto inedito, 1992 - A. Guerrini: Storia della terra di Fratta ora Umbertide dalle sue origini fino all'anno 1845 - Tipografia Tiberina, Umbertide, 1883 - M.G. Moretti: Salute e spezierie alla Fratta (Sec. XV - XX): Breve introduzione alla mostra, Umbertide, Biblioteca Comunale, 27 settembre - 12 ottobre 2002. Dream Service, Umbertide, 2002 - P. Vispi: Il soggiorno e l'opera di Pico della Mirandola ad Umbertide - Ed. Comune di Umbertide, 1996 L'economia e la libertà di fiera L’economia del territorio di Fratta nel XV secolo è basata su una modesta attività agricola e su una fiorente attività artigianale. Già nei primi del Quattrocento assistiamo a timidi insediamenti stabili in campagna di lavoratori agricoli che si recano a lavorare terre alquanto distanti dal borgo. Terre via via "rancate", cioè messe a coltura. Ma i tempi sono ancora insicuri, la pericolosità direttamente proporzionale alla distanza dalle mura del castello. II passaggio di eserciti che razziavano il bestiame e le colture, insieme a bande di malviventi rendevamo molto rischiosa la coltivazione della campagna. I lavoratori agricoli, quindi, non potevano produrre grosse quantità dei vari generi. Solamente due secoli dopo, in pieno Seicento, la coltura del grano aveva ancora una rendita di tre o quattro parti contro una di seme seminato. L’attività artigianale nel castello di Fratta era, invece, più progredita e produttiva, regolata anche negli statuti del 1362. Era un'economia prevalentemente corporativa, a compartimenti stagni, con ogni Arte strettamente osservante di quelle regole che si era data con il proprio ordinamento, comprensivo anche delle pene per i trasgressori. Ma era l'aspetto religioso il collante che univa i componenti. La produttività degli artigiani era soltanto sufficiente ai loro immediati bisogni, ma a volte poteva superare il limite dello stretto necessario e dar loro qualche soddisfazione in più. Notevoli risultati davano le fornaci di laterizio che producevano materiali da costruzione. Altre piccole attività, con laboratorio e bottega annessi, sfornavano vasellame di terracotta d'ogni genere, necessario alla vita quotidiana della famiglia del borgo e di quella contadina. Vari molini da cereali e da olio, avvalendosi della forza motrice dell'acqua dei fiumi e dei torrenti, occupavano un discreto numero di persone. C'era poi la lavorazione dei panni di lana, per mezzo della gualchiera e la rifinitura di prodotti in metallo che per l'affilatura usava ruote in pietra, anch'esse mosse dall'acqua. Tutti questi meccanismi si trovavano all'interno dei maggiori mulini ed utilizzavano la stessa acqua che muoveva le grandi macine dei cereali. La gualchiera. L’arte dei panni di lana Anche in Fratta si esercitava l'arte della lana, seppur per un prodotto minore che doveva soddisfare soltanto i bisogni del luogo. Il panno lavorato serviva per cucire i vestiti di uso comune, indossati dalla maggior parte degli abitanti, quasi tutti poveri. La lavorazione era possibile in quanto nei maggiori mulini c'era sempre la "gualchiera", meccanismo fornito di grosse "martelle" di legno che, mosse dall'acqua della diga, battevano la lana opportunamente trattata (acqua bollente e un qualche collante). Probabilmente, si trattava di una postazione per ogni mulino, locata a terzi per più anni. In un atto notarile del 12 novembre 1464 si parla del “Mulino dei Calvi” con la gualchiera ad esso annessa che serviva a "gualcare i panni di lana": si trovava in aderenza a questo molino, era affittata tre anni. La notizia dell'esistenza, vicino a Fratta, di tale gualchiera, e fuso per cui serviva, sono le notizie più antiche sull'argomento. L’insieme delle altre Arti fabbricava gli oggetti necessari alla vita della collettività; erano fabbri, falegnami, magnani, pittori, sarti, panacuocoli (fornai), indoratori. Tutte persone che oggi chiameremmo operatori economici ed avevano molto spesso un grande limite nella difficoltà di reperire i capitali necessari. Non essendoci ancora istituti di credito come intendiamo oggi, dovevano far ricorso, in caso di necessità, al prestito dei "banchi" degli ebrei. A Fratta ce n'erano una ventina ed alcuni di questi esercitavano appunto l'attività di banchieri. Sebbene avversati dalla popolazione e dalla legislazione della città di Perugia valida anche in Fratta, riuscivano sempre a svolgere il loro lavoro in senso positivo e la stessa comunità perugina faceva ricorso alla "prestanza" ebrea in caso di bisogno. Obbligati a portare un disco giallo sui vestiti, esclusi dai pubblici uffici, era negata agli ebrei anche la possibilità di acquistare beni immobili, di fabbricare carte da gioco e dadi. Non restava loro che dedicarsi ai prestiti su interesse e lo studio della medicina. Il commercio del cuoio Era molto praticato nella nostra Fratta, come nell'alta valle del Tevere e nel Perugino. II grande commercio del cuoio aveva la sede principale, per il centro Italia, nelle città di Pisa e di Ancona. Pisa lo importava dalla Spagna (da Cordova, pelli cordovane), dalla Francia meridionale e dal Maghreb (Tunisia, Algeria e Marocco). Ancona lo importava invece dalla cosiddetta Morea (Medio Oriente), dalle isole dell'Egeo e dai Paesi rivieraschi del Mar Nero. Da queste due città poi, a mezzo di grandi carri a quattro ruote, il cuoio arrivava a Perugia (via lago Trasimeno e via Fabriano). Qui si riforniva Fratta in limitate quantità, incrementate dalla stessa merce proveniente da Città di Castello, i cui mercanti erano direttamente collegati con le "strade del cuoio" marchigiane. Il commercio del "bambage" Anche il bambage (o bambagio) arrivava dai Paesi del medio oriente (Turchia, Cipro, Siria, Egitto), con le navi fino ad Ancona; poi i mercanti lo introducevano nel territorio perugino. Con il bambage, sottoprodotto del cotone, si fabbricavano veli da donna per la testa, per il collo e per le spalle. Coloro che trattavano tale prodotto erano detti "bambagiari" e facevano parte dell'Arte omonima. Avevano botteghe per commerciare sia il bambage puro che i suoi derivati, quali ad esempio le passamanerie, vendute dai merciai. L’Arte della merceria All'Arte della merceria erano iscritti coloro che commerciavano in generi relativi soprattutto all'abbigliamento: filati per cucire (vengono nominati "refe"), gomitoli e matasse, fazzoletti (per la testa, il collo, le spalle), veletti (per cappelli), "camicie", calze di lana, cappelli, nastri d'ogni tipo, spille, orecchini, aghi (fatti a mano) e quant'altro relativo al vestire. Non troviamo fazzoletti per il naso (ancora da inventare), maglie (si confezionavano in casa, sul telaio domestico), giacche, pastrani e mantelli (li cuciva il sarto). Non esistevano però botteghe specializzate in un unico tipo di merce. Era facile quindi trovare, in quella del merciaio, stoffe, paludamenti (per l'addobbo di chiese, tendaggi per la casa), ma anche cera, candele, "facole", radici saponarie. L’Arte della "spetiaria" Chi esercitava l'Arte della spetiaria aveva una bottega, chiamata anche aromataria, dove vendeva i generi che anche oggi chiamiamo spezie, ma con una gamma più vasta, essendo maggiore l'uso di tali generi. Molti servivano per la farmacopea. In queste botteghe, comunque, molti prodotti esulavano dal campo speziario, comprendendo i generi più disparati, anticipando i bazar ed i moderni supermercati. I calzolai C'erano, nel Quattrocento, in Fratta, diversi calzolai (calceolarius) iscritti alla relativa Arte e semplici ciabattini. L’attività dei calzolai consisteva nel costruire e vendere le scarpe, per cui avevano bisogno di comprare cuoio, pellami ed attrezzi d'uso. Il ciabattino (sutor), più semplicemente, si adattava ad accomodare le calzature, senza entrare nel commercio delle stesse. Nell'archivio storico comunale esiste un contratto del 4 settembre 1448 con il quale il padre affida il figlio di minore età ad un calzolaio per imparare il mestiere. Il ragazzo doveva andare a vivere in casa del calzolaio il quale, a sua volta, si impegnava a formarlo e a dargli vitto e alloggio. Il ragazzo è Mariotto, figlio di Domenico di Ercolano da Pietramelina; il calzolaio è Nardo di Francesco, di Fratta. Domenico di Ercolano si impegna a far restare Mariotto per un anno presso Nardo di Francesco e di non mandarlo da altri calzolai. Garantisce che Mariotto sarà sempre sottomesso e obbediente come deve comportarsi ogni buon discepolo. Nardo, di sua parte, si obbliga ad istruirlo nell'arte della calzoleria, a dargli un salario di tre fiorini e mezzo per tutto l'anno, oltre il vitto e l'alloggio. Le monete Nel Quattrocento, nell'Italia centrale si usavano, per i grandi importi, monete d'oro, fiorini e ducati, insieme ai loro sottomultipli e alle tante monete dei vari Stati esistenti. Il fiorino veniva rapportato ai bolognini (moneta bolognese di piccolo taglio). Se era integro (cioè di giusto peso, non limato per appropriarsi di una parte del suo oro come spesso accadeva), valeva quaranta bolognini. Se invece aveva un peso inferiore a quello di conio, veniva considerato in proporzione a quanto mancava. Il fiorino era anche quotato in "soldi": cento se integro. Il fiorino fiorentino veniva a volte ragguagliato alla lira perugina. Verso la metà del secolo c'è parità tra le due monete. Troviamo infatti, nel 1464, una somma di undicimila fiorini che, qualche riga sotto dello stesso documento, diventano undicimila lire. Il "soldo" (sottomultiplo del fiorino) viene rapportato talora al "denaro" (moneta perugina sottomultipla della lira). Abbiamo infine un'altra misura monetaria, la "libra". Ce ne volevano cinque per un fiorino. A Fratta si adoperavano indistintamente sia i fiorini, sia i ducati (ma anche altre monete). In un atto notarile, "la pena" da darsi a chi non sta ai patti viene stabilita in "100 ducati d'oro", nonostante in Fratta prevalesse l'uso dei conteggi in fiorini. Nel 1471 troviamo il "carlino", di basso valore, di origine napoletana. Valeva dodici baiocchi. Sempre in quest'anno esiste anche il "ducato d'oro largo": ha il valore di un fiorino e 75 baiocchi circa. . . . Libertà di fiera Mercati settimanali e fiere si svolgevano a Fratta fin dal XIV secolo, regolamentati dagli Statuti del 1362. Nel 1400 sembra esserci solo la fiera di Sant'Erasmo, che si svolgeva il 2 giugno, giorno della festa del santo, davanti all'antica e omonima pieve, nell'odierna piazza Marconi. Come negli altri castelli e ville del territorio, era soggetta ad una tassazione imposta da Perugia (città dominante), che poi la comunità di Fratta riversava sui commercianti intervenuti, recuperando così la somma versata. La tassa della fiera comportava per i mercanti un certo onere, imponeva loro di fare una scelta sul venire o meno a Fratta, a seconda del vantaggio. In pratica, condizionava l'affluenza della gente a queste manifestazioni. In considerazione di ciò, la comunità di Fratta cercò di liberare la fiera dalla "gabella", allo scopo di aumentare il concorso di venditori, quindi avere la maggior quantità e varietà di merci, prezzi più bassi (legge della concorrenza), in definitiva un vantaggio per la popolazione, oltre maggior guadagno per osti, marescalchi, "carradori", botteghe in genere. Il risultato venne raggiunto a partire dal 1441, quando ne fece richiesta a Perugia. L’approvazione arrivò dal cardinale Firmano (Domenico da Fermo), delegato apostolico per l'Umbria e la relativa concessione, detta "privilegio", riguardava la fiera annuale del 2 giugno, probabilmente l'unica del secolo. Fratta non doveva più pagare la tassa come le altre comunità dello Stato Romano e di riflesso non chiese più nulla ai commercianti. La concessione venne rilasciata per due giorni consecutivi, tanto durava la fiera di Sant'Erasmo dal 1441. Nel 1444, il 31 ottobre, lo stesso cardinale Domenico da Fermo ribadisce la concessione (che doveva essere rinnovata annualmente) e permette di allungare la fiera a quattro giorni consecutivi: dal primo (vigilia della festa del Santo) al 4 giugno, decisione che il Comune accettò di buon grado. Il 30 ottobre 1445, papa Eugenio IV conferma il "privilegio" specificando che 1'esenzione è "tam entrando quam in exeundo", sia all'entrata in Fratta, sia all'uscita a fine manifestazione e riguarda tutte le persone che intervengono con le bestie e con le merci ("cum eorum animalibus et mercantiis"). Il provvedimento rimane esteso anche agli abitanti di Fratta che prendessero parte a questa fiera che in quei quattro giorni “solemniter celebratur”. Fratta fu informata del provvedimento del Papa dal cardinale legato di Perugia, Domenico da Fermo. Nel XVI secolo, invece, la durata dell'evento fu portata ad otto ed anche dieci giorni. Foto di Fabio Mariotti (quella del calzolaio dall'Archivio fotografico storico del Comune di Umbertide) Fonti: - Calendario di Umbertide 2004 – Ed. Comune di Umbertide – 2004 - Renato Codovini: Storia di Umbertide - Il Secolo XV. Dattiloscritto inedito, 1992 - A. Guerrini: Storia della terra di Fratta ora Umbertide dalle sue origini fino all'anno 1845 - Tipografia Tiberina, Umbertide, 1883 - M.G. Moretti: Salute e spezierie alla Fratta (Sec. XV - XX): Breve introduzione alla mostra, Umbertide, Biblioteca Comunale, 27 settembre - 12 ottobre 2002. Dream Service, Umbertide, 2002 - P. Vispi: Il soggiorno e l'opera di Pico della Mirandola ad Umbertide - Ed. Comune di Umbertide, 1996 La comunità ebraica Il progressivo formarsi di una piccola comunità ebraica alla Fratta probabilmente risale verso la fine del XII secolo, allorché una forte corrente migratoria di mercanti israeliti da Roma tende a diffondersi dapprima nelle città umbre, per poi espandersi verso tutto il nord Italia. C'erano grossi insediamenti e una consolidata tradizione ebraica a Perugia, Città di Castello e Gubbio. A Perugia, nel rione di Porta Sant'Angelo al quale si era aggregata la comunità ebraica di Fratta, c'era una delle due sinagoghe della città e si contavano il maggior numero di abitazioni israelite. Il periodo però non è tranquillo per il mondo israelitico italiano. Agli inizi del 1485, infatti, giunge anche in Umbria Bernardino da Feltre, che aveva imperversato nel nord Italia per ottenere la soppressione dei banchi ebrei a favore dei nascenti Monti di Pietà. Egli predica, fortemente spalleggiato dall'Ordine dei Minori, una violenta crociata antisraelitica che ottiene buoni successi. Da quel periodo comincia ad assottigliarsi a Gubbio la presenza degli ebrei. Anche Perugia e Fratta non furono immuni da forme di intolleranza, che però non raggiunsero gli eccessi registrati altrove. La comunità ebraica frattigiana, per quanto piccola (una ventina di persone), doveva avere una certa importanza economica. Già nel 1398, infatti, un certo Beniamino di Aleuccio della Fratta esercitava l’attività di banchiere a Mantova. Vi sono presenze documentate di ebrei umbertidesi dopo la metà del 1400. Abitava a Fratta, ad esempio, un ragguardevole banchiere, Dattilo di Salomone: di lui esistono testimonianze di una cospicua attività e sappiamo che in giudizio veniva rappresentato dal fratello Manuele. Il suo nome e quello della sua famiglia ricorrono più volte nella storia perugina come il gruppo finanziario di maggiore importanza. Probabilmente parenti con il finanziere Dattilo, e anche loro abitanti in Fratta, erano Salomone, Elia e Davide "Dactoli". Quest'ultimo firma, anche a nome dei fratelli, una petizione alla magistratura perugina nel 1483. Altra attività, oltre quella bancaria, nella quale molti ebrei godevano di grande considerazione, era l'arte medica. Nella Fratta della seconda metà del Quattrocento vi esercitarono in due. Il primo fu Manuele da Monticolo. Abitava in una casa in affitto nel Terziere Superiore (zona della Rocca) e la sua presenza è documentata dal 1477. Fra il 1484 e il 1486 c'è in Fratta Manuele di Angelo, da Padova. Questi in precedenza aveva esercitato a Montone e qui aveva abitato in una lussuosa dimora, di proprietà dei monaci di Camporeggiano, posta accanto al palazzo del conte Carlo Fortebracci, signore del posto. Di questo secondo medico rimangono testimonianze sia nell'archivio comunale di Umbertide sia in quello di Gubbio. L’attività di alcuni ebrei a Fratta era quindi a un livello ragguardevole. Ma se coloro che influenzavano la vita sociale cittadina godevano di libertà e considerazione, probabilmente non tutti avevano vita facile. C'era infatti una forte attività denigratoria contro di loro da parte dei frati minori francescani. La legislazione romana, applicata dalla Magistratura di Perugia, aveva imposto loro, già dal secolo precedente, un contrassegno sugli abiti. Consisteva in un tondo di stoffa gialla del diametro di una quindicina di centimetri che dovevano cucire sul davanti per farsi riconoscere e differenziarsi dai cristiani. Le donne, invece, dovevano essere contraddistinte da un certo tipo di veletta in testa e portare orecchini a cerchio. Tutti sapevano che era bene mostrarsi il meno possibile, ma in occasione di funerali, per arrivare al luogo della sepoltura, dovevano attraversare alcune strade scegliendole tra le meno frequentate e comunque evitando il centro del paese. Ma anche qui trovavano spesso "cristiani" che li aspettavano per dileggiarli e gettar loro addosso pietre. Questa manifestazione, detta "la sassaiola", in uso a Perugia già all'inizio del secolo (a Fratta non esiste certezza in merito), proseguirà per tutto quello successivo. Fonti: Calendario di Umbertide 2004 – Ed. Comune di Umbertide – 2004 Renato Codovini: Storia di Umbertide - Il Secolo XV. Dattiloscritto inedito, 1992 A. Guerrini: Storia della terra di Fratta ora Umbertide dalle sue origini fino all'anno 1845 - Tipografia Tiberina, Umbertide, 1883 Gli ospedali, la peste e le guerre Nel Quattrocento troviamo in Fratta sette ospedali. Appartengono a chiese o confraternite e sono tutti di piccole dimensioni, due o tre ambienti in modeste case, spesso incorporati alle chiese stesse. Di solito vi prestano la loro opera i padri Agostiniani, uno o due frati. Qui vengono ricoverati i malati poveri del paese e i viaggiatori che hanno bisogno di cure durante il passaggio a Fratta. Sant'Antonio Si trovava in Castel Nuovo, in fondo alla Piaggiola. Ne abbiamo notizia nel 1400 e nel 1404. Nel 1411 si unì all'ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova, sito anch'esso in Castel Nuovo. Aveva alcuni beni, due appezzamenti di terreno lavorativo in Villa Galera (Monte Acuto), ai vocaboli Vignale e Fossato e possedeva anche una terra al vocabolo Seripole, al confine col torrente Reggia. Santa Maria Situato anch'esso in fondo alla Piaggiola, era legalmente "unito" alla chiesa di "Pieve di Santa Maria di Castel Nuovo", almeno fin dall'anno 1397. Confinava da un lato con "le cose della chiesa" (un orto: ) e dall'altro con il "foveo" della Comunità, il fossato lungo le mura castellane (zona palazzo Baglioni). Santa Maria e Sant'Antonio Si fondono nel 1411. Nel 1423 decidono di iscrivere le loro proprietà al catasto di Perugia. La registrazione viene fatta da Giovanni Corbelli di Fratta, rettore e governatore degli ospedali, tramite un suo procuratore, Francesco di Simone. Possiedono una casa nel Borgo Superiore di Castel Nuovo e quattro appezzamenti di terreno nel comune di Montone, al vocabolo Buschi. Santa Croce E' situato nel Borgo Inferiore, nell'odierna via Soli. Risale alla prima metà del Trecento. Appartiene all'omonima confraternita che ha una quarantina di proprietà immobiliari. E' così grande il numero dei beni, che mette in difficoltà anche l'ufficio del catasto di Perugia allorché Bartolomeo di ser Nicola, procuratore della confraternita, si reca a registrarne alcuni. L’ufficiale del catasto si vede costretto a riportare l'elenco in un nuovo libro, appositamente iniziato, in quanto nel foglio riferito alla confraternita non c'era più posto. Fraternita del Corpo di Cristo o del Buon Gesù Era anche questo nel Borgo Inferiore, aderente al lato sud della chiesa di San Bernardino, non ancora costruita all'inizio del secolo. Ne abbiamo notizia nel 1448 quando, il 15 aprile, i frati di San Francesco cedono una loro casa vicina al chiostro del convento ai Disciplinati della Fraternita di Cristo. Fra le clausole, i compratori sono obbligati a "edificare un ospedale per i poveri di Cristo". Nel 1477 l'ospedale riceve un lascito di 5 fiorini per acquistare dei letti. San Giovanni Entro le mura castellane, nel Terziere di Porta Nuova, a confine della chiesa di San Giovanni (odierna via Mancini). Il 4 giugno 1455 il vescovo di Gubbio, Antonio Severi, tratta con la comunità di Fratta la cessione di un rimbocco posto fra la chiesa di San Giovanni e la casa dell'ospedale. Le sei persone nominate dal Comune per trattare la questione cedono tale pezzo di via al Vescovado a patto che serva "per i poveri dell'ospedale" e che nel termine dei sei anni il lavoro di ampliamento sia compiuto. Si trattava quindi di unire, con una nuova costruzione, la casa dell'ospedale alla chiesa di San Giovanni, in modo da ingrandire l'ospedale. Sant'Erasmo Si trovava nel Borgo Superiore, nella zona centrale detta il "Mercatale", aderente alla chiesa omonima. L’edificio è tuttora visibile nella sua interezza, anche se adibito ad abitazione. Era tenuto dai frati di Sant'Agostino, che facevano da infermieri. Aveva dei terreni in proprietà ed era il più grande ospedale di Fratta. I medici Nel Quattrocento, in Fratta esiste la figura del medico generico, detto "fisico" e quella del chirurgo, il "cerusico". Uno di questi svolgeva la funzione di medico "condotto", assunto dalla comunità che ne stabiliva diritti e doveri in un contratto notarile dal quale risultavano i casi nei quali poteva farsi pagare dai clienti e le visite ai molti poveri che doveva effettuare gratuitamente. Nell'eventualità in cui il medico aveva a che fare con una malattia molto grave o allora sconosciuta, poteva ricorrere alla clausola "pro corpore mortuo": per contratto non si assumeva responsabilità se l'ammalato moriva. In altri casi prospettava alla famiglia del malato (pagante) due somme alternative: se il congiunto guariva, avrebbe avuto la somma maggiore; se invece la cura non aveva effetto e il paziente passava a miglior vita, si sarebbe accontentato della somma minore. In questo secolo lavorano in Fratta soltanto medici ebrei. Uno di questi, maestro Manuele da Monticolo (Bolzano), operò in Fratta dal 1447. Negli anni 1484 e 1485 opera un altro "fisico" ebreo, Manuele da Pavia. Nel 1485 arriva l'israelita Emanuele di Angelo, da Padova, che abitava a Perugia. Forse ci si chiederà come mai le comunità assumessero medici ebrei. Perchè venivano pagati la metà di un medico cristiano. Il salario infatti era di 25 fiorini l’anno per un ebreo, 50 o 60 per un cristiano. Era la conseguenza dell'ostracismo dello Stato Romano verso gli ebrei e non delle differenti capacità professionali dei medici. Gli ebrei valevano come i cristiani, quando non erano addirittura più abili e più preparati. La peste La peste, presente di continuo a brevi intervalli, era la peggiore malattia che potesse capitare in questo secolo. Abbiamo poche notizie relative al nostro paese, ma siccome il contagio colpiva vaste zone, quando l'epidemia si manifestava a Città di Castello e a Perugia, sicuramente Fratta non ne era immune. Nel 1438, ad esempio, un farmacista di Fratta scrive un elenco di medicamenti da usarsi contro la peste, tra i quali, principalmente, 1'aceto. Nel 1400 la peste colpisce l'Italia centrale, soprattutto la Toscana. A Perugia e nel contado morirono 35mila (!) persone e migliaia di decessi si contarono anche a Città di Castello. Stando così le cose, pure a Fratta ci saranno stati molti contagi e conseguentemente parecchie vittime. Nel 1411 e nel 1417 la peste imperversa di nuovo. Nell'ultimo anno colpisce particolarmente Anghiari. Nel 1429 tornò a Perugia e in tutto il suo territorio, Fratta compresa. A seguito di questo la Magistratura perugina ordinò per la prima volta di controllare la salubrità delle carni in vendita nelle "beccherie". Nel 1435 scoppiò l'epidemia a Città di Castello, da marzo a novembre, ed alla fine perirono mille tifernati. Nel 1438 peste a Fratta, dove il nostro bravo farmacista descrive i rimedi che secondo lui avrebbero evitato la malattia. Un'altra ondata di contagio arrivò dieci anni più tardi e nel 1463 il morbo colpì ancora duramente Città di Castello. L’anno dopo la peste invase tutto il territorio di Perugia e il 14 settembre 1464 a Montone il Consiglio decide di "ricorrere ai santi del Paradiso per esserne liberati". Sei anni dopo, però, il feudo di Braccio Fortebracci sarà di nuovo sotto il contagio. Dal 1467 al 1476 1a peste torna ad intervalli regolari nell'intero Perugino. Nel 1478 abbiamo la notizia della peste a Fratta. Città di Castello non ne fu immune e contò cinquecento morti. L’anno successivo, a ottobre, ricominciò la pestilenza. Colpì in particolare Gubbio e Perugia. Durò tre anni e nella sola città di Sant'Ubaldo morirono quattromila persone. Nel luglio del 1468 scoppiò ancora a Perugia. Qui dimorava Pico della Mirandola che fu costretto ad abbandonare la città e a rifugiarsi a Fratta dove, in quel il momento, il morbo non si era manifestato. Questa tremenda epidemia tormentò la nostra zona e l'Italia intera ancora per molti secoli, senza che alcuna cura potesse aiutare le popolazioni. L’aceto ed altre sostanze di sapore aspro, considerate i rimedi più efficaci (anche in un grande trattato del 1610 presente nella biblioteca Vaticana), con i quali si lavavano gli abiti, i cibi e ci si cospargeva il corpo, servivano solo, purtroppo, a rendere ancor più dura la vita del tempo. Le guerre Ladislao, re di Napoli, sconvolgeva i territori dell'Italia centrale, intenzionato a conquistarne buona parte. II 25 giugno 1408 entra in Perugia. I Fiorentini ed il Papa tentano di contrastarlo con ogni mezzo e i Toscani chiamano Lodovico d'Angiò (incoronato re di Napoli dal Papa) per contrapporlo a Ladislao. Lodovico entrò negli stati della Chiesa con Malatesta da Pesaro, Angiolo della Pergola e Braccio Fortebracci. Quest'ultimo, prima di unirsi al d'Angiò, si era portato a Città di Castello e nei pressi di Fratta aveva sconfitto Giulio Cesare da Capua, capitano del re Ladislao, forte di duemila cavalieri. Nel 1411 Braccio Fortebracci tornò in Umbria, sorprese Montone e Fratta seminando distruzione e spavento, si diresse poi verso Perugia, che conquistò nel 1416, due anni dopo la morte di Ladislao. Scomparso Martino V nel 1431, Niccolò Fortebracci, nipote di Braccio, giunse a Città di Castello e in pochi giorni s'impadronì di gran parte dell'alta valle del Tevere. I perugini tentarono con ogni mezzo di dissuaderlo, ma alla fine tutto risultò vano. Più efficace si rivelò l'annuncio dell'arrivo di un esercito inviato dai Fiorentini ed altri alleati, tra i quali i conti di Montefeltro: oltre quattromila cavalli e molti fanti stavano dirigendosi verso il territorio tifernate, ma Niccolò Fortebracci non ne attese l'arrivo ritirando le forze a Montone, dove provvide a organizzare la difesa. E quando il 18 luglio 1431 seppe che i Fiorentini erano rientrati in Toscana, uscì da Montone, piombò sui castelli vicini conquistandoli. Il 12 agosto giunse alla Fratta Niccolò Piccinino con centocinquanta cavalli, diretto in Romagna; l'anno seguente arriveranno tremila fanti e cavalieri al comando di Francesco Sforza, in lotta con Niccolò Fortebracci, e notevoli danni provocheranno agli abitanti. Successivamente si aggiungeranno i soldati di Francesco Piccinino e dell'arcivescovo di Napoli governatore di Perugia, i quali, in contrasto tra loro, transiteranno per il territorio di Fratta e apporteranno lutti e violenze. Fratta vide giungere nel suo territorio, nel 1475, una gran moltitudine di persone per una sommossa scoppiata nel territorio tifernate. Nel 1479 si riaccese violenta la lotta tra Perugia e Fiorentini ed il nostro territorio subì ingenti danni. Molti castelli vennero distrutti, gli abitanti crudelmente uccisi. Capitano dell'esercito fiorentino era Niccolò Vitelli, scomunicato dal Papa. Dal 1488, alle lotte tra popolani (raspanti) e nobili (beccherini) a Perugia se ne aggiunsero altre, coinvolte le famiglie Baglioni e Degli Oddi, con disastrose conseguenze per tutti. I Degli Oddi furono cacciati, ma tentarono di procurarsi alleati e soldati, specialmente nel Ducato di Urbino, per rientrare in città. La venuta in Italia di Carlo VIII e la politica del Papa offrirono loro l'occasione per tentare di recuperare Perugia. I luoghi di rifugio dei fuorusciti erano tre: il territorio dei duchi di Urbino, parenti di alcuni Papi, di Siena e Fratta, dove volsero inizialmente le armi i Baglioni, informati che in questa zona avevano trovato asilo i Degli Oddi. Era l’anno 1495: all'abbazia di San Salvatore di Monte Acuto (Montecorona) giunsero Guido ed Astorre Baglioni con mille fanti e duecento cavalli; si riorganizzarono in fretta, andando a piazzare le artiglierie nei pressi della chiesetta di San Pietro di Romeggio. Ai primi colpi, gli uomini del Baglioni si resero conto che i proietti facevano più danno alle case che alle mura di Fratta, essendo queste a terrapieno. D'altra parte numerose erano le sortite degli assediati che quotidianamente riuscivano a ricevere aiuti da Assisi, Urbino, Matelica, Siena, Foligno e da altre terre amiche. I Folignati, intanto, si erano fatti promotori della formazione di un esercito che, verso la fine di agosto, al comando di Niccolò e Sforza Degli Oddi, si stava dirigendo alla Fratta. I Baglioni, conosciuta l'iniziativa, abbandonarono l'assedio di Fratta e ritornarono a Perugia, inseguiti dai nemici fino a Corciano. La battaglia fu combattuta il 4 settembre 1495 con vittoria dei Baglioni. Fratta, una settimana dopo, temendo rappresaglie per aver dato ospitalità ai Degli Oddi, tornò a sottomettersi ai Perugini. Fonti: Calendario di Umbertide 2004 – Ed. Comune di Umbertide – 2004 Renato Codovini: Storia di Umbertide - Il Secolo XV. Dattiloscritto inedito, 1992 A. Guerrini: Storia della terra di Fratta ora Umbertide dalle sue origini fino all'anno 1845 - Tipografia Tiberina, Umbertide, 1883 PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA A FRATTA Arrivò nell’antico borgo fortificato nell’estate 1486 Giovanni Pico della Mirandola e Fratta: un connubio che dette risultati fecondi. Il grande umanista, originario appunto di Mirandola, in provincia di Modena, celebre per le capacità intellettuali e la prodigiosa memoria, arrivò nell'estate del 1486, spinto da un'epidemia di peste scoppiata a Perugia dove si era rifugiato in seguito alla burrascosa vicenda amorosa con la moglie di Giuliano di Mariotto de' Medici, fiorentino. II borgo fortificato di Fratta offriva garanzie di un buon isolamento sanitario dal contagio, essendo completamente circondato dalle acque ed avendo soltanto due ingressi (la porta del torrione decagonale all'inizio del ponte sul Tevere e la porta della Campana), dai quali era facile controllare ogni persona che entrasse. A Fratta trovò un ambiente sereno, tranquillo nonostante gli echi delle lotte politiche tra Perugia, il Papato, Firenze e Città di Castello. Non è fuori luogo pensare che alloggiasse in una qualche casa del Terziere Superiore, a contatto con la folta e ricca comunità israelitica locale. Opportunità unica per uno studioso di cultura e di lingua ebraica. Di pari passo, Pico migliorò le proprie conoscenze anche in aramaico ed arabo per approfondire quelli che chiamava i tesori delle letterature orientali: Zoroastro, gli Oracoli dei Maghi, gli scritti di Esra e Melchiar. Rapporti molto intensi con quel mondo, quantunque anche a Fratta spirassero i venti della crociata antisemitica promossa dal frate minore Bernardino da Feltre. Sono dello stesso periodo "Commento alla canzone d'amore" di Girolamo Benivieni, "Elogio della pace" e lettere a personaggi di chiara fama: Taddeo Ugolini, Marsilio Ficino, Domenico Benivieni. Alcune lettere scritte da Pico durante la sua permanenza a Fratta si traducono in uno spaccato della vita sociale del tempo. Intanto, completa l"'Oratio de dignitate hominis", considerata il manifesto del Rinascimento. Secondo fico, la dignità dell'uomo è nell'assoluta libertà di scelta, nell'essere aperto a qualsiasi possibilità di vita. Nessuno ha una "natura" predeterminata da leggi, stretta entro limiti precisi. Libero "fabbro" di se stesso, a differenza delle altre creature, l'uomo può scegliere tra decadere al rango dei bruti o sollevarsi al divino, attuando in sé, ancora mortale, la congiunzione del finito e dell'infinito. Concezione "rivoluzionaria", nata all'ombra della Rocca e maturata da fonti eterogenee quali Platone, Aristotele, Ermete Trismegisto, Tommaso d'Aquino, la Cabala. Poco prima della morte, avvenuta nel 1494 a soli 31 anni, Pico della Mirandola si accostò alla predicazione di Girolamo Savonarola, alla cui difesa si dedicò appassionatamente, scrivendo due opere rivolte alle autorità ecclesiastiche ed una lettera intesa a sollevare l'opinione pubblica. Tutto inutile: il 23 maggio 1498 fra' Savonarola venne condannato ed arso a Firenze, accusato di eresia. Il soggiorno di Pico a Fratta fu quindi fecondo. E c'è da essere orgogliosi che abbia scritto proprio qui il manifesto del Rinascimento e la più alta celebrazione della centralità e libertà dell'uomo nel suo rapporto con Dio. Testi presi direttamente dal volume di Pietro Vispi “Il soggiorno e l’opera di G. Pico della Mirandola ad Umbertide” Dalla prefazione (o meglio non prefazione, come la definisce l’autore Gianni Codovini) “All’Autore (e non solo) Innanzitutto un grazie per averci restituito un pagina veramente alta della nostra Fratta, nonché per averci consegnato un rigoroso esempio di ricerca storica e un coerente metodo di lavoro, che sembra derivato non solo dai suoi profondi studi teologici e giuridici, ma anche mutuato da una persona - Renato Codovini - alla quale la città di Umbertide, ed io stesso in primis, dobbiamo gratitudine e stima, tanto per il suo essere l'inarrivabile fonte archivistica locale quanto per il suo meticoloso e discreto modo di orientare giovani studiosi ed esperti ricercatori nello studio storico e documentario. Non credo di allontanarmi dal vero, o perlomeno di non far violenza alla volontà dell'Autore se affermo che, Don Pietro Vispi, con l'abituale sensibilità intellettuale che conosciamo ed apprezziamo, riconosce il debito metodologico nei confronti di Renato Codovini in quella affettuosa e bella dedica in calce al libro che, credo, tutti condividano. Nel congedarmi dall'Autore e dal Lettore, consegno una mia impressione generale che vado sempre più confermando, che è quella poi di un intellettuale a me caro, Benedetto Croce: «ogni vera storia è storia contemporanea»(1). Condizione prima ed essenziale della storia - scrive Croce - è che il fatto, che si prende a narrare, vibri nell'animo dello storico. Ne consegue che ogni storia «se è davvero storia se cioè ha un senso e non suoni come discorso a vuoto», è contemporanea, sia che prenda in esame eventi remoti sia che consideri fatti vicini o presenti. Tale la morale generale che ho rafforzato leggendo il prezioso libro di Pietro Vispi.” Umbertide, settembre 1995 Umbertide, Tishri 5756. Gianni Codovini Note: 1. Vds. B. Croce, “Teoria e Storia”; Laterza, Bari, 1976, pp. 1-5, ma anche “La storia come pensiero e azione”, Laterza, Bari; 1938, pp. 170-172. Il soggiorno a Perugia ed in Fratta “Il periodo di tempo che riguarda il soggiorno perugino e poi a Fratta è in verità molto breve, ma, se rapportato alla brevissima vita del conte, e soprattutto poi a quanto e come in questo breve lasso egli abbia prodotto, potremmo quasi dire che sia stato uno dei più importanti vissuti da Pico. Come già detto nelle brevi note biografiche, nella primavera del 1486 Pico è di ritorno da Parigi e, dopo aver sostato qualche tempo a Firenze, volendo, pare, dirigersi alla volta di Roma, allorché fu in Arezzo, il 10 di maggio, si trovò invischiato nella non chiara faccenda del rapimento di Margherita, moglie di Mariotto de' Medici. Come sappiamo, l'intervento del Magnifico mise fuori dai guai Pico, che, o per già deciso programma, o per altra ragione a noi sconosciuta, si ritira a Perugia. Nasce abbastanza spontanea la domanda: come mai Perugia? Una risposta potrebbe essere data guardando bene gli interessi di Pico contemporanei all'avvenimento. Giovanni aveva finora studiato con estrema profondità la filosofia specialmente aristotelica e averroistica, ma proprio questo studio “chiariva al Pico l'urgenza di risolvere il problema dei rapporti fra le sempre più ardite sue dottrine e la religione cattolica, quale è insegnata dalla Chiesa di Roma. Sotto l'incalzare di questo problema, anche i suoi studi orientali prendono un indirizzo nuovo. Finora sotto la guida di Elia, aveva soprattutto studiato il pensiero arabo nel suo più grande esponente: Averroè. Ora si volge verso pensatori che abbiano fatto oggetto di riflessione l'esperienza religiosa e, partito da Maimonide, si addentra nel campo del pensiero ebraico finché, affascinato dalle più esuberanti correnti mistiche, nelle immaginose interpretazioni simboliche dei testi scritturali crede di aver trovato una soluzione ai suoi problemi e una via di uscita per le sue difficoltà"(1). Così egli comincia a studiare la Cabbala(2), utilizzando questa non tanto dal punto di vista dottrinario, quanto invece come metodo esegetico scritturale. La confidenza con i testi dell'ebraismo era nata già a Padova attraverso l'iniziazione avuta dal del Medigo e continuò poi a Firenze, diventando vera attrazione, in seguito all'amicizia sorta col Mitridate; anzi, abbiamo certa notizia dell'organizzazione, proprio in casa di Pico, di convegni di ebrei per discutere i rapporti di interconnessione filosofica fra ebraismo e cristianesimo. I due maestri però non proponevano a Giovanni la stessa ottica; l'uno, Elia, israelita ortodosso, conosceva la Cabbala ma la rigettava come sapere spurio, l'altro, convertito al cristianesimo, era invece un fervente cabbalista. La differenza tra i due fu la causa di una reciproca inimicizia che durò tutta la vita; Pico comunque non interruppe i rapporti né con l'uno né con l'altro. Il giovane conte resta dunque affascinato “dalla dottrina misteriosa, che Elia e Mitridate gli espongono; con notevole spesa egli si procura quei libri che legge con indefessa fatica; il risultato di tali letture è che Pico trova addirittura nei documenti della cabbala , oltre a dottrine filosofiche degne di Pitagora e di Platone, la conferma piena dei fondamentali misteri del cristianesimo, tanto osteggiati dagli ebrei intransigenti”(3). Perugia, per quanto diremo nel capitolo seguente, era il luogo adatto ed ideale per la conoscenza e l'approfondimento dei testi cabalistici, luogo con una forte e colta comunità israelitica, centro di produzione di codici e città qualificata da uno Studio di ormai antico prestigio. Del soggiorno perugino abbiamo molte testimonianze ricavabili dagli scritti di Pico, di Elia(4), del Ficino, e proprio a Perugia Giovanni fu raggiunto da Elia del Medigo; un ricco e fecondo colloquio intercorse tra i due, ma fu presto interrotto: nel luglio a Perugia scoppia un'epidemia di peste che consiglia l'allontanamento dalla città. Il rifugio, da Pico, fu trovato in Fratta. Noi non sappiamo i motivi precisi della scelta, ma forse, proprio la presenza nel piccolo centro di una qualificata comunità ebraica, oltre il tranquillo isolamento anche sanitario, che il munito nucleo urbano poteva offrire, non dovrebbero essere stati argomenti ignorati da Pico. Va poi sottolineato un particolare che, per quanto accidentale, ci ha molto incuriosito: nell' Oratio, allorché Pico afferma che la cabbala stessa diviene strumento di confutazione per gli ebrei... “integralisti”, egli ci dice di aver convinto alla dottrina trinitaria cristiana un coltissimo israelita, esperto di cabbala, di nome Dattilo(5). Sappiamo noi per certo, e lo illustreremo nel capitoletto apposito, che di sicuro uno dei massimi esponenti della comunità ebraica perugina, originario ed abitante di Fratta, era, all'epoca di Pico, proprio un certo Dattilo di Salomone, facoltoso banchiere. È solo sicuramente una pura coincidenza, quella appena descritta, e da questa non vogliamo certamente trarre conclusioni indimostrabili; essa tuttavia è causa di legittime suggestive fantasie. Due parole vogliamo spenderle a chiusura di questa parte per dimostrare come la Fratta, nella quale Pico si trattiene, sia l'attuale Umbertide. È vera la constatazione che di “Fracta” o “Fratta” la toponomastica del perugino ne annovera più di una: Fracta Filiorum Azzonis (Collazzone), Fracta Filiorum Fusci (Castiglion Fosco), Fratta di Guido (F. Todina), Fratta Cornia (nei pressi di Lisciano Niccone), ecc., però, nessuna mai viene citata in alcun documento senza la specificazione patronimica. L'unica Fratta, per antonomasia, in quanto anche centro senza dubbio più ragguardevole degli altri, e massima fortezza perugina, è Fracta Filiorum Uberti, che nella seconda metà dell'ottocento muterà il proprio nome in quello di Umbertide. Già dal 1145, in un diploma di Eugenio III, pubblicato negli annali camaldolesi(6) - e sempre in seguito, così come del resto fa lo stesso Pico e come sempre si riscontra nella cartografia ufficiale pontificia - Fracta Filiorum Uberti viene indicata col solo termine di "Fratta" o Fracta" senza il timore di cadere in equivoci di interpretazione o di definizione toponomastica. Giunge pertanto Pico nella nostra regione, desideroso di studi, di approfondimenti personali, di serenità, in previsione del grande progetto romano. Egli trova una realtà ambientale ed umana che certamente gli aggrada e lo stimola se qui rimane fino all'immediata vigilia della, purtroppo mai sostenuta, disputa.” Pietro Vispi Note: 1. E. Garin, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Vita e Dottrina, Firenze, 1937, p. 27. 2. La Cabbala, o Cabala, significa “tradizione”, e divenne una delle componenti culturali del Rinascimento. Essa non è di facile definizione, consiste sostanzialmente in una forma di misticismo giudaico tuttora non molto studiato. Tale misticismo ebbe buona diffusione nel Rinascimento, e specialmente nel mondo cristiano fu utilizzato come metodo di esegesi biblica. La chiesa è sempre risultata diffidente nei confronti della cabbala tanto che dalla controriforma in qua essa venne vietata, così come tutti i testi di origine ebraica. 3. G. Di Napoli, op. cit., 55. 4. Cfr. Heliae Hebrei Cretensis, questio de ente et essentia et uno. Venetiis, 1546, fol. 142/r (volume contenente Super octos libros Aristotelis…, di Giovanni di Jandun) 5. Cfr. Oratio…, Trad. di E. Garin, fol. 139/r., Firenze, 1942. Foto di Fabio Mariotti Disegno di Adriano Bottaccioli Fonti: - Calendario di Umbertide 2004 – Ed. Comune di Umbertide – 2004 - Renato Codovini: Storia di Umbertide - Il Secolo XV. Dattiloscritto inedito, 1992 - Pietro Vispi: Il soggiorno e l’opera di G. Pico della Mirandola ad Umbertide – Ed. Comune di Umbertide - 1996 Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) La Rocca nel 1912 ed oggi. Nella foto più antica si può vedere il torrione laterale ancora coperto e le facciate della case diverse da oggi La zona dove si pensa esistesse la gualchiera Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) 1911. Il calzolaio a Montecorona Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) Disegni di Adriano Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) Disegni di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) L'Abbazia di Montecorona La chiesa di Romeggio Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004) Disegno di A. Bottaccioli (Calendario di Umbertide 2004)

Write a title here. Click to edit and add your own. This is a paragraph area where you can add your own text. Just click “Edit Text” or double click here to add your own content and make changes to the font. It's a great place to tell a story about your business and let users know more about you. Track Name Artist Name 00:00 / 01:04 Arrivi e Partenze Il popolamento di Umbertide.... Partenze Settimio Presciutti A cura di Loredana Presciutti "Settimio Presciutti nasce nel 1924 e sposa nel 1951 Annunziata Bomboletti più giovane di tre anni, nata nel 1927... Carlos Tonanni A cura di Francesco Deplanu Jaboticabal, in Brasile, in 50 anni passò da essere un villaggio ad una città: era una “parrocchia” nel 1848, venne smembrata dal distretto di “São Bento de Araraquara” e passò ad avere lo status di “città” nel 1902. ... Gino Monsignori A cura di Miriam Monsignori Mio padre, Gino Monsignori, nell’estate del 1954 è un giovanotto ambizioso di appena 22 anni che desidera... Carlo Becchetti A cura di Francesco Deplanu Carlo Becchetti, nato nel 1936 in una famiglia mezzadrile, con un il fratello Primo di 14 anni più grande, emigrò in Svizzera per poi tornare. Write a title here. Click to edit and add your own. This is a paragraph area where you can add your own text. Just click “Edit Text” or double click here to add your own content and make changes to the font. It's a great place to tell a story about your business and let users know more about you. Il popolamento di Umbertide.... Arrivi Ashley Amerson Product Manager Brad Grecco Marketing Associate Kelly Parker HR Representative Marcus Harris Account Director

Historical characters from the nineteenth century to antiquity In this subsection we propose the biographies of some characters who played a role in the history of the city in the period from the nineteenth century to antiquity. Pietro Burelli Domenico Bruni Zelmirina Agnolucci Filippo Alberti Ernesto Freguglia Giuseppe Savelli Antonio Guerrini Annibale Mariotti Pietro G. Petrogalli Francesco Mavarelli San Savino di Fratta Alessandro Magi Spinetti Giuliano Bovicelli Luigi Vibi I Cibo di Fratta Cesare Bartolelli - Cristoforo Petrogalli Giovanni Tommaso Pao(u)lucci Fabrizio Stella Giovan Battista Spoletini Orazio Mancini La famiglia Spunta di Fratta Filippo e Giovan Battista Fracassini Giovanni Mauri Bernardino Sermigni Giovanni Pachino - Cintio Paulucci Lavinio Magi - P. Paolo Cristiani Cherubino Martelli - Felice Remeri La famiglia Soli - Sante Pellicciari Costantino Magi - Angelo Martinelli - Francesco Spinetti Bernardino Magi - Muzio Flori Lodovico Flori Massimo Martinelli Leopoldo Grilli Pietro Burelli Pietro Burelli Military engineer in the service of the Serenissima curated by Fabio Mariotti Pietro Burelli, son of Tommaso "distinguished scholar", was born in Fratta in 1584. From a very young age he showed great talent and a marked aptitude for mathematical sciences. The historian Antonio Guerini, in his work " History of the land of Fratta, now Umbertide - 1883 " says that " civil and military architecture was preferably his main passion in order to open up a more splendid field on the streets of honor, he gave himself totally to a career in arms ". For this he went to Spain, then engaged in a bloody war with the Turks, where he reached the rank of captain. He became particularly adept at building countryside fortifications that resisted the assault of cavalry and infantry. For this reason, when he returned to Italy, he put himself at the service of the Most Serene Venetian Republic, recommended to Doge Niccolò Donatuti by the General Superintendent in Terra Ferma Benedetto Moro, with a very rich commission of 800 scudi a year. In this on activity in the Veneto region he undertook the restoration and restructuring of the bastions of Palmanova and the grandiose project of the fortress of Verona, a city in which, surprised by a serious illness, he died in 1642 at the age of 58. Article published in the December 2019 issue of " Local Information ". Il 18 dicembre 1960, 59 anni fa, l’amministrazione comunale intitolò una via a Pietro Burelli. Chi era questo personaggio ritenuto degno del titolo di una via e quanti umbertidesi oggi conoscono la sua storia? Per approfondire la storia di Pietro Burelli, di cui trattò nella sua opera il Guerini, è stata fondamentale la ricerca storica del Col. Pilota dott. Giuseppe Cozzari presso l’archivio storico della città di Venezia, con la preziosa collaborazione dello storico Renato Codovini per la trascizione dei testi. Oltre ad alcune lettere che testimoniano l’iter per l’assunzione del nostro antenato come ingegnere militare esperto in fortificazioni difensive, il Cozzari ha ritrovato anche un manoscritto originale che illustra in maniera dettagliata, anche con precise immagini, il funzionamento di una nuova arma da guerra, il “Trabucco”, ideata dal Burelli. Sources: Fabio Mariotti. The documentation was found in the historical archive of the Municipality of Venice by Dr. Giuseppe Cozzari and transcribed from the vernacular by the historian Renato Codovini. DOMENICO BRUNI Great opera singer curated by Fabio Mariotti Domenico Bruni He was born in Fratta on February 28, 1758, to Pietro, the master mason, and Francesca Brischi. Already at an early age he showed a good disposition to singing. Domenico's father belonged to the Compagnia della S. Croce. It is therefore probable that the young man learned the first rudiments of music in the school of the Company, starting from 1764. Bruni's debut at Fratta, with a soprano voice, is in 1772, at the age of 14. At the age of 15, according to a cruel custom of that time, often adopted by poor families who had children particularly gifted in singing, Domenico was emasculated. This made him one of the most important emasculated singers of the time. His first performance in a large theater, the Alibert in Rome, dates back to 1776. From 1780 to 1787 he sang in some of the most important Italian theaters and his fame began to cross national borders. In 1787 he was called to the court of Catherine II of Russia, where he arrived after a long and adventurous journey and where he remained until 1790. The most important years of his career go from 1791 to 1796. In this period he was also called to London where he performed in 1793. The debut as a professional singer in his city is dated 8 September 1795, during the Feast of the Madonna della Reggia, probably in the Collegiate Church. After his career, Bruni returned in 1797 to Fratta where, in consideration of the fame he had achieved and despite the opposition of the rich local notables who did not want to accept him among themselves, he was elected Prior of the Confraternity of San Bernardino. This important task was entrusted to him again from 1805 to 1807, while in 1804 and from 1816 to 1818 he was appointed Depositary (today we would say cashier) of the same Confraternity. Relations with the Compagnia della SS Concezione date back to 1795. In 1814 he was elected Prior, while in 1812 and from 1819 to 1821, the year of his death, he was appointed Depositary. Bruni's deep ties with the local Confraternities are also demonstrated by the will, where he asked for his body to be buried in the church of San Bernardino and left an annual legacy of 10 scudi to the Confraternity. Domenico Bruni's name is also inextricably linked to the Theater. On 4 August 1808, in fact, he was appointed president of the Accademia dei Riuniti. During that meeting the municipality was asked the possibility of using the entire building where the theater room was located in order to create a real theater, what is still called Teatro dei Riuniti, whose works were completed in 1814. . Sources: - Nicola Lucarelli: "Domenico Bruni (1758 - 1821) - Biography of an emasculated singer" - Ed. Municipality of Umbertide, 1992 - Text published in the "Calendar of Umbertide 1998" - Ed. Municipality of Umbertide, 1998 Zelmirina Agnolucci ZELMIRINA AGNOLUCCI Popular opera singer SINGING FOR THE Czar OF RUSSIA NICHOLAS II by Amedeo Massetti She bore the name of her grandmother, Zelmirina, her maternal grandmother Zelmira Savelli (1) , wife of Gabriele Santini, whose homonymous grandson would become internationally renowned conductor (2) . The mother, Maria Santini, fifth of the seven children of Gabriele and Zelmira, born in 1848 (3) , had married Francesco Agnolucci, 1851, great young violinist director, from 1871 to 1875, of the school municipal music of Umbertide, teacher of many children. He will also conduct, highly esteemed, many philharmonic and musical bands in various cities of Italy. Zelmirina was born in Umbertide in 1879. She had breathed the notes since she was a child listening to the sweet melodies played by her father in their large country house. She had studied singing, graduating as a soprano with Pietro Mascagni at the “G. Rossini ”in Pesaro (4) , where he went twice a month in a horse-drawn carriage. The first performance in the theater in Umbertide We find it for the first time on the evening of April 4, 1898 at the “Teatro dei Signori Riuniti” in a show of some importance that deserved the honors of the chronicles (5). Everything was organized "for the benefit of the sightless singer Emilia Giannuzzi", passing through Umbertide, who performed in front of a large and passionate audience. The theater, in fact, despite the rain for many days and the weather discouraging the evening outings, was crowded, "the boxes overflowed with representatives of the gentle sex". This in spite of a humid Lent evening, a Monday that began Holy Week. But Giannuzzi was a good soprano and they sang next to her the Umbertidesi Zelmirina Agnolucci, occasionally in the role of contralto, “very admired”, and Giulio Santini, known and appreciated baritone (6). A great local musician, Massimo Martinelli, director of the Municipal Concert, always present in important musical events, accompanied them on the piano. Zelmirina had performed several times at the Morlacchi theater in Perugia as a dramatic soprano, starting a demanding career that had already given her various satisfactions (7). He then began his artistic career by singing in companies of national level. His Mimì in the "Bohème" at the prestigious "Coccia" of Novara (8) during the 1899 Carnival (9) is memorable and the interpretation, in the same theater, of the "Devil's Trill" by Stanislao Falchi (10), in the splendid stage costumes. The tour in Russia But the first major tour of his life was the one he undertook at the beginning of the twentieth century: he would take her to St. Petersburg, to sing for Tsar Nicholas II. The girl, twenty-one, she left with her father Francesco Agnolucci, after signing a contract with the impresario for exhibitions in various cities on the long way to the capital of the Russian empire. We find her in this adventurous artistic journey, in March 1900, at the Grand Theater of Vilna (11) where he sings in the "Cavalleria Rusticana" together with Luisa De Sirianna, Carolina Zawner, Federico Percopo (tenor), Giuseppe Pimazzoni and Ignazio Pompa (12). The next stop was the Theater Riga National (13), in May 1900, together with Ernesto Pettinari and again with the baritone Ignazio Pompa (14). Great success at the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg But the most important performance was at the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg, where Tsar Nicholas II sat in the audience (15). It was a great success and the young soprano impressed with her skill and beauty Wassili Elisiewch Lithewsky, noble councilor of the Tsar (galavà), governor of Vitebsk, now a city of Belarus. During Zelmira's stay in St. Petersburg there was an intense acquaintance between the two which resulted in the Russian noble's request for marriage. The girl's father agreed, and had to pay the entrepreneur a large sum to compensate for the commitments that Zelmira would have to fulfill upon his return. Marriage with the Russian nobleman Wassili E. Lithewsky The wedding was celebrated in Vitebsk after not a few difficulties: Wassili even spent a few days locked up in a military fortress for not having asked the Tsar for permission to marry, as was prescribed for officers; but the impetus to marry the young soprano had made him forget every procedure of his role. Wassili was born in Ekaterinodar (16), on the Black Sea, in 1860 and was almost twenty years older than the girl, a charismatic and charming forty-year-old. The couple settled in the city ruled by their husband and began a happy life together. Two children were born soon: Boris in 1901 and Elena in 1904. Wassili was so in love that he built a theater in their sumptuous palace in Vitebsk where his wife put on shows in which she performed in the singing roles. A large adjoining room housed a specimen of every musical instrument existing at the time: incomparable, precious furnishings, desired by Wassili, by his love for Zelmira, by his artistic sensitivity (17). Francesco Agnolucci stayed for some time in Russia close to his daughter, then returned to Italy. He died in 1917 in his house in Rio, on the border between the towns of Montone and Umbertide, at the age of 66 (18). The return to Italy with her husband and two children In 1914 Zelmirina left with Wassili for Italy to introduce her mother Maria and the Agnolucci family to her husband and children. The Lithewskys stayed for a few months but Wassili, after the First World War broke out, being an official of the Tsar, had to return to Russia; his wife and children remained at home; Boris and Elena completed their studies in Italy. "Stay here" - Wassili had told them - "when the war ends I will come and pick you up". After the Russian Revolution, Wassili was forced into hiding But in October 1917, in the middle of the world conflict, the Bolshevik revolution broke out in Russia. All classes of the nobility were legally abolished. Wassili had to hide to escape arrest and was forced to live in hiding for a long time, aided by his own farmers. Her relatives had been killed with summary executions, without trial, including the two sisters Barbara and Alessandra, schoolmates of Elena of Montenegro, who later became the wife of Vittorio Emanuele III of Savoy. Only nine years later, in November 1926, "General Lithewsky" managed to get in touch with the Italian foreign ministry through official diplomatic channels. Through the consulate in Odessa, in present day Ukraine, he obtained a passport with relative visa; for a moment the darkness seemed to clear but the operation was not successful and the former Tsar's officer had to go back into hiding. In 1929 he managed to send his family a photo of him, addressed with affection to "dear Lolina", his daughter Elena. In Italy, in 1918, due to the great "Spanish flu" which killed 20 million people all over the world, the eldest son Boris had died when he was only seventeen years old. The loss of her son had upset Zelmirina. Wassili Lithewsky spent very hard times in Russia: for almost ten years his relatives in Italy had not been able to receive news. Amid enormous difficulties, he went clandestinely in various parts of the territory, fleeing into the deserts of Central Asia, supported only by the desire to see his owners again. In the early thirties of the twentieth century, the climate calmed a little, the family research began: the son-in-law, Dr. Carlo Alberto Angelini, husband of Elena, knew well and contacted the Italian ambassador in Moscow, Bernardo Attolico; he also asked for the intervention of the Red Cross. Even the engineer Adolfo Ghisalberti, grandson of Maria Santini (19) got involved in the research. Finally he was able to find him in the Gobi desert, in Mongolia, and to organize his return: in the summer of 1932 Wassili was able to leave for Italy. Carlo Alberto Angelini went to pick him up at the port of Genoa. His physique was very weak: several times it was necessary to support him during the transfers of the trip. After countless ups and downs, the return to the family When the Tsar's adviser arrived in Umbertide, on his way to the country house in Rio, hollow face, white lace, almond-shaped eyes, many people noticed the rich dress of a Russian nobleman which gave his tall and majestic figure an aura of charm and mystery. . Zelmirina, despite her joy, suffered a great shock upon the arrival of her husband whom she had had to leave a long time ago. The second child, Elena, who saw him again after 15 years, stopped breastfeeding her daughter Viola due to the trauma (20). Wassili finally settled in the large house of the Agnolucci family. An avid smoker, he slept with the light of a candle on the bedside table because when he woke up he had an urgent need to light a cigarette. But the elderly aristocrat will not be able to enjoy the warmth of the newly found family for long because he died of pulmonary emphysema only three months later (21). Zelmirina's death on 5 July 1944 Zelmirina, bent by the adversities of life, suffering in her youth (22) from a viral form of lethargic encephalitis (23), fell ill with Parkinson's disease and spent the last few years in suffering. She was lovingly assisted in her illness by her son-in-law, Carlo Alberto Angelini, doctor, husband of his daughter Elena. He died on 5 July 1944, the day of Umbertide's Liberation (24), invoking his beloved son Boris, at the "Palazzo della Tramontana", the current villa owned by Cozzari along the road leading to Migianella (25), then owned by Agnolucci . 30th September 2013 Sources: Historical research by Amedeo Massetti Published in March 2014 on n.52 of "Altotiberine Pages" by the Historical Association of the Upper Tiber Valley. Reduced text published in the "Calendar of Umbertide 2015" - Ed. Municipality of Umbertide 2015 Notes to the text: 1 Zelmira, born in Umbertide in 1820, belonged to the Savelli family, living in via Stella; she was the sister of Giuseppe Savelli, mayor of Umbertide several times from 1863 to 1880, and of Don Flaviano, canon and archpriest of the Collegiate Church of S. Maria della Reggia. Zelmira Savelli will die in 1875. 2 Gabriele Santini was born on January 20, 1886; the father was Pio Santini, the mother Carmela Nolaschi. He studied at the “F. Morlacchi ”cello and piano and later moved to the GB Martini Conservatory of Bologna where he completed his composition studies with G. Minguzzi and P. Micci. He began his career as a conductor as early as 1904 and devoted himself almost exclusively to the operatic genre. After a first period at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome (now the Opera Theater), he was hired by various theaters in Latin America. He stayed for eight seasons at the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires and later at the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago and at the Manhattan Theater in New York. From 1925 to 1929 he was called to the Alla Scala theater in Milan as assistant to maestro Arturo Toscanini. He came back then at the Rome Opera where he remained permanently until 1933 and from 1944 to 1947 he held the position of director here artistic. In 1951 he directed the company of S. Carlo di Napoli in the tour in Paris, for the celebrations of Verdi's fiftieth anniversary. He directed several seasons at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1946 and from 1960 to 1964, the year of his death (From N. LUCARELLI, Gabriele Santini, illustrious from Umbertide, in "Umbertide Cronache", bimonthly periodical of the Municipality of Umbertide, n. 1- 2002, p. 42). 3 A. MASSETTI, Two centuries on the march, Umbertide and the band, Città di Castello, Petruzzi, 2008, p. 139. 4 Testimony of the granddaughter Fiore Angelini. 5 The Liberal Union, April 5, 1998, p. 2. 6 In the second half of the 19th century the baritone voice of Giulio Santini came to the attention of the lyrical mode. In 1872 he was hired as first baritone at the Fermo theater. From here he moved to Sansepolcro and in 1874 he sang at the Teatro Nuovo in Florence as the first absolute baritone, where he collected sensational successes. During his long stay in this city, he also performed in the Bellincioni Hall, in via delle Belle Donne. At the concert, performed on January 30, 1875, Santini participated incognito, perhaps for reasons imposed by his relationship with the new theater. Leaving Florence, he performed for a long time first in Siena, then in Perugia, where he performed 12 performances of Donizetti's “La Favorita”. In February 1879, Santini sang in Verdi's “Luisa Miller” at the Città di Castello theater. The news about him they end with 1880, the year in which he was hired by the Arezzo Theater. Throughout his career he received certificates of esteem and profound appreciation for his professional performances from the entrepreneurs. (R. CODOVINI - R. SCIURPA, Umbertide in the 19th century, Città di Castello, GESP, 2001, p. 307). 7 Testimony of the granddaughter Fiore Angelini. 8 The “Coccia” theater in Novara, one of the major traditional Italian theaters, was inaugurated on 21 January 1888 with the opera “Gli Ugonotti” by Giacomo Meyarbeer, directed by Arturo Tscanini. It is named after Carlo Coccia, chapel master of the Chapter of the Novara cathedral. 9 Documents now in the possession of the niece Viola Angelini. 10 Stanislao Falchi, born in Terni on January 29, 1851, was a pupil of C. Maggi and S. Meluzzi, who started him on the study of composition. In order to achieve a more in-depth preparation, he moved to Rome, where musical studies experienced a lively revival in the climate of cultural renewal in the years following the unification of Italy. In 1877 the musical high school of S. Cecilia was inaugurated, divided into numerous courses: Falchi received the post of teacher of choral singing and in 1882 of normal singing, appointments that gave him particular prestige. He will then be director of choral singing in various schools in Rome from 1883, crowning a splendid didactic career; he will have the chair of counterpoint, fugue and composition in 1890 in the conservatory of S. Cecilia (Biographical Dictionary of the Italians Treccani). 11 Today's Vilnius, then a Russian city, now the state of Lithuania. 12 The baritone Ignazio Pompa, born in Rome in 1860, studied both in Milan and in his city. Success was not long in coming come. Over thirty, he entered various theater companies, from the Castellano Company to Labruna, Granzini, Dazig and sang in important European theaters, from Paris to Le Havre, from Ostend to Liege, to Poltava. He also sang in Smyrna, Athens, Constantinople, Cairo, Alexandria in Egypt. His presence in Russian and Ukrainian theaters, from Smolensk, where he married in 1899, to Wilnius, from St. Petersburg to Minsk, Kursk, Jekaterinoslav, Theodosia, Molitopoli, Kerck, and other Russian and Ukrainian cities, was successfully noticed. He died in London in 1909 (www.museoparigino.org ). 13 Riga, then a Russian city, is now the capital of the Baltic state of Latvia. 14 Ibid. 15 The current Mariinsky Theater, in St. Petersburg. It owes its name to Princess Maria Aleksandrovna and in the past it had, in Soviet times, the name of Kirov Theater, (in honor of Sergej Kirov) and National Academy of Opera and Ballet and, in Tsarist times, Imperial Theater of San Petersburg. 16 The city, since December 1920, has been renamed Krasnodar. 17 Testimony of the niece Viola Angelini. 18 He is buried in the Savelli chapel, in the left hemicycle of the Umbertide cemetery. On his gravestone is the following critta: He dedicated his beautiful art, his illicit industrious life to his wife and his children who with infinite reverent love venerate the tearful memory. 19 Testimony of his daughter Paola Ghisalberti. 20 Testimony of the niece Viola Angelini. 21 Wassili Lithwsky is also buried in the Umbertide cemetery, in the Savelli chapel. 22 The husband had disappeared in the chaos of the Russian revolution and they had not even been able to write to each other anymore. 23 The father of ladies Fiore and Viola, Carlo Alberto Angelini, a doctor, also had contact with Queen Elena who had promoted and funded studies on this disease. 24 On 5 July 1944 Umberttde was liberated by soldiers of the British 8th Army. 25 The villa to the left of those who climb towards Migianella, which is accessed along a path bordered by maritime pines. In the 1930s it belonged to the Agnolucci family. The singer with her son Boris Tsar Nicholas II Zelmirina with her husband Wassili Singer with some of the clothes used on stage FILIPPO ALBERTI Literate and poet curated by Fabio Mariotti He was born on March 26, 1548 in Fratta, to Luca Antonio Alberti and Ippolita Petrogalli. He spent his childhood and adolescence in severe studies and in his early twenties he was elected "coadjutor" of the chancellor of the municipality of Perugia. He soon acquired a reputation as a talented poet. His rhymes had, while he was still alive, two different editions and many of them saw the light in valuable collections of other important and illustrious writers of the time, including the valuable "nine sonnets", written by Our for the "Conversion of Saint Mary Magdalene". He wrote various highly praised works: a book of poems entitled "Rime di Filippo Alberti" printed in Rome and Venice; a beautiful song over the cicada; a tragedy entitled "Cestio Macedonico" whose protagonist was a certain Cestio citizen of Perugia, who having fought with the Romans in the war of Macedonians and in that having been reported for generous actions, he deserved the nickname of Macedonico. Not all of his works were published and many went missing - although we have news and titles - following his long illness and death. Filippo Alberti was held in high regard by personalities of the time such as Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, Cardinals Bonifacio Bevilacqua and Domenico Pinelli and the Marquis Ascanio della Cornia. It was held in honor by men of letters such as the illustrious humanist Marco Antonio Bonciari, Scipione Tolomei, Cesare Crispolti senior, Giovan Battista Lauri, Cesare Caporali, Claudio Contuli and Cesare Alessi. But the main boast for Alberti was the friendship that Torquato Tasso professed to him; friendship based on the esteem that the great poet had for the man of letters from Fratta. Alberti tells us about his acquaintance with Tasso in Ferrara, cultivated through an affectionate correspondence with our Filippo, to whom he also dedicated a sonnet, and did not disdain to ask him for advice on the "Gerusalemme Liberata" and, if he had any, to follow them. Alberti was also a good prose writer (there are praises of illustrious men, still unpublished, preserved in the Augusta library in Perugia). Some of these works were not completed, others remained unpublished both for the envy of the powerful of the time, as confirmed by Lauri and Oldoino, and for his poor health. The literary merits and the love he brought to Fratta and Perugia lead us to believe that it would have been very interesting to have a volume of his lost "Historical Memories of Perugia", written by him when the Roman Carlo Conti was governor of the city of the Grifo. , he who under Pope Clement VIII "was tempted to make the Church of Perugia archipiscopal". His studies did not remove Alberti from public offices and he, who in 1573 had been elected "Coadjutor" of the chancellor of the municipality of Perugia, was called to take over the direction of the prioral chancellery, an office to which distinguished men were always assigned for prudence and by doctrine. Friends and admirers had to mourn his death when he was not yet old. He was 64 when he retired to live in Fratta and ended his days there, on 12 September 1612. He is buried in the church of San Domenico in Perugia. The street where his house was located, in the historic center, now bears the name of "via Alberti". Some poems by Filippo Alberti It turns out more not to love I said, you were my good And my life, Orsella More than the sun wanders, and beautiful. Hor I unsubscribe, and 'the song I address the blame, a l'ire I loved you, I hate you just as much. And out of troubles, and pains Behold, I too am mine To God, perfidious, to God. Treats that the women of Perugia, past one certain age, they should wear black Ouch, foolish is he who believes What a woman in a black dress May it seem less beautiful, and less haughty. the nigga the beautiful does not take away, And Law cake is that That only others grant Color, which always announces or deaths, or pains, It thunders, and the sky flashes when it is darkest, Negra serpe has more tosco. Omen of the beauty of a girl Green apple six Vague girl, and with beautiful outward eyes Sol virginelle gratitude and still breathe; But Cupid is already sharpening the guilty darts, Already in the man the face has removed, To turn it on then in your beautiful face. Sources: Historical calendar of Umbertide 2002 - Ed. Municipality of Umbertide - 2002 Arcangelo Chelli - “The illustrious men of Umbertide” - Ed. Tipografia Tiberina - 1888 Via Alberti Ernesto Freguglia ERNESTO FREGUGLIA The story of an adopted Umbertidese painter by Amedeo Massetti Filippo Alberti Ernesto Freguglia (1875). The Foro Boario, today Piazza del Mercato The large oil painting with oxen, which stands out on the wall of the mayor's office, was painted in 1875 by Ernesto Freguglia. Known painter at that time, but unknown to Umbertide today. Yet Freguglia lived in our city for twenty-five years, moving there from Rome in 1874. He lived first in via Cibo, then in via Petrogalli which then skirted the village of San Giovanni and finally in via Cavour, at number 64, where the last aged 74 died. day of 1899. He is buried in our cemetery. The good artist was born in Sabbionello di Copparo, in the municipality of Ferrara, on December 20, 1825. A pupil of the Ferrarese painter Guseppe Tamarozzi, he had studied at the school of drawing and figure in the university of his city. He had therefore been in Florence where we find him in 1853 among the various copyists of the Uffizi (here he reproduced a “landscape by Jean Baptiste Fierce de Roven”). He then moved to Rome, in 1856, entering the studio of the painter and restorer Alessandro Mantovani, also from Ferrara (some of his valuable works are in the Quirinal Palace). In the 1860s, Freguglia was still active in Rome where he participated in the complete renovation of the decorations, between 1863 and 1867, of the church of Santa Lucia del Gonfalone in via dei Banchi Vecchi, together with Salvatore Rotani, under the direction by the well-known Roman painter Cesare Mariani. Between 1870 and 1876, he collaborated with Alessandro Mantovani in the decoration of the Nuova Loggia Pia in the Vatican, giving "proof of uncommon skill in following Raphaelesque concepts". In 1876 he donated one of his paintings to the municipality of Ferrara. He exhibited in this city in 1875, 1877 and 1899. A couple of his suggestive romantic landscapes, in harmony with the canons of the Roman landscape school, are in the Scutellari collection of the Este city. Freguglia is a painter of a good level and his works denote profound technical knowledge and a refined taste that goes far beyond the representations of the manner of authors of his period. It is affected by the contemporaneity with the Macchiaioli movement even if, while lingering in fresh play of lights and colors, he does not neglect to use precise brushstrokes, creating almost photographic representations. The painting on the wall of the mayor's office, to which we have mentioned, "The cattle market in Fratta", in addition to offering us an extraordinary document of nineteenth-century life - the animated day of the market - provides architectural details of the ancient city that have now disappeared or transformed. In fact, the views of the bridge over the Palace and the open space in front of the Rocca are different, not yet leveled with backfill (a partial restoration of the original conditions was carried out with the recent works in the Park of the Reggia and Piazza del Mercato). Likewise, the Guardabassi post hotel (to the right of the Collegiate Church) no longer exists and was demolished to widen the entrance road to the Piazza. And finally, the Mavarelli palace has a different structure, now also raised in the wing towards the center of the town. Ernesto Freguglia (1874). The Tiber in the "Mulinaccio" area The other painting we know of, belonging to the Scagnetti collection, in which Ernesto Freguglia depicts a different glimpse of Umbertide is also of great documentary value. The canvas, dated 1874, has the usual delicate line and the richness of details typical of the painter and represents the view from the west side of the castle of Fratta. In the center of the painting, on the edge of the walls, you can see the base of the defense tower which collapsed in the flood of the Tiber in 1610. On the left side you can see some architectural details that have now disappeared. At the bottom right you can see the artificial canal that carried the water of the Carpina, after passing through the Mulinello and the Fornace, to activate the "Mulinaccio" (recently swept away by the flood) under the walls. The area still has this name. Finally, washerwomen, fishermen and people bathing in crystal clear water are represented. Ernesto Freguglia, an Emilian painter who became Umbertide, loved our city and chose it to live there for a quarter of a century, until his death. From the careful glimpses in which he depicts it, from the care he takes to the most typical details, a relationship of warm familiarity transpires. Bre 2019 of The article was published in the November issue of "Local Information" Sources: Historical archive research by Amedeo Massetti Registry card of Ernesto Freguglia at the Municipality of Umbertide Giuseppe Savelli GIUSEPPE SAVELLI The Mayor of the passage from Fratta to Umbertide by Amedeo Massetti The ceramic bust of Giuseppe Savelli was placed in the town council hall in 1894, when the room was renovated with the installation of new wooden stalls made by all the carpenters of Umbertide. It was placed on a wooden base overhanging the wall at a height of two meters, to the right of the bench of the Giunta, flanked, on the left, by the bust of Antonio Guerrini. The old furniture in the council chamber, used for 90 years, was replaced by the current one in 1984, when the town hall was renovated. The bust was restored free of charge in 2011 by the Umbertidese artist Antonello Renzini and was relocated in the room adjacent to the City Council. Doctor Giuseppe Savelli was born in Umbertide on May 16, 1824. Owner, he lived in via Stella at n. 11. He also had a house in Via Diritta (now Via Cibo at no. 13), a house in Rome, and a country residence in Rio on the border between the municipalities of Umbertide and Montone where his studio is still located. its library. From 1861 he held the position of municipal councilor. From 1863 he will be appointed Mayor. He was mayor of Umbertide several times from 1863 to 1880. Doctor Savelli was a patriot; during the revolt of the Umbrian populations to the papal government in 1859, he was appointed governor of the provisional administration of Fratta, with the approval of the government of Perugia. In 1861, as a municipal councilor, he worked with extraordinary commitment for the reconstitution of the musical band, of which he was a member and later very active and authoritative president. He wrote a memorable letter in this regard. Dr. Giuseppe Savelli was elected Mayor in 1863 (he was therefore the first citizen who ferried Fratta to Umbertide) and will hold this office until May 18, 1868. Then for the whole of 1871 and 1872 he was again mayor. In 1873, for a period, he still appears as mayor. In his capacity as head of the administration, he worked with sensitivity and foresight to give the municipality, which emerged from the inadequacy of the papal administration, a modern and efficient structure. In 1872 he approved the first public hygiene regulation and the first urban police regulation, which deeply affected the socio-sanitary situation of the time and remain milestones for their relevance. Giuseppe Savelli died in Umbertide on 6 July 1886. He is buried in the last chapel of the hemicycle left of the Umbertide cemetery, where there are also the tombs of the Santini family (his wife was Rosa Santini, daughter of Giuseppe, and his sister Zemira Savelli had married Gabriele Santini, grandfather of the internationally renowned conductor of the same name). His brother, Don Flaviano Savelli, was canon and archpriest of the Collegiate. Giuseppe Savelli is the author of a manuscript history (unfortunately partially destroyed) of the Savelli family which also includes a pope, Honorius III, who approved the Rule of St. Francis. Sources: Historical research by Amedeo Massetti 1975. Establishment of the City Council. In high, on the right of the Giunta, the bust by Giuseppe Savelli Mayor Savelli's signature on the poster announcing the name change A. Massetti at the presentation of an edition of the historical calendar of Umbertide The family crest on the house in Rio ANTONIO GUERRINI Canon of the Collegiate, professor of rhetoric and local historian curated by Fabio Mariotti Antonio Guerrini had the education and upbringing of youth very much at heart, for which he dedicated his entire life. He was born in Fratta in 1779 by Giovan Battista Guerrini and Anna Maria Cassoni. From his earliest years he showed the beautiful qualities of his soul. His first teachers were two former Spanish Jesuits, Father Sebastiano Re and Father Gabriele Villalunga. Of a good and honest nature, to better benefit his fellow citizens he embraced the ecclesiastical life, in which he distinguished himself for truly evangelical knowledge and charity. At the age of fifteen he was designated canon of the Collegiate church, while completing his theological studies in the seminary of Gubbio. At the age of twenty-five he was appointed professor of rhetoric in the public schools of our country. He taught for more than forty years until the last days of his life, with tireless zeal and with great love. Twice he was called to Perugia, first to exercise the office of rector and moderator of studies in the "Piano Collegio", then to teach philosophy; but both times he refused, thus giving very clear proof of his predilection for his native land. Antonio Guerrini worked constantly to improve teaching methods in the schools entrusted to him. He compiled a geography accompanied by historical information, designing and building a large terrestrial globe to facilitate its teaching. He also made a large map of Europe, also with indications of the main historical facts. He cooperated in the formation of the town band, in the erection of a theater (what later became the "Teatro dei Riuniti") and in the establishment of a society of dramatic declamation for the benefit of the poor in need. The cover of the book on the history of Fratta and Umbertide (Anastatic copy on the original of 1883 made by the "Gruppo Local Editorial "by Digital Editor Umbertide - September 2009) He wrote a much praised work, a "Theory of Oratory Art and Versification of Tuscany" of which, a summary, was included in the Parisian Journal of the year 1810 and which earned the author a mention by the famous Degerando who, writing in about Mr. Count Giovanni Spada, Deputy Prefect, revealed to him his desire that such a teaching method be adopted by all the universities of the Empire. He also left many Latin and Italian poems. He was very involved in the research of homeland memories, of which he left a copious collection. His major work "History of the Land of Fratta now Umbertide from its origins until the year 1845" was completed by the nephew Genesio Perugini printed at the Tipografia Tiberina and published at the expense of the Municipality of Umbertide in 1883. Antonio Guerrini died on January 21, 1845, at the age of sixty-five. He was buried in the church of Santa Maria della Reggia (Collegiata) where, to perpetuate his memory, the Town Hall placed a marble plaque between the orchestra and the main west door which reads as follows: "Don Antonio Guerrini for virtue of science, the town hall highly admired - XXI Gennaro MDCCCXXXXV". The municipal administration dedicated a street to him on January 22, 1880. Sources: - "The illustrious men of Umbertide" by A. Chelli - Umbertide, Tipografia Tiberina - 1888 - "The man in toponymy" by B. Porrozzi - Ed. Pro-loco - 1992 - Biography of prof. Antonio Mezzanotte - Bartelli Typography, Perugia 1845. Interior of the Collegiate where Don Antonio Guerrini was buried. Below, on the left, the plaque commemorating him. Antonio Guerrini ANNIBALE MARIOTTI Distinguished doctor and scholar of the second half of the 18th century curated by Fabio Mariotti Annibale Mariotti was born on 13 September 1738 in Perugia, where his father Prospero, professor of medicine and botany at the local university, had recently moved from Fratta with his already pregnant wife Maddalena Eleonori. He completed his literary and scientific studies in Perugia and at just sixteen he obtained a doctorate in medicine and philosophy. Shortly afterwards he went to Rome to study physics and mathematics under the guidance of great tutors such as Iaquier and Le-Seur, without neglecting to perfect himself in medical science with the lessons of Saliceti and Gianneschi and in chemistry with Voyole. Returning to Perugia in 1757, at the age of only nineteen, he was appointed professor of medicine but the desire to enrich his cultural background led him to leave Perugia again. It was in Bologna, where he took advantage of the classical schools of Beccari, Molinelli and Monte; in Padua where he enriched his already rich knowledge by making friends with the very learned Quirini, Morgagni and other renowned professors, then also in Pisa, admired everywhere for his great erudition. He was offered professorships from Pisa, Pavia and from the same studio in Padua, which he refused for the sake of his native place. 1930s. The post office in piazza Umberto I (now piazza Matteotti) The entrance on via Mariotti Such was by now his fame as a man with great knowledge that he often asked his vote in the most profound medical disputes from the most renowned Colleges of Italy and Count Roberti, writing to Bianconi, said: "Enough to inspire Perugia to remember me that the highly literate Mariotti is its citizen! " He had relations with the most brilliant geniuses of his time and the most renowned Academies were honored to have him as a partner, such as the Etruscans of Cortona, the Arcadi Augusti, the Leopoldini of Germany and others. He was even called by the Dresden Court as his doctor, but the call of his native land was too strong for him so he returned to Perugia where, in 1760, he was given again the chair of medicine to which, in 1768, was added that of botany, which had already belonged to her deceased parent. Annibale Mariotti lived in difficult times but, among the honors and humiliations that he had to bear, he always managed to keep the goodness and kindness of his generous soul. Proclaimed, on February 5, 1798, the French republic in Perugia, Hannibal was one of the fifteen who formed the provisional government and had the honor, with Dr. Gian Angelo Cocchi, to represent the city in Rome, at the banning of the constitution of the Roman Republic . On his return to Perugia he was elected "consular prefect" of the Trasimeno Department. He used authority and knowledge for the benefit of his fellow citizens, working for the release of some nobles imprisoned by the government of the republic and taken to Ancona. After the fall of the Roman republic, eighteen months after its proclamation, it was the object of slanderous accusations by its enemies. For this he was arrested by the Austro-Arezzo soldiers and taken to Arezzo as a criminal. After some time, the accusations found to be false, he was released, but the harshness of his imprisonment soon contributed to reducing him to death. Death came on June 10, 1801, after a serious illness of six months. Perugia reserved solemn honors for him and the funeral oration was read by Dr. Luigi Santi, his loyal disciple. He was buried in the church of S. Angelo in Porta Eburnea, where an epigraph recalls his virtues and his knowledge. Annibale Mariotti wrote about 60 works, including the "History of Perugian literature" and "Perugian pictorial letters" printed in 1788. He also left a manuscript of historical memories of all the places under the ancient dominion of Perugia. Umbertide, after 1863, dedicated to him the street (formerly vicolo del Pomo) that connects today's Piazza Matteotti with Piazza XXV Aprile. The old photos are from the historical photographic archive of the Municipality of Umbertide Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by A. Guerrini (completed by G. Perugini) - Umbertide, Tipografia Tiberina - 1883 - "The illustrious men of Umbertide" by A. Chelli - Umbertide, Tipografia Tiberina - 1888 - "The man in toponymy" by B. Porrozzi - Ed. Pro-loco - 1992 Via Mariotti today from piazza XXV aprile The plaque of the illustrious personage Annibale Mariotti Alessandro Magi Spinetti PIETRO GIACOMO PETROGALLI Man of arms of the second half of the sixteenth century famous for his courage curated by Fabio Mariotti Pietro Giacomo Petrogalli was born in 1554, from one of the best families in the country. From a young age he showed great courage and firmness of character. One day, while he was having fun fishing on the Tiber, just below the castle of Montalto, he was insulted by the Perugian Sforza degli Alessandri who, not happy with this, also had him beaten with a stick by one of his agents. Peter could not bear the insult and swore to take his revenge. Alessandri often came to Fratta, bringing with him an escort of warriors. Pietro not being able to suffer so much insolence, after the insult he received, presented himself in front of him and fired a pistol shot on his chest, leaving him dead on the ground. Then, armed with a hatchet, he made his way through the men of arms and managed to get to safety. However, he did not escape the penalty of the ban to which he was condemned, and in April 1580 he was forced to leave his native land. At first he took refuge in France and took up service in the militias of that country. He immediately distinguished himself for many and beautiful actions of value, for which he received the admiration of the soldiers and had the rank of lieutenant colonel. From France he returned to Italy, placing himself at the service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand I and left with the Italian troops who went to Hungary to fight with the emperor, against the Turks. Also on this occasion he proved himself worthy of his name by fighting hard and, after the capture of Chiavarino in which he covered himself with glory, he was appointed captain of a large Italian company, on October 15, 1594. He was also once again in Hungary paid by the Church, in the expedition commanded by Francesco of the Marquises Del Monte, remaining there until the end of the war, in which he sustained many wounds. It was then that, ill in health and very weak from a lot of blood shed, he expressed the desire to return to breathe the native air and the pope, with a special pardon of July 26, 1596, not only allowed him to return to his country , but he called him back from the ban and condoned all punishment, although he had not obtained peace from the Alessandri family. After some time, having recovered in health, he returned to Tuscany and was by the Grand Duke Ferdinando appointed lieutenant of the Pistoia fortress, then sergeant major of the Livorno garrison and then castellan of the same city. In 1607 he participated in the capture of the city of Bona in Barberia with the rank of battle sergeant. When Ferdinand I died in 1609, he was succeeded in the government by Cosimo II who, having also learned of his expertise and loyalty, on 15 May 1612 appointed him Governor in Valdelsa and sergeant major of all the Tuscan infantry, succeeding the knight Francesco Tucci , also giving it the rich income of Poggio Imperiale. He also held many other important offices including that of Castellano and Governor of the Fortress of San Miniato. In 1622 he returned to Fratta again, staying there for a short time, however, because Princess Maddalena, regent of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, called him to assist Cardinal De 'Medici on the occasion of the Conclave for the election of the new Pope after the death of Gregory XV. Subsequently in 1628 Ferdinando II, Cosimo's son and successor, called him back to the court to occupy the high office of Councilor of State. And that year was fatal to him because one day, while he was leaving the council, he was seized by an aneurysm for which he died at the age of 74. In ancient times via Petrogalli (formerly via San Giovanni) was located in the so-called Borgo San Giovanni destroyed in the terrible bombing of 25 April 1944. For this reason the city council on 18 December 1960 approved the assignment to Petrogalli of a new road, the crossroad that gives via XX September ends up in via Andreani. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by A. Guerrini (completed by G. Perugini) - Umbertide, Tipografia Tiberina - 1883 - "The illustrious men of Umbertide" by A. Chelli - Umbertide, Tipografia Tiberina - 1888 - "The man in toponymy" by B. Porrozzi - Ed. Pro-loco - 1992 FRANCESCO MAVARELLI Mayor of Umbertide from 1892 to 1898 and author some valuable texts on the history of Fratta curated by Fabio Mariotti Francesco Mavarelli was born in Cagli on January 3, 1870 to Vincenzo and Angela Calai. He spent his childhood in the Marche town where his parents had some properties, but the most considerable group of his assets was in Umbertide and consisted of the magnificent palace in via Stella and numerous farms scattered in the surrounding countryside. His first friendships were born along the Via Flaminia, between Cagli and Fossombrone, just twenty kilometers away from each other and divided by the Furlo massif. Here he established sincere and lasting relationships with the most prominent families of the place such as the Vernarecci, the Chiavarelli and others. He spent the years of childhood and adolescence with his brother Giuseppe born five years before him, but then, on June 14, 1891, the two separated because Giuseppe decided to marry Luigia Menghini and went to live on his own. We do not know the exact date on which Francesco left Cagli to settle in Umbertide. The personal data sheet only notes that he moved there "as a child". With certainty in Umbertide he completed the cycle of elementary and middle school, and then entered the Collegio della Quercia in Florence where he completed the course of classical studies and graduated in law. He did not practice his profession, absorbed as he was by the administration of his assets and by numerous other commitments. During the holidays he often went to his native places to visit old friends and gladly stopped in Fossombrone at the Chiavarelli family where Marina, who was born on 7 July 1875 and had seen a child, was getting a beautiful girl. A brilliant and open young man, supported by robust and thoughtful studies, he also faced the political and administrative commitment with great success. In the partial municipal elections of 26 July 1891 he was elected councilor with 110 votes out of 171 voters, while in the general elections of 27 November 1892 and 23 June 1895 he was the first of those elected, respectively with 455 out of 490 voters and 650 votes out of 695 voters. He held the office of mayor of Umbertide for six years, from 4 December 1892 to 3 December 1898. He was municipal councilor, provincial councilor of the district and president of the Congregation of Charity. A life full of work and responsibility, considering that the young Mavarelli was in his early twenties. To this must be added the intense historical and literary commitment on some aspects of city life conducted with scrupulous balance and profound competence, confirming a school education approached with seriousness and conviction. "Historical news and praise on the Company of disciplines of Santa Maria Nuova and Santa Croce in the Land of Fratta", was his first work published in 1899 and dedicated to his wife. Professor Augusto Vernarecci, Fossombrone's friend, informs us that the work was examined and praised by a competent and severe judge such as Giuseppe Mazzatinti. The second historical commitment was that of "The Art of Blacksmiths in the Land of Fratta", published posthumously in 1901. The family members entrusted its publication to Vernarecci who accompanied the work with a touching premise that we report in its entirety. On 31 August 1896 he married Marina, the girl from Fossombrone to whom he was now tied by a deep affection. The wedding was celebrated in the Marche city and on the same day the young landowner moved to the building in via Stella di Umbertide, where Francesco performed the functions of mayor. Then came the children. The first was Zenaide (23 October 1898) and the second Angiola Maria (28 November 1899). The third, Francesca, will be born on 12 December 1900 when her father had been gone for five months. Suddenly, that Friday evening of 20 July 1900, a gunshot froze the affections, aspirations and projects: Francesco had killed himself. The dramatic event preceded the regicide of Monza by nine days and this was enough to unleash the strangest assumptions about the motive for the gesture, the result of a Homeric epic fantasy. The mirrored customs and transparency of behavior of Francesco did not offer space for gossipy inferences. Thus, the whispers that circulated from alley to alley inside the town and that every day were colored more and more with lively colors and curious details, no less wanted the unfortunate young man to be linked to a Perugian anarchist group within the which his name would have been extracted to assassinate Umberto I. The task would not have been pleasing to the lottery and hence the fatal choice of suicide. Evidently, those who spread the fable of the failed regicide knew very little about anarchy, contrary to any form of institutional collaboration and any bond, including that of marriage, which represented a limitation to the sacred freedom of the individual. The religion of anarchy was identified only with revolutionary methodology. Francesco, on the other hand, was a man of the institutions, within which he had carried out important functions such as that of mayor and provincial councilor; he had also been awarded the title of knight and his whole life showed respect for the rules and the practice of civil coexistence. No, the story of an alleged anarchist membership definitely does not hold up, if only because in a few days the alternate to kill a king is not found, but it offers us some food for thought. The elegance of mind of the last Mavarelli; the profound culture that allowed him to dig into the historical past of his people by choosing the two typical strands of existence: religion (historical news and Laudi) and work (The art of blacksmiths); the high prestige gained in the exercise of political offices made him a different character from many of his peers. The hard college life based on tolerance and respect for others, passionate and assimilated study did not belong to youthful parentheses to be thrown into oblivion, but had become a way of life. In a difficult and conflictual period in which many agrarians responded to the spread of the socialist party and the peasant leagues with the expulsion of the colonists from their farms, the sensitivity and convictions of the agrarian Mavarelli were certainly oriented towards different attitudes that did not coincide with the crude and provocative authoritarianism of the law of the strongest practiced by some of his friends. On the other hand, for many men of the extreme left, the revolution was just around the corner and Gaetano Bresci's threat to the carabinieri who translated him to the prison of Santo Stefano and silenced him because he asked too many questions is symptomatic: " guys like you who should never talk! But soon the revolution will sweep you all away ”. According to the most accredited opinion in the agrarian world, these people had to be answered with the harshest methods, there was no middle ground. Mavarelli lived intensely the political unease of his time at the crossroads between reaction and revolution, which was, moreover, the unease and embarrassment of all European culture between the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, in search of new models of expression and vigorous sources of inspiration and which in very generic terms took the name of Decadentism. This different way of being and feeling that harbored in the soul of Francis, for the popular imagination that has always loved shortcuts, extremisms and baseless analogies, was enough to make him an anarchist, while he was an enlightened liberal. who would feel at ease a few years later with the policy adopted by Giovanni Giolitti's government. But in 1900 Dronero's deputy was still the politician involved, rightly or wrongly, in the scandal of the Banca Romana and not the leader of the Italy of the "Belle Epoque" (the vile Italy of the vate D'Annunzio) in which the lira he favored gold and in which the most urgent reforms in the social field were under way, so much so that the astute Giolitti boasted "of having relegated Marx to the attic". The profound sensitivity of Francesco Mavarelli made him feel the contrast between the times and his beliefs in a nagging way, giving him the feeling of being born in a wrong period or of being a man out of time. Of course the discomfort deriving from this state of affairs was not a reason for taking one's life, even if the gesture would have been consistent for a certain fringe of Decadents, but it certainly determined the climate in which the secret anguish that had tormented Francis for some time matured. . The expression is used by Vernarecci in the preface to Dell'Arte dei Fabbri, already mentioned above, and it certainly came from the mouths of his closest family members, his wife and mother, who intended to firmly exclude any form of depression of their joint. A person's secret anguish belongs to the mystery of life and death which must be treated with the utmost respect. We will never know the triggering reason for suicide, nor are we interested in knowing it. Five months later Francesca was born who, at least in the name, revived the memory of her father. The figure and work of Francesco Mavarelli were publicly commemorated in the session of the City Council on 23 September 1900. Unanimously the councilors decided to parry in mourning for a month the presidency desk which for six years had been occupied by their unfortunate colleague, to name the town's technical school after Francesco Mavarelli, to suspend the session as a sign of sorrow for the serious loss and solidarity towards family members . Today the first grade secondary school of Umbertide, what was once the middle school, is named after F. Mavarelli, together with G. Pascoli. In 1998 the prof. Bruno Porrozzi has published a volume, edited by the Pro-Loco Umbertide, with the anastatic copy of the works of Francesco Mavarelli. Sources: “Umbertide in the 20th century 1900 - 1946” by Roberto Sciurpa - Municipality of Umbertide, 2006 SAN SAVINO DI FRATTA Monk at the Abbey of San Salvatore di Monte Acuto curated by Fabio Mariotti San Savino, born in Fratta, the current Umbertide, although a citizen of Perugia, as Umbertide has always been the land of the city of Perugia, can be counted among the Saints of the Diocese since Umbertide has always been part of our Church. This without detracting from the Perugian church which - according to Lancellotti in the manuscript Annals of Perugia - counts him among its saints. Savino was therefore a monk at the Abbey of San Salvatore di Monte Corona, once known as Monte Acuto and a hermit in this monastery, he died in 1190 after a holy life adorned with heroic virtues that made him consider him already a saint in life. The most remote written testimonies, apart from the ancient Camaldolese martyrologists, were the commemorative inscriptions of his prodigies, which could be read in a chapel erected in his honor in 1480 on the provincial road towards Perugia, in the locality of Citerna, on a farm that had belonged to the del Santo family, a farm which until today is still called San Savino. Unfortunately, there is no longer any trace of this chapel and one of its frescoes is also lost, which flanked a Madonna in Maestà, just outside the city, in a place once called Fonte Santa, on the border with the word Sant'Ubaldo. Di Savino remains famous for the miracle of the cloak, in fact, since it is impossible to ford the Tiber to return to the convent together with two other friars, due to a flood of the river, he spread his cloak - just like the prophet Elijah or the more famous St. Francesco di Paola in the Strait of Messina - and, having climbed over it like a raft with his companions, he was able to return to the monastery. His body was buried in a chapel erected on the road that leads from the monastery of San Salvatore to the place where, several centuries later, the Hermitage of Monte Corona will be built, in the same place that had seen him isolated in hermitage for long periods. However, wars and suppressions, first the Napoleonic one and then that of the new unitary state, ruined the chapel, which is currently incorporated into the walls of a villa, completely unrecognizable. Only the toponym, San Savino, still indicates the site of the saint's tomb. Nothing is known of the fate that his relics may have made, almost certainly translated before the ruin of the building. The Camaldolese celebrated the memory of Savino, with the title of Saint, on 18 May. The city of Umbertide preserves an ideal portrait of the Saint in the collection of the Illustrious Men of the city and it is also depicted in the large altarpiece of the Transfiguration attributed to Pomarancio, located in the drum of the dome of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Reggia. Sources: “Hagiographic Profiles - The Saints, Blessed, Venerable and Servants of God of the Eugubine Church " by Pietro Vispi - Gubbio, 2008 ALESSANDRO MAGI SPINETTI Benefactor, friend of the poor curated by Fabio Mariotti Alessandro Magi Spinetti, son of Francesco and Vincenza Mazzaforti, was born in Fratta in 1811. He was the descendant of one of the most important families in our city and dedicated his entire life to doing good works. He was one of the most assiduous supporters of the Congregation of Charity, "friend of all, men, animals and plants". He lived in via Spoletini until 1887, when he moved his residence to Città di Castello. He was one of the greatest supporters of the construction of the new hospital in Umbertide for which he donated 1,982 lire in 1883 and 12,848 lire and 55 cents in 1889 for the total sum of 14,830 lire and 55 cents, an enormous sum for those times. Suffice it to say that the Cassa di Risparmio donated 14,200 lire and the Municipality of Umbertide only 431 lire and 82 cents in three payments. These figures are reported, together with the names of all the benefactors, on the marble plaque placed in the entrance of the old hospital. Alessandro died on April 20, 1890 and at his funeral there was a choral participation of the city in gratitude for the numerous charitable activities carried out. The mayor Francesco Andreani also arranged for the presence at the funeral of the newly reconstituted town band directed by Maestro Massimo Martinelli . His remains rest in the city cemetery just past the main gate, a left, in a travertine sarcophagus that reports this epitaph: “Here lies Alessandro Magi Spinetti friend of the poor born on the 24th April 1811. The Congregation of Charity grateful. Died on 20th April 1890 " The municipal administration he dedicated a street to him on March 27, 1951. Sources: - “The man in toponymy” by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro-Loco Association Umbertide, 1992 - "Two centuries on the march - Umbertide and the band" by Amedeo Massetti - Petruzzi publisher - Città di Castello, 2008 Pietro G. Petrogalli Francesco Mavarelli San Savino di Fratta GIULIANO BOVICELLI A close collaborator of Pope Benedict XIII, he wrote the original "Istoria delle Perucche" and contributed to the birth of the "Monte Frumentario" to help the poor of Fratta curated by Fabio Mariotti Giuliano Bovicelli was born in Fratta around the mid-1600s. He embraced an ecclesiastical career with commitment and conviction and linked his name to the establishment and financing of Monte Frumentario , which went into full operation in 1724, when Don Giuliano died. He embellished the church of San Bernardino with rich furnishings and a beautiful statue of the saint. In his will, with deed of July 27, 1724 by Gabrielli Notaro Romano, he left all his patrimony to the Confraternity of San Bernardino, of which he was a brother, to offer concrete help to the poor of the town, precisely through that Monte Frumentario that he tenaciously wanted. His ingenuity drew him to the attention of Cardinal Pier Francesco Orsini of Rome, who chose him as his secretary and took him to Benevento, when he was appointed Archbishop of that city "and that he was there in the tearful catastrophe of June 5 1688. A horrible earthquake among so many devastations overturned a large part of the Archbishop's Palace. The Cardinal was thrown from the second floor to the ground. Where, falling, some woods crossing each other saved him from death. A gentleman, who was following him, was horribly crushed; and our Giuliano, it is not known how life escaped! (Antonio Guerrini). Having become Pope, with the name of Benedict XIII , Orsini retained Don Giuliano at the Roman Curia with important positions, such as that of Prior of the Basilica of San Bartolomeo and Apostolic Protonotary. It was during his stay in Benevento that Bovicelli wrote his " Istoria delle Perucche ", and the first publication took place in 1722 in that city. It is a work carried out with the utmost commitment and with a rigorous scruple of research that ranges from the ancient testimonies on this ornament, found among the oriental peoples, up to the early years of the 18th century. The author's aim, however, is not that of a technical, aesthetic or social examination of the wig in general, but more simply a full-bodied reflection on the awkwardness of the wigs that ecclesiastics wore. From the very first lines of his work, Bovicelli explains its aims: “History of the perucche in which their origin, form, abuse and irregularity of those of the Ecclesiastics are shown”. Vanity must have taken the hand of many monsignors, if in the preface the author immediately enters the subject with these expressions: “Today there are so many Ecclesiastics who wear the perucca; that I have great reason to believe that they are persuaded, at least for the most part, that this foreign ornament is forbidden to them, and that it has nothing in itself that suits the decency of their profession. In order to portray them, therefore, from their error, I have undertaken this work by the stimulus of some people who are firmly pious and truly zealous in the discipline of the Church; ... it is bad to see that those of the Ecclesiastics are damned by the rules of the Church; and having shown how irregular and monstrous are those of the monks, I answer the objections which the clergymen and monks who adorn themselves may attach. I end up proposing the ways that can be employed to stop the course of this disorder and absolutely remove it from the Church ”. The preface summarizes the content of the work which had a remarkable success, so much so that two years later, in 1724, an edition was printed also in Milan (1) . The exquisite sensitivity of the author realizes that the arguments against the use of wigs by the clergy were also valid for those with which the laity adorned themselves and seems almost to apologize by appealing to the tranquility and serenity of mind of the readers: "Since Most of the proofs of which I am sifting through to combat the proofs of the Ecclesiastics can quite rightly be applied to those of the Laity, and they will easily judge that it is scarcely more permissible for lay people than for ecclesiastics to wear the perucca. However that may be, I pray to God with the language of Tertullian that the peace and grace of Jesus our Lord will fall in abundance on the people who will read this Story with tranquility of mind and who will prefer truth to custom: Haec cum bona pace legentibus, veritatem. consuetudini praeponentibus, pax et gratia a Domino nostra Iesu redundet ”(May the peace and grace of God fall on those who read these lines with serenity and put truth before custom). In the specific theme, Don Giuliano was aware of the sense of modernity which he helped to anticipate, even if the landing on this shore was not offered to him by a progressive vision, typical of the Enlightenment, but by the ridicule of the anachronistic and continuous carnival that masks exalted. After 1863 a street was dedicated to him in the historic center of Umbertide, the one that is still called “Il Bocaiolo” today. Note: 1) Two copies of the book are available at the Vatican Library. One, the one published in Benevento, in the General History Collection - Vol. 6360; the other, the one published in Milan, in CICOGNARA III - pos. 1602. Sources: - "Umbertide in the XVIII century" by Renato Codovini and Roberto Sciurpa - Municipality of Umbertide, 2003 - "History of the Land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini, completed by Genesio Perugini - Tipografia Tiberina, Umbertide 1883 (Anastatic copy by the "Local Publishing Group" of Digital Editor srl - Umbertide - 2009). Giuliano Bovicelli Cesare Bartolelli - Cristoforo Petrogalli I Cibo di Fratta Luigi Vibi LUIGI VIBI Liberal of Fratta who died in 1849 in defense of the "Roman Republic" edited by Fabio Mariotti Luigi Vibi (1) , son of the notary Lorenzo, was born in Fratta in 1807. He attended high school in Perugia where he met Luigi Bonazzi and the actor Gustavo Modena with whom he maintained a good friendship. After high school he enrolled in the faculty of law and graduated in law. He was ill in health, but gifted with a brilliant intelligence which attracted the attention of an old noble from Fratta, Costantino Magi Spinetti, of liberal faith and enrolled in Freemasonry. The old Freemason and the young graduate spent many hours together discussing liberalism and the French Revolution of which, at that time, partisan versions were given both from books and from ecclesiastical tutors. The riots of 1831 found immediate response in Perugia, which arose on February 14 of that year. The city, through its Provisional Government Committee (2) , declared the Papal Government lapsed to the great amazement of the Apostolic Delegate Mons. Ferri (3). The riots found the twenty-four year old Luigi Vibi already politically deployed and the Provisional Committee that had formed in Perugia had to know him well if just two days after taking office, on February 16, it entrusted him and Petronio Reggiani (4) with the task of going in Città di Castello (5) to establish a Provisional Government Committee in that city as well. Fratta's two sons immediately set to work by bringing together the Municipal Council of that city on February 17 to proceed with the establishment of the Provisional Committee. The trust that the Perugian liberals had in the young Vibi testifies to his political trust and the validity of the school of the old master and Freemason. The generous impulses of our patriots did not last long because they were cut short by the unfavorable trend of political events. The tricolor flags hoisted everywhere, including one on the roof of Vibi's house (6) , were soon withdrawn in anticipation of better times. The ensuing repression forced many to seek safe shelter. Lorenzo Vibi, for example, Luigi's nephew took refuge in Mercatale, in Tuscany in the land of the Grand Duchy. They were actively looking for him to arrest him because, in those days, he had pushed a priest down the stairs and broke his leg. The connection with the fugitives was maintained by a certain Fiordo Bettoni who walked the approximately 25 kilometers away almost every day to bring them food, news and everything they needed. In the first months of 1849 Luigi Vibi carried out all the activities he was capable of in favor of the Roman Republic and was one of those who reorganized the Civic Guard at Fratta. He managed to raise voluntary funds among the citizens to improve the conditions of the company of which he had become captain commander. His letter of reminder of the economic commitment signed in favor of the Civic or Citizen Guard is dated 20 April 1849. "... I therefore find it necessary to invite you, citizen, to the payment already overdue of what you have signed, to which you are obliged in the aforementioned program, which you will pay within eight days from this date in the hands of this municipal debt collector in charge of this requirement ; anticipating that in case of non-compliance I will see myself, in spite of myself, bound to prevail over legal remedies ". Below is the list of people to whom this circular letter was addressed and the list sees Sebastiano Vibi with 10 shields in the front row, followed by Gaetano Migliorati with 6 shields and by the old friend Costantino Spinetti. The letter testifies that on April 20 Vibi was at Fratta, but still for a little while. On 30 April the Roman volunteers sustained the first victorious fight against the French of General Oudinot at the Janiculum and the news of the siege of Rome by the French led him to go and fight for his defense alongside Garibaldi (7) . He left on May 5 under the command of other volunteers grouped in the "Legion of Umbria". The information we have available tells us that he was employed in the extreme southern sector of the Garibaldi array, at Porta Portese (8) , where he was seriously injured on 18 June. On 21 June, the day of St. Louis, his name day, he stopped living for his injuries, at the Pellegrini hospital. He was 42 years old. His remains rest in the Ossario Garibaldino erected on the Janiculum and the plaque commemorating him is clearly visible because it is located immediately above that of Goffredo Mameli. The funeral to Luigi Vibi (9) took place in Rome, in the church of S. Andrea delle Fratte which for the occasion was paved with many inscriptions praising his virtues and value. One of these, placed right at the entrance to the temple, said: “Magnanimous contempt for domestic wealth and of the honors which he was awarded in the city legion very rare careless in times when many foolishly yearn for it mocking his vile age and bodily sickness captain Luigi Vibi da Fratta of Perugia forty-two he fearlessly raised the arms of the last soldier on May 5, 1849 and within the sacred city on the breach and the barricades amidst the lightning of the bullets with ardent valor fighting ouch homeland love! the night of June 21 ended so precious life pierced by igneous lead than to the homeland, to relatives, to friends, to the beneficiaries more vivid ray of sunshine forever darkened but which he added unknowingly to the bliss of the heavens a new child which the name-day saint protector from afar the affectionate paternal right hand stretched out ". The events of Luigi Vibi had a sequel in 1871. Filippo Natali, an Umbertidese employed in the Municipality of Magione, wrote to the Mayor asking that the ashes of the young republican be brought back to the cemetery of Umbertide, from that of S. Spirito, also known as the " One hundred and five ”, where they were. An interminable discussion began within the Municipal Council which recalled other Umbertidesi who died in similar circumstances, such as Giuseppe Mastriforti in Condino in 1866 and Giovan Battista Igi in Mentana in 1867. The discussion continued for a few months. Meanwhile, a kind letter was sent to Filippo Natali expressing "feelings of gratitude for the patriotic inspiration" and the ashes remained where they were. The fruit of the long discussion was a stone, placed in our cemetery, with the following inscription: "Memory to Luigi Vibi of Umbertide honored citizen of proven political faith than fighting for the independence of Italy it fell in Rome on the 21st of June MDCCCXLIX Il Patrio Municipio ". The tombstone does everything possible to make the figure of Luigi Vibi anonymous, dull and neutral. It would have been better to keep quiet. In the fifties, in memory of our heroic fellow citizen, the municipal administration entitled "Largo L. Vibi" the space where his house existed before it was destroyed by the bombing of 25 April 1944. Note: 1. The news was kindly provided by Mr. Giancarlo Vibi di Umbertide, now resident in Perugia. 2. It was formed by Antonio Monadi, Antonio Canci, Giuseppe Rosa, Luigi Batoli, Luigi Menicucci, Tiberio Borgia. 3. This version of the "amazement" does not agree with that supported by the historian Luigi Bonazzi according to which there was a tacit consent on the part of Mons. Ferri. 4. Petronio Reggiani was also from Fratta. On this occasion he also had the task of establishing the Provisional Government in San Giustino, which Reggiani did by appointing the Tifernate Dr. Pietro Dini as Commissioner of that place (Giuseppe Amizie, Storia di Città di Castello in the 19th century - Edit. S . Lapi - year 1902). The Reggiani family gave valid patriots to the Italian Risorgimento, including Petronius, mentioned above. There was also Aristide who participated in the Risorgimento wars and Francesco di Gaetano who took part in the Perugian insurrection of 1859 and was then persecuted until September 1860, that is, until the arrival of the Italian troops (National Register of Noble Families of the Italian State listed below the historical profile - Ass. Historiae Fides, Milan - Edit. Graphics by S. Angelo, by Cesano Boscone - Year 1974, in the library of Dr. Angelo Zeno Reggiani). 5. G. Friendship, Op. Cit. 6. The house near the bridge over the Tiber (now Largo Vibi) was destroyed by the bombing of 25 April 1944. 7. Garibaldi spent the night in Umbertide with the Vibi family. A large walnut bed with columns was placed at his disposal. He said he felt calm because he was in the house of trusted friends and left, leaving as thanks a telescope covered in mahogany and brass, now in the possession of Mr. Giancarlo Vibi (Luigi's great-grandson) who gave us this testimony, without being able to specify the date. Reconstructing the series of events and carefully rereading the book of his Memoirs, it appears that on November 15, 1848, after the unfortunate events of Custoza and Novara, Garibaldi was in Ravenna with a handful of volunteers, waiting to embark to run to the aid of Venice. . But on that very day the assassination of Pellegrino Rossi and the revolt in the Papal State took place. Plans changed. Garibaldi went to Cesena, where he left his volunteers, and went to Rome "to make contact with the Minister of War so that he would put an end, once and for all, to our wandering existence" (from the Memoirs of Garibaldi). Probably on the occasion of this trip to Rome, between the end of November and the beginning of December 1848, Garibaldi passed through the upper Tiber valley and stopped at the Vibi house. In fact, other presences of the hero in Foligno and Cascia also date back to the same period. 8. Porta Portese, or Portuense, as it is next to the river port of old Rome (Ripa Grande). It is located on the right bank of the Tiber. 9. On the terrace of the Pincio, a few tens of meters from the balustrade, a marble bust of Luigi Vibi can still be seen today. Sources: "Umbertide nel Secolo XIX" by Renato Codovini and Roberto Sciurpa - Municipality of Umbertide, 2001 I FOOD OF FRATTA Several "characters" of the noble Cibo family were born in Fratta: Andrea, doctor and professor at the University of Perugia; the lawyer Alessandro, son of Andrea and the jurist Girolamo, a profound and distinguished man of letters. Andrea Cibo Andrea Cibo was born in 1493. He studied medicine and, still very young, taught with great praise at the University of Perugia. Pope, Clement VII, who had achieved the fame of Andrea's great knowledge, called him to Rome and appointed him his doctor, with a large salary and annual income for himself and for his heirs. He was also highly esteemed by the Supreme Pontiff Paul III Farnese, who in the trip he made to Nice, wanted him with him, and in the Pope's meeting with the Emperor Charles V and with Francis I, King of France where the truce of ten years, he was the only one invited to attend the banquet given to those great potentates. He was also a companion of the same Pope on the other solemn journey of Busseto, as shown in a letter written by Carlo Gualterozzi to Bembo on June 18, 1543. letter present in a Code of the Barberini Library. In another letter of October 1553 Aretino calls Andrea Cibo "Safe health of the sick". However, Andrea had so much love for his Fratta that in 1537 he had a hotel built at his expense for the convenience of all those who passed through to go to Perugia and Tuscany. After having served as a doctor for two other Popes, Julius III and Marcellus II, in 1557 he returned to Perugia where he stayed for five years. In 1562 he was recalled to Rome by Pope Pius IV who appointed the general proto-doctor of the health college in Rome. After the death of Pius IV he settled in Perugia where he lived very honorably until his death, which took place on May 17, 1576, at the serious age of eighty-three. The funeral honors dedicated to him by every city order were grandiose and Orazio Cardaneti da Montone, illustrious rhetorician of the 16th century, read a very forbitious and learned prayer. From Guerrini we also know that "He was buried in the Cathedral Church of S. Lorenzo (N, dr of Perugia), where three years before he had placed this modest memory by himself: 1574 ANDREA CIBO AAE 80 POSUIT He left a certain Lucrezia a widow, with whom he had several children, including Lavinia, who in the year 1579 she married Alessandro Degli Oddi. Another son of his was Alexander , who was a great success esteem in legal disciplines. He often lived in Fratta, and in 1610 he stayed there for a long time he retained with Adriana Amerigi the gentlewoman of Perugina his wife for health reasons. Poor Adriana on 21 September of the same year unfortunately had to go there succumb; and was buried in the Church of San Francesco, where still to the right of the entrance main reading is the funerary inscription, which the sad husband placed there ". After 1863, one of the most important streets of the historic center was dedicated to Andrea, formerly via Diritta or Reaale, and today considered somewhat the Corso of our city. * * * * * * Mauro Cibo Mauro Cibo, whose date of birth is unknown, as Guerrini recalls in his History of the land of Fratta, “was another scion of the noble and illustrious Cibo family. From his earliest age he showed a sweetness of character, an unabashedness of morals, an indefatigable love for divine things that finally, after having completed his career with immense profit, decided to retire from the lure of the world. In 1570 he was received as a novice among the Camaldolese hermits in the Sacred Hermitage of Monte Corona. A man of very exemplary, austere life and profound doctrine, he soon acquired the esteem and veneration of all his confreres, so that four times, by the General Chapter, he deserved to be raised to the supreme degree of Major of the whole Order. He always worked for the growth of the Congregation and obtained many privileges and advantages from various popes, Paul V - Clement VIII - Leo XI. He died in Monte Corona in the year 1604. Cesare Crispolti in his "Perugia Augusta", Lancellotti, Jacobilli, all record the praises of the venerable Hermit! " * * * * * * Pompey Food The date of birth of Pompeo Cibo, another illustrious character of this family from Fratta, is unknown. According to Antonio Guerrini “he was a man endowed with nobility of heart, of supreme wisdom and doctrine, teacher and example of all citizen virtues. He was decorated for non-liar merits of the St. Stephen's Cross (1) ; then honorably aggregated to the Perugian nobility. He lived a long life esteemed and loved by all and in February 26, 1641 he passed to eternal peace sincerely mourned by all ”. 1. The Order of Santo Stefano was established on March 15, 1562 by Cosimo I of Tuscany, who was its first grand master. It was named after Santo Stefano I pope and martyr, because on its anniversary (2 August) the Medici troops had achieved two important victories: that of Scannagallo (1554) and that of Montemurlo (1559). The emblem of the Order was the red cross on a white background. It was suppressed by the French in 1809, reconstituted in 1817 and definitively abolished by the provisional government of 1859. (The photo of the symbol of the Order is taken from the site “Santo Stefano Pope and Martyr and his Knights). The photos are from the photographic archive of the Municipality of Umbertide and Fabio Mariotti Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - "Umbertide - Man in toponymy" by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 CESARE BARTOLELLI - CRISTOFORO PETROGALLI Two characters from illustrious families of ancient Fratta from the first half of the 1600s. Both played important roles, in different sectors, in the employ of some of the protagonists of the political and ecclesiastical life of the time Cesare Bartolelli Originally from Fratta from a distinguished family, as a young man he waited with great love for the study of civil and canonical laws at the University of Perugia, and in both he obtained a doctoral degree. He was first in Città di Castello as judge where he exercised this office with such prudence and rectitude, as to receive the applause and admiration of the best citizens. Leaving Città di Castello, he went to Rome where for his knowledge and singular merits he was appointed Auditor to Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, then General Superintendent of all the possessions of this house, soon managing to achieve the highest honors, up to to that of governor of Rome. Pope Clement VIII, who had the highest esteem for him, sent him twice as extraordinary ambassador to Prague to negotiate important negotiations with the Austrian emperor. In 1602, as a reward for his dedication, he was appointed bishop of Forlì. He held that church for thirty-two years, all spent for the good of the population entrusted to his pastoral care. He spent a life of irreproachable customs, all aimed at charity, as a truly apostolic man. He founded the Chapel of the Crucifix in San Salvatore in Perugia and in Fratta he had the Chapel of San Rocco built in an elegant architectural form in our church of San Francesco, with one of the statue of the Saint. Also enriching it with staves and valuable paintings. On the arch of the chapel, surmounted by the noble coat of arms, you can still read his name, a clear demonstration of the affection he always had towards this homeland of his. He died in Forlì on 7 January 1634. * * * * * * CRISTOFORO PETROGALLI Cristoforo Petrogalli was educated to the hard labors of the field by his illustrious uncle Pietro Giacomo Petrogalli, with whom he found himself participating in many feats of arms and in the capture of the fortress of Bona in Barberia where he proved his valor and his courage by saving the insignia of the company of the Perugian captain Carlo della Penna who, due to the death of the standard bearer, would have fallen into the hands of the enemy. For his many merits, Cristoforo was very well received at the court of Tuscany. Francesco de 'Medici, before dying, honored him with his sword and his jacket or chain mail in the shape of a bodice, which warriors wore in battles. He also assigned him a salary of 19 piastres a month and a noble apartment. On 6 October 1637 he was appointed by Cardinal Carlo de 'Medici captain of the broken spears (Ed. In the 16th and 17th centuries , the chosen soldiers, both infantry and cavalry, were called broken spears, who assisted the corporals and sometimes the sergeants in their various Duties. Broken spear was also the name of various militias in the service of sovereigns or high-ranking personalities). Grand Duke Cosimo II, who knew very well the military prowess of this captain of ours, on 21 September 1642 entrusted him with the command of a company of 200 infantry and in the following year, on 23 November, promoted him to the rank of sergeant major in the third of Field Master Count Angelo Maria Stufa. Finally, for his singular merits, from the kind Florence he had the great honor of being enrolled, on January 10, 1644, in the register of his fellow citizens. He died in Florence in 1648. - The photos of Fratta's characters are part of the Gallery of paintings of historical characters of the Municipality of Umbertide - The photos of the church of San Francesco are by Fabio Mariotti - The other photos are taken from "Wikimedia Commons - Wikipedia" Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 Giovanni Mauri Filippo e Giovan Battista Fracassini Orazio Mancini Giovan Battista Spoletini Fabrizio Stella Giovanni Tommaso Pao(u)lucci GIOVANNI TOMMASO PAO (U) LUCCI Great man of letters from Fratta in the service of the Papacy curated by Fabio Mariotti Antonio Guerrini, in his work "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide", tells us that "In 1542 Gio. Tommaso Paolucci was born in Fratta. He advanced so much in the study of the Fine Letters, that he was subsequently Secretary of the Cardinals Fulvio della Corgna, Ottavio Acquaviva and Gio. Vincenti Gonzaga. He was also very versed (also) in Mathematics, in Histories, in Greek and Latin Letters. Finally giving himself to the study of Canonical and Civil Laws, he made an admirable profit in them; and in Rome in 1585 he was redeemed (crowned ) of Doctoral Degree in both law. He was tutor of Greek letters to Monsignor Matteo Barberini, who later became pope with the name of Urban VIII. He always continued in the esteem and love of the aforementioned cardinals so that Gonzaga beyond he wanted to raise him to dignity with a large pension, appointing him with a license sent on February 6, 1580 canon of the Church of San Gregorio in Velabro. Later he was conferred the Archpriesthood of Santa Maria in Cosmedin , otherwise known as of the Greek School, with a license sent by the same Cardinal on June 8, 1585 under the pontificate of Sixtus V, that bruised and shy old man, who as soon as he was proclaimed Pope threw down his stick and boldly curled his head! Gio. Thomas wrote to give to the print various works, "Five Volumes of Selected Letters" directed to various rulers, cardinals, Distinguished Prelates, Prelates and Knights; a “Treatise on public things and policies "; a “Summary of political warnings "; various comments on the “Annals and Histories of the Prince of the political writers, Cornelio Tacito ", which remained unpublished in the hands of the heirs. His merit went so much beyond that Clement VIII made him his secretary of the Latin letters, to which honorable officio unfortunately did not come because overwhelmed prematurely by death on 1st December 1599, fifty-seventh year of his age. It was public rumor that out of courtesan envy he was poisoned in S. Maria Maggiore in celebrating the S. Sacrifice. His body was buried in Rome in the Church of S. Maria in Cosmedin, as shown in the Book of the Dead of the said Parish p. 25, aforementioned year ". The municipal administration dedicated the central street of the Fontanelle district to him on 18 December 1960. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide, 1883 FABRIZIO STELLA Distinguished jurist from Fratta between the second half of the 1500s and the first half of the 1600s He was born in Fratta in 1565 distinguishing himself in the legal disciplines. Due to his undoubted abilities he was called to hold administrative positions in various important cities, often disengaging himself in "foreign embassies". Guerrini, in his "History of the land of Fratta", tells that the lawyer Fabrizio Stella was particularly dear to many eminent personalities, including Cardinal Bevilacqua of Ferrara (he was apostolic legate of Umbria and Perugia, who elected him protector of the city and honorary citizen, from 1600 to 1606 - Ed), as shown by many family letters written to him kept by his heirs. The King of Portugal John IV, founder of the Braganza dynasty, decorated it with the Cross of St. James of Lusitania giving it many privileges, as emerges from the relative diploma. Returning to his homeland at the age of 79, he paid the supreme debt to nature on January 15, 1644 and was buried in the Church of the Conventual Fathers of this land, leaving his descendants legacies of honors and riches, but his family was soon extinct with the death of the three married women Paolucci, Mazzaforti and Savelli. In 1880 the municipal administration dedicated what was once via dell'ologio to Fabrizio Stella. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - "Umbertide - Man in toponymy" by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 GIOVAN BATTISTA SPOLETINI Distinguished jurist, governor of many cities of the Papal State, celebrated in Fratta for his many merits as Father of the Fatherland Giovan Battista Spoletini, a man of great ingenuity and supreme integrity, was born in Fratta in 1557. He graduated in the legal disciplines for which he was profoundly versed; for this he undertook a government career and was appointed by the S. Consulta Governor of the ancient city of Sutri in the year 1592, of Piperno in 1593, of Napi in 1595; then of Acquapendente, Veroli and others. Returning to his homeland, from the height of his wisdom and doctrine, he constantly worked for his good, especially in the circumstance of the ruin of the two arches of the bridge over the Tiber which occurred in the year 1610. They poured the inhabitants of Fratta into the most fierce consternation as their trade languished due to the difficulty of transit to Città di Castello and Tuscany and because with their limited economic resources they saw no hope of being able to reactivate it. It was Spoletini who, inflamed with homeland love, went to Rome several times, with the protection of the distinguished prelates, his ancient acquaintances, eloquently exposing the difficult situation in which his homeland was, obtaining from Paul V Borghese, a shrewd and enterprising Pope , that the Congregation of the Good Government provided for the rebuilding of our bridge, since, by good luck, this Pope knew well the land of Fratta, Perugia, Città di Castello, Montone, Citerna. And since in the allotment made by Monsignor Marini apostolic commissioner in Perugia, Fratta was heavily taxed by a quarter of the total expenditure, our Spoletini went again to Rome and from the Congregation of the Good Government he obtained a different allotment, that is, that divided the total expenditure in twelve ounces, nine were borne by Perugia and its countryside, two by Città di Castello, and the other part for two thirds to Fratta and one third to Montone. One cannot imagine how many oppositions were made by the aforementioned municipalities, and especially by that of Città di Castello, to the point of planning the construction of a wooden bridge; but by the industriousness, wisdom and influence of Spoletini everything was overcome and in 1614 the construction of the bridge with only two arches was contracted out for a cost of seven thousand scudi. The work was quite advanced that a terrible flood occurred which unfortunately devastated what had been carried out! Then new and fiercer oppositions arose and many appeals were made against the contractors, as well as the Spoletini himself who had been appointed Superintendent of the work. Envy and wickedness barbarously joined in slandering Spoletini as a participant in the fraud of bad workmanship so that, in June 1615, an arrest order was issued for him and for the contractors. Spoletini was treated with all due regard to his condition and was confined to a room in the Palazzo Priorale in Perugia with the exhibition of a security of one thousand scudi. In the end, his innocence and honesty were recognized and he was then honorably reinstated not only in his primitive qualification of Over-standing the factory, but for the damage suffered he was decreed an indemnity of 100 scudi to be paid half by the Municipality of Fratta, half from the other Municipalities subject to the Consortium, an indemnity that Spoletini generously did not accept. The contract for the three-arch bridge was therefore renewed for the sum of 6,500 scudi, and in 1619, perfectly completed, it was made passable. Despite the persecution unjustly suffered, Spoletini continued to always be the protector and benefactor of this land, to the point that he was assigned the glorious name of Pater Patriae. His home was in via del Piano. In 1634 Giovan Battista Spoletini ceased to live at the age of 77. All generally mourned for him, because when enmities and envy were cooled above the grave, men are judged without lies there as they really were. With great solemnity he was buried in our Church of San Francesco, where to the right of the Presbytery there is a sepulchral plaque dedicated to him where you can still read the following inscription which recalls the merits and important activities carried out during his life: DOM "Jo Baptista de Spoletinis LVD. Ac Civi Perusino de Fracta, here sub Clemente VIII Pont. Max Civitates Sutrína, Nepesina, Anxuris, et Monti Falisci, Terram Priverni, et Aquepend. Gubernavit et demum in Patriam neglessus, Pontem collapsum summo animi, corporisque labore, summaque vigilantia, oppugnatis contrariis in pristinum restit. curavit Deoq. Jovi obtinuit. Jo Maria filius ad memoriam laborum sui Patris iam septugenarii posuit Ann. Dm. 1637. " After 1863 the street where he lived was dedicated to him, the ancient via del piano which at the time was the main road to go to Perugia. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - "Umbertide - Man in toponymy" by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 - “The talking stones” by Pietro Vispi - Local publishing group - Digital Editor Srl, Umbertide 2021 ORAZIO MANCINI Fratta prelate and diplomat of the second half of the sixteenth century Abbot Mancini was born in Fratta as honest and wealthy parents in the year 1546. As a young boy he completed a full course of studies at the University of Bologna and then went to Rome where, having proved his uncommon talent, he remained for fifty years he was employed as Secretary to the Most Eminent Caraffa, S. Severino and Doria, and with this important office he had the opportunity to attend as many as seven Conclaves. He had very important shops entrusted to him by Philip III, King of Spain, from whom he was remunerated with an annual pension of one thousand scudi a thousand on the rich Archbishopric of Taranto and that of Seville, in addition to six thousand Castilian scudi that the Duke of Lerma, supreme minister, he donated in the name of the King. At the same time he was offered the Bishopric of Cefalù and Girgenti and other large cities of Sicily, which our Mancini modestly gave up. It was also very well accepted by various Supreme Pontiffs and Princes of Italy, especially Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Duke Charles of Savoy, of whom he was requested as a gentleman and diner of Cardinal Maurizio, his son. At an advanced age and tired from the many hardships sustained, he retired to Perugia where, together with Father Sozio Sozi, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory of San Filippo Neri (1) , starting the construction of the house and the magnificent temple called Chiesa Nuova or Church of San Filippo Neri, the greatest example of the Baroque in Perugia, built between 1627 and 1665 under the direction of the Roman architect Paolo Maruscelli, for the construction of which he employed large revenues from abbeys, pensions and all his patrimonial assets. He died in Perugia in the year 1629, at the age of 86. In a painting that was in the Church of San Giovanni di questo Terra, representing the name of Jesus, one could read at the bottom this writing: "Oratius Mancinus fieri fecit, et donavit Anno 1598." Its name replaced the old denomination of via Porta Nuova after 1863. Note: 1. The Congregation of the oratory originated from community of secular priests gathered in Rome around San Filippo Neri, first at the church of San Girolamo della Carità (1551) and then near that of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (1564); was erected canonically in 1575 by Pope Gregory XIII, who donated to the oratorians the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, and its constitutions were approved by Pope Paul V in 1612. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - "Umbertide - Man in toponymy" by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 La famiglia Spunta di Fratta THE SPUNTA DI FRATTA FAMILY The conspicuous family of the Spunta had many characters who, between the 1500s and the mid 1600s, gave prestige and ornament to our city both for skill in arms and in legal and literary matters. The most remote news that has come down to us reminds us of Marino, notary; Paolo, Marino's nephew, official of the Papal State; Francesco, son of Paul, also an official of the Papal State; Alfonso, son of Paolo, man of letters. Marino Check Son of Domenico Spunta, he was born in Fratta in 1480. He was highly indoctrinated especially in the legal disciplines. He worked as a notary public and his deeds are kept in the historic municipal archive of our city in twenty-nine voluminous protocols ranging from 1507 to 1545. "There are few Offices - says an important Jurisconsult - that require such a great set of honesty, knowledge and conciliatory spirit as that of the Notariat". Thirty-eight years of honorable practice in such a delicate and important career, the handling of great and jealous interests concerning the most important village and foreign families are the indubitable testimony of Marino Spunta's mirrored honesty and profound wisdom. The ancient statutes of our community dating back to 1362 were extremely disfigured and damaged by time and long use, for which the General Council recognized the need for them to be reformed and partly renewed "also because the new age from antiquity in many different things , he continually wishes to promote a new rite ». Among the many distinguished men who presided over public shops at that time, Angelo di Antonio Cibo, Antonio di Ser Orsino, Simone de Speranza and Bentivenga di Antonio Dell'Uomo, defenders of the Castle, Ser Paolo di Cristofero Martinelli, public notary and extremely person circumspect, "not that many other virtuous men of the Castle, of good, honest and political amateurs", entrusted our Spunta with the direction of this important work that he successfully completed on February 22, 1521 and which was extensively approved. The date of death of Marino Spunta is not known while it seems that he had a son named Antonio , also a public notary, who exercised from 1538 to 1558 as we can find in the public archives of this Municipality in the twenty-three protocols he left. Paolo Spunta Grandson of Marino, he was born in Fratta on the decline of the 16th century. He was the husband of Madama Orsolina and had many children, including Francesco and Alfonso of whom we will speak later. Paolo by natural inclination dedicated himself to military art and in 1627 he had already risen to the rank of Loco-Lieutenant, conferred on him by Carlo Barberini, General of the Pontifical Troops. Then for the skills demonstrated he passed to the rank of Captain with the appointment of Cardinal Camillo Panfili, General Superintendent of the State Militias. At the same time he occupied many prestigious positions and, among others, by Ottaviano Carafa, general commissioner, was appointed under commissioner for army commissions in the province of Umbria. All this can be found in authentic documents existing in the Mazzaforti family and in their other heirs. Francesco Spunta Even Francesco, son of Paolo, following in his father's footsteps, was very capable in politics and an intrepid and valiant soldier. At a young age he was already appointed standard bearer of his company by Cardinal Camillo Panfili. In the war between Urban VIII and the Florentines he distinguished himself by strenuously defending the Castles of Montalto, Polgeto and Montacuto, repelling the assailants several times and making a good number of prisoners, as can be seen from very extensive documents issued by his Excellency Gio. Battista Bono Governor General of the Weapons in this land. He had frequent times to carry out with his soldiers various expeditions under the command of Mr. Duca Savelli, Lieutenant General of S. Chiesa. Then militating under the Austrian flags, by the Commander Mr. Tommaso Mengrahell he was raised to the distinguished post of Regimental Standard Bearer. Alfonso Check Alfonso, another son of Paul, eclipsed any other for his high merits, especially in Latin literature. He was employed in various Courts and his Majesty Queen Christina Alexandra of Sweden appointed him tutor and secretary of Latin Literature. Cristina, daughter of Gustavo Adolfo and Eleonora Princess of Brandenburg, after the death of her father in Lutzen in 1632, fighting against the Austrians, was proclaimed Queen at the tender age of six. However, it remained for a long time under the tutelage of severe Regents, who, in order to educate it worthily and according to the paternal dispositions, surrounded it with the most renowned tutors of Europe. It is believed that the study of languages was the predominant passion of that young queen. Pierre Bayle, the great philosopher of Carlat, asserts that every day she read some original pages of Tacitus. Therefore our Alfonso being called as tutor and secretary in that magnificent court is the sure proof of his profound doctrine. There he was a companion and friend of the famous S almasio di Semur, of Vossio, Boschart, René Deschartes (Descartes) and of other great ones. The delightful and erudite Cristina devoted entirely to literature and sciences, annoyed by what she called the "splendid servitude of the throne", on June 16, 1654 and at the flourishing age of 28, decided to abdicate the heroic Crown of the Vasa. Our Alfonso spent another five years revered and honored in that splendid Palace, disengaging important embassies; but finally due to his poor health and the turbulence of the Kingdom, with a Diploma of King Charles X of 10 April 1659 he was returned to his homeland, where a year later he ceased to live and where he had extraordinary funeral honors and the lamented general. To Marino Spunta, and ideally to all the other members of the family, what once was dedicated it was via delle Petresche, in the historic center. The photos of the ancient characters are taken from Wikipedia. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - “Umbertide - Man in toponymy” by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 FILIPPO AND GIOVAN BATTISTA FRACASSINI The Fracassini family, originally from Monte Acuto, had two important personalities in 1600 who honored the land of Fratta. Filippo, master mason, who made his great skills available for architectural works that we can still admire today. Giovan Battista, distinguished lawyer, judge and governor of important cities of that time. Filippo Fracassini The exact dates of the birth and death of this important descendant of the Fracassini family are not known. In the first half of the seventeenth century Filippo Fracassini was a famous operator in the art of architecture, not so much comforted by science but by his natural talent and passionate exercise. There was no great undertaking in Fratta in those times that was not entrusted to Fracassini. He, together with the master builders Ercolano da Civitella and Francesco Valentini, rebuilt the two arches of the bridge over the Tiber which was demolished by the extraordinary flood of 1610. He was director of the factory of the new Church of Santa Croce, which was erected between the years 1610 and 1647. He reformed the grandiose Temple of the Reggia on the design and direction of another worthy Frattegiano, Bernardino Sermigni, and executed many other works of no less importance, all with a happy outcome. The very learned D. Silvio Fidanza wrote the following epigraph in praise of Fracassini: "DEO CRUCI VIRGINI PHILIPPHUS DE FRACASSINIS SINE LITERIS NUMERIS DISERTISSIMUS PONTEM INFECTUM ARTE REFECIT POST DILUVIUM TRIA MILIA NONGENTA DECEM PRIDIE NONAS SEPTEMBRIS SACRAS AEDES SANCTAE CRUCIS A CRISTI AREE MORTE MARY 1649 JUBILEE 1645 ". On 18 December 1960 the road leading to Preggio was named after him. Giovan Battista Fracassini This distinguished citizen of Fratta, after having obtained a degree in philosophical and legal studies at the University of Perugia, moved to Rome to exercise the office of defender in that Supreme Curia for a long time and with excellent profit. With licenses from the S. Consulta he ruled the government of many important towns and cities, in particular Norcia and Camerino, until in 1680 by Monsignor Ghisleri he was recalled to Norcia as Lieutenant General of the Prefecture. Despite the exercise of these important offices, he never ceased to occupy himself in the functions of lawyer, as can be seen from many cases entrusted to him by Franchetti and brilliantly resolved, by the multiplicity of his writings, reports and votes that were published for the prints. He was Judge in Foligno, Vicar General in S. Sepolcro and Città di Castello. But finding himself at a very advanced age and unable to bear so many hard labors, he returned to his native land where, in the arms of his relatives who loved him so much and friends who greatly esteemed him, he gave his soul back to God in the year 1689. . Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 - "Umbertide - Man in toponymy" by Bruno Porrozzi - Pro Loco Umbertide Association - 1992 GIOVANNI MAURI In the first half of the 1600s he was, among other things, master of the Order of Minor Conventual Fathers and bishop of Nusco The biography is taken from Guerrini's book, fully preserving the Italian of the time, from the late nineteenth century. Giovanni Mauri was born in this land in 1566. As a young man he professed among the Frs. MM . (Minor Fathers) Conventuals of St. Francis and for the tireless study and continued exercise of the most splendid virtues he became Master of that Holy Order and occupied the most luminous offices there. In the year 1626 he was already Procurator General in Rome; in 1629 Apostolic Commissioner and Visitor in Sardinia; in 1634 Inquisitor in Siena and Florence; in 1638 Consultor of the Holy Office in Rome; then Patriarchal Vicar in Constantinople. Famous in preaching, he trod the most distinguished Pergams (Ed. In architecture sacred, a kind of balcony (also called pulpit) which is usually found in churches inside, now leaning against the walls or with columns or pillars, now isolated and supported by small but richly decorated architectural elements, from which the preacher addresses the faithful) of Italy, and was marvelous for his immense erudition and for his robust facondia. Gentle verse, profound mathematician, Master of sweet melodies, and sublime Organist, he often rapt in ecstasy Amuirath IV called the Valiant, who wished to sing and play in his presence above the proud Minarets, gracefully towering on the enchanted shores of the Bosphorus. And he received precious gifts, which on his return to Rome were surprised by Pontiff Barberini himself, to whom Mauri was present with a rich fur coat and an exquisite inestimable work coat. After the highly praised exercise of such delicate and important offices, Urban VIII in 1641 consecrated Mauri as Bishop of Nusco, Principality-Further in the Neapolitan area, where after just four years with the peace of the just, with the sanctity of example, with the blessing of all the His people, who loved him as their Father, fell asleep in the Lord on November 1, 1644. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 Giovanni Pachino - Cintio Paulucci Bernardino Sermigni BERNARDINO SERMIGNI Great honor had Fratta from having given birth in 1600 to the architect Bernardino Sermigni, descendant of an ancient and titled family In the year 1640, seeing the dome of the Church of the Reggia at risk of collapse, he immediately set to work, together with Flori , to avert this tragic event. After consulting the architect of the Grand Duke and other corresponding artists, it was finally decided to completely renew the internal order giving it a more noble form, also following the advice of Pietro Burelli , another talented engineer from Fratta. This Temple has an octagonal plan on the outside, circular inside with a diameter of twenty meters; and its height twice the diameter. When you enter the church you are immediately struck by the boldness of the great dome, as if thrown into the air, by the elegant, majestic harmony of the whole. The buttresses of the primitive construction did not oppose vigorous resistance to the considerable thrust of the structure, so it was necessary to strengthen them. And here is the genius of our artist not to stop among the only remedies of arid solidity but also trying to combine this with aesthetics to draw the most pleasant benefit from it. Around the internal walls there is a complete order of sixteen columns, somewhat detached from the wall, on which the exhibits of the corresponding pillars are shown. The intercolumns (Ed. Space between two columns) are odd. In the largest, which is an aerospace (Ed. Temple in which the intercolumniation had a width greater than three diameters) , eight large round arches well decorated with cornices and stuccoes, and with their large recess they make magnificence and convenient to the altars , the orchestra and the two main entrances. The other intercolumniation is somewhat narrower, all divided up by niches, divided between them by the continuing frame of the side shutters. These various intercolumns make up admirably separate groups of coupled columns, which present at the same time speed and the most graceful movement. The order of the colonnade is Doric and has a remarkable height of 9.60 meters. How much philosophy of art in the choice of this order! Our columns, which here support such a laborious office, had to be characterized by the constant character of the most severe robustness. The slight streaks in the large stems have also been suppressed and short grooves indicated only in the collar of the Capitals. The primeval robust height of the architrave has been preserved and the most sensible parsimony in the limbs (Ed. Horizontal Membrature placed in conjunction with columns) . And for this artistic criterion and also to avoid the inconveniences in the cornice mostly resulting from the coupling of the columns, triglyphs are suppressed (Ed. The triglyph is an architectural element of the Doric order frieze of Greek and Roman architecture. stone tile, decorated with vertical grooves) and modiglioni (Ed. The modiglione, also called modione, is a sculpted shelf that supports the upper protruding part of the frame) , following the example of the Farnesina del Peruzzi (Ed. Villa Farnesina in Rome built around the 1505 on a project by the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi) and of the Palazzo Stoppani by Raffaele (Ed. Palazzo Stoppani in Bergamo in 1500). Above the described entablature (Ed. Architectural structure, including the horizontal element of the trilithic system, of the Greek-Roman architectural orders and consists of architrave, frieze and cornice ), which with the right alignment circumscribes the whole Temple, stands the large drum della Cupola shaped as a sumptuous attic. Above each column we see repeated as many pillars, to which the proportional projection of an elegant frame with all purity of art composes the ornament of the relative capitals. In the intermediate spaces there are stupid arches for grandiose windows; various collections for bas-reliefs and paintings. Then, a little higher, another frame, so that the adorned nut, which is created between these frames, constitutes a graceful base for the great dome, which boldly develops elliptically at the top. Here four large windows send streams of light inside. Here ribs that arise from the subordinate orders adorn the grandiose curve of the structure and converging at the top rejoin to raise a lantern, which the magnificent building elegantly crowns. On the outside, the internal architecture is repeated with all simplicity. It was thought for greater beauty to leave the dome naked outside, encrusted with lead, but the seriousness of the expense did not allow it. The construction of the walls is brick, the bands and stucco decorations, the architectural orders are all in pietra serena and executed with the most exquisite stereotomic ( Ed Stereotomìa is the set of geometric knowledge and traditional techniques relating to the tracing and cutting of the blocks and of freestone segments and their assembly and use in complex structures related to architectural constructions) cleanliness. Shortly after 1647 this great Temple was completed again, which are classics artists consider among the most beautiful of the Umbrian districts and that it certifies brightly the valentia of our architect. Sermigni died in 1670, at the age of 70. Sources: - “History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide” by Antonio Guerrini (completed Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 GIOVANNI PACHINO and CINTIO PAULUCCI Two characters of ancient Fratta who distinguished themselves, the first in the legal disciplines, the second in military art Giovanni Pachino Distinguished jurist, in the first half of the 1400s he was Grand Master of the income of the Duke of Milan Filippo Maria Visconti Giovanni Pachino (or Paghino) was born in Fratta towards the end of the 14th century. I started very young to study and then deepen the legal disciplines, so much so that I earned the nickname of "Splendor of Italian Jurisprudence". He traveled extensively in even distant regions for the desire to know, study and deepen the different customs and customs of other peoples and their laws. Pachino, for his experiences and for his doctrine, was called to the service of authoritative princes and personalities of his time, who repaid him with honors and riches. Shortly before the middle of the 15th century he was called to Milan, to the important court of Filippo Maria Visconti who, for the trust and esteem he had in our fellow citizen, also entrusted him with the prestigious position of Grand Master of all the ducal income. He had a large family. It is probable that, in consideration of a possible dynastic change in Milan, Pachino asked and obtained permission from the Visconti to be able to return to Umbria. This is how he settled in Perugia in 1443, where he became an honorary citizen. In the Perugian Annals of the year 1443 he was defined as “De Castro Fractae Filiorum Umberti egregius et famosissimus legum doctor”. He died in Perugia in 1444. A street was named after Giovanni Pachino, a crossroads of Via Roma. Cintio Paulucci Valent man of arms, he knew how to honor himself by fighting for the Venetian Republic Towards the end of the 16th century, shortly after the formidable battles in Cyprus where Pietro Giacomo Petrogalli worked wonders of great value, another brave warrior of our land was fighting in the employ of the invincible Venice. Cintio Paulucci, a man of perspicacious talent and particularly expert in military art, inspired by the genius of the times, fearlessly threw himself where battles both against Muslims and the most indomitable piracy often raged. Not surprisingly, with a license dated July 27, 1628, he was promoted by the Venetian Republic (1) to the rank of Captain of the Halberdiers (2) . In the year 1632 he was sent to Dalmatia, in Sibenik, as commander of the Italian Company to be then assigned, with another license of 6 June 1636, as Major and Commander General, to Zakynthos (3) , one of the most important islands of the Ionian sea where shortly after he ceased to live full of merits and glory. Tall stature, pleasant appearance, severe eye, spacious forehead, ringed hair, steel armor, halberd in hand, coat of arms with eagle on a red background: this is how Cintio Paulucci was represented in a portrait of his time that unfortunately has not reached us. . Note: 1. The Venetian Republic, starting from the seventeenth century Most Serene Republic of Venice, was a maritime republic with Venice as its capital. Founded according to tradition in 697 by Paoluccio Anafesto, in the course of its one thousand hundred years of history it established itself as one of the major European commercial and naval powers. Initially extended in the area of the Do g ado (a territory currently comparable to the metropolitan city of Venice) in the course of its history it annexed much of north-eastern Italy, Istria, Dalmatia, the coasts of present-day Montenegro and Albania as well as numerous islands in the Adriatic and eastern Ionian seas. At the height of its expansion, between the 13th and 16th centuries, it also ruled the Peloponnese, Crete and most of the Greek islands, as well as several cities and ports in the eastern Mediterranean . 2. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the European armies increasingly equipped themselves with units of halberdiers, a body of heavy infantry armed with halberds. This was a long shaft that ended in a two-edged blade and, just below, an ax blade was engaged on one side and a large hook on the other. The halberdiers also wore particular helmets called morions, similar to helmets with a rigid and upward-curved brim, pointed at the front and at the back. The most popular models had a crest or ended with a sharp cusp. 3. Zakynthos is a Greek island (405 km²) with a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants. The island is located in the Ionian Sea, near the coasts of the Peloponnese and is part of the archipelago of the Ionian islands. Zakynthos was at the center of the Spartan-Athenian battles; it was then one of the Ionian islands under Venetian rule, during which the poet Ugo Foscolo was born, who dedicated the sonnet “A Zacinto” to it; in 1953 it was devastated by a disastrous earthquake. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan The coat of arms of the Duchy The Sforzesco Castle Costantino Magi - Angelo Martinelli - Francesco Spinetti La famiglia Soli - Sante Pellicciari Cherubino Martelli - Felice Remeri Lavinio Magi - P. Paolo Cristiani LAVINIO MAGI and PIETRO PAOLO CRISTIANI They both chose ecclesiastical careers and were at the helm at different times of the church of Sant'Agata in via dei Priori, one of the oldest churches in Perugia Lavinio Magi Priest of exemplary and pious customs; rich in doctrine, especially in the theological sciences, in the sacred canons and in the liturgy. He was born in Fratta in 1579 from an honorable family. He studied in the Seminary of Città di Castello under the famous Marcantonio Bonciario, distinguished orator called "The Homer of Italy" by Giusto Lipsio, the most profound critic and the most learned polygraph of those times. Lancellotti in the "Perugian History" tells us that the Magi enjoyed the affection of the very learned bishop Napoleone Comitoli (1) , of Cardinals Torres and Baldeschi, who used his work and his wise men in the most delicate matters of their Sacred Ministry advice. He was elected parish priest of the Church of S. Agata in Perugia by Camitoli, a benefit to which the most deserving subjects of the clergy were nominated. He was Master of Ecclesiastical Liturgy of which he wrote a highly appreciated volume. Several times he had the office of Diocesan Visitor (2) , Synodal Examiner (3) and President of the Congregation of Christian Doctrine, whose constitutions he wisely reformed in 1626. He was ecclesiastical superior of the Hospital of Perugia elected with full suffrages, a position he held for six years with much advantage of the Pious Place, especially in the arrangement of all the important ancient and modern writings contained in that voluminous Archive. He was also a very accurate reorganizer of the other no less important Archive of the Noble Collegio della Mercanzia, where ancient and precious memories were found. After many hardships in favor of civil and religious society, at the age of 61, he died of a heart attack on May 31, 1640. Note: 1. He was compared to S. Carlo Borromeo for having been able to bring the renewals of the Council of Trent into the physical and moral structures of the diocese of Perugia with strength and dedication. A man of high principles and of considerable depth, the great artistic and urban development achieved under his episcopate is proof of the energy lavished on the city, such as the complete restoration desired for the church of Sant'Ercolano. He studied canon law and civil law at the University of Bologna , made numerous pastoral visits, was heard in various synods and did his utmost to improve the dioceses of the region. Jurist of the Sacra Rota, he died in Perugia in 1624. 2. In the Catholic Church , an apostolic or diocesan visitor is an ecclesiastical representative with the transitory mission of making a canonical visit of a relatively short duration. The visitor is instructed to investigate a particular circumstance in a diocese or country and to submit a report to the Holy See at the conclusion of the investigation. 3. Within the Catholic curia there is also the so-called "synodal examiner", a theologian appointed by the diocesan prelate to evaluate those who have been selected for sacred orders and to work with parish ministries and preachers. Pietro Paolo Cristiani He was born in Fratta from a wealthy and distinguished family. From an early age he devoted himself to studies with great profit. He graduated in Sacred Sciences having chosen to pursue an ecclesiastical career. For his integrity and doctrine he was appointed Rector of the parish church of S. Agata (1) in Perugia (where Lavinio Magi, another illustrious fellow citizen of ours, had resided about a century earlier) and for 30 years he supported this ministry with great praise. At the same time he was one of the most renowned professors of the University of Perugia, occupying the Chair of Dogmatic Theology. For many years he held the position of Librarian in the city library, arranging it in a more orderly and elegant form. He was synodal examiner of the eminent Ansidei and of Monsignor Fornari and finally Consultor of the Tribunal of the Holy Office. He was the author of many learned literary works, of a famous dialogue entitled "The Grammatico" (taken from an unknown author of 1557) printed in Perugia in 1717 and of some homeland memories existing in the Mariotti Library. Giacinto Visconti, a talented writer of the eighteenth century, sent a letter to P. Calogerà on the works and life of our fellow citizen, a letter that can be found in the library of San Michele in Murano. Pietro Paolo Cristiani died in the year 1737. Note: 1. The church of Sant'Agata, built seven centuries ago around 1317, is located at the beginning of the very central Via dei Priori, arriving there from Corso Vannucci, known by many faithful and lovers of art history as one of the "caskets" more precious than the Franciscan Gothic style present in Umbria. Inside the church, restored and reopened for worship in February 2015, on the walls and vault there are fresco decorations of considerable historical and artistic interest, from the Umbrian-Sienese school. The restoration work made it possible to find significant pictorial parts on the walls such as the image of St. Francis receiving the stigmata, above the well-known and original face of the "Triform Christ", in front of the right side entrance, and of two saints fathers of the Church painted on the lunettes of the vault above the altar. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 CHERUBINO MARTELLI and FELICE REMERI Two Franciscan fathers of Fratta who held prestigious positions, the first as Bishop of Spiga, an ancient city of the Hellespont, the second as Guardian in the Sacred Convent of Jerusalem and Guardian of the Sepulcher of Jesus Christ. Cherubino Martelli News of this illustrious fellow citizen of ours, whose date of birth is unknown, was provided by the Perugian father Ottavio Lancellotti in his memoirs entitled "Scorta Sagra" (1) . He was a Father among the Minor Observants of St. Francis and due to the integrity and breadth of his doctrine he occupied the most important offices of that Congregation until the moment when the eminent Cardinal Andrea della Valle, bishop of Malta, wanted him as his theologian. The fame of his profound science and his mirrored virtues quickly reached the Vatican and Pope Leo X, the great "Patron of the Scholars", awarded him the title of Episcopal of Spiga, an ancient city of Hellespont (2) . He died in Cetona (3), land of Tuscany, in 1520 in the odor of holiness. His body was buried in a modest tomb (4) in that church of S. Francesco but (as a chronicle of that place tells us) due to the many prodigies worked towards him the devotion of the faithful increased immensely so that, after exhuming his body and found intact, it was solemnly placed under the main altar in an elegant urn. Note: 1. 2-volume paper manuscript left with will at the Augusta Library in 1654. 2. The Hellespont, today Dardanelli, is the strait that divides the Aegean Sea from the Black Sea. 3. Pretty village in the province of Siena between the Val d'Orcia and the Val di Chiana. In 1418 Cetona was conquered by Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone. 4. Sarcophagus for the dead. Felice Remeri His date of birth is unknown, it is known that he was the son of Bernardino Remeri dalla Fratta and brother of a Luca Remeri, notary of the venerable Apostolic Chamber. Felice from his youth devoted himself to the study of the sacred sciences and became a religious of the Observance of San Francesco. Here he distinguished himself as a supreme theologian and as an exemplary Father, to the point of holding the most important offices of his Congregation. Clement VII (Giulio de 'Medici) with a special Brief (1) appointed him to the prestigious office of Guardian in the Sacred Convent of Jerusalem (2) , where the Sepulcher is kept of Jesus Christ. The notary Benedetto De Sanctis, an 87-year old man of integrity, said and our fellow citizen, who when Father Felice threw himself at the feet of Clement VII for to have the blessing of farewell, so exclaimed the inspired Pontiff "Please God, Friar Felice, may we together with you receive the palm tree in that blessed land of Martyrdom! " Full of sacred fervor he left Italy and after having sailed for a long time in the stormy sea between Candia and Cyprus, he landed in Acre and went to Jerusalem. Crispolti and Jacobilli narrate that “as soon as he arrived there, he stayed four continuous days at the Holy Sepulcher absorbed in the most profound contemplation, and which diluted so in hot tears, little was missing there would not remain lifeless ". Having then fulfilled with the most fervent zeal all the needs relating to his expedition and to his ministry always giving a shining example of illicitness, of moderation, of piety and all other brighter virtues, in the year 1595, many months after his arrival in Jerusalem passed away in the odor of Holiness (3) . His body is still preserved in that Church with great veneration and many are told about it wonders received from God through his intercession. The name of Felice Remeri is therefore found deservedly counted among the other saints of Umbria. Note: 1. Pontifical document with normative value, lower than the papal bull. 2. The Custody of the Holy Land is a priory of Jerusalem , founded as a Province of the Holy Land in 1217 by Saint Francis of Assisi, who had also founded the Franciscan Order in 1209. In 1342 the Franciscans were declared with two papal bulls as custodians officers of the Holy Places on behalf of the Catholic Church. The headquarters of the Custody are located in the Monastery of San Salvatore, a 16th-century Franciscan convent near the New Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The heart of the old city of Jerusalem for Christians is the basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, known by the locals as the "church of the resurrection": inside it is found the Calvary, place of the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and the Tomb of Christ, from which the Son of God resurrected on the third day. The two Holy Places are interrelated and inseparable, as is the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which was fulfilled there and is continually fulfilled. For eight hundred years the Franciscan friars of the Order of Friars Minor have been the custodians of the Holy Sepulcher, on behalf of the Catholic Church, and have shared ownership of the basilica with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. 3. Felice Ranieri (Remeri) from Fratta was the 73rd Guardian of the Sacred Sepulcher from 1593 to 1595 (from Wikipedia). Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 THE SOLI DI FRATTA FAMILY and SANTE PELLICCIARI Illustrious families of the Fratta of the sixteenth century Giovanni Paolo and Francesco Maria Soli The Soli family was one of the most illustrious and wealthy families in our area. Their building was in via Cibo. They had another more sumptuous one on the Piaggia di Metula (Romeggio area) which was set on fire, with those of other lords of the time, by order of Captain Pallavicino when in 1643 the army of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, during the war against Urban VIII, tried to take over our territory by putting the Castle of Fratta under siege. Giovanni Paolo and Francesco Maria, for their honesty and the virtuous actions were both ascribed by the Reale House of Savoy in the Knightly Order of St. Maurice and Lazarus (1) . With various assets they owned at this land, just east of the Temple of the Royal Palace, they had a Commenda built which on the death of Francesco Maria, without successors, fell back to Religion of those Knights and which was therefore conferred to the noble Bourbon family of Sorbello. John Paul instituted one in his last will Chapel to be officiated in the Collegiate Church and in that of Ponte, now joined to the Prepositure (2) , for which there was a capital of 400 scudi amidst the bishopric of Gubbio, who paid the respective interest. Francesco Maria ceased to live on December 27, 1599 a few years after the death of his brother and thus this noble and generous lineage remained extinct. A street has been named after the Soli brothers in what was once the Borgo Inferiore, the area of today's Piazza San Francesco. Note: 1. The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (also known as the Mauritian Order) is a chivalric order born from the merger of the Chivalric and Religious Order of St. Maurice and the Order for Assistance to the Lepers of St. Lazarus in 1572. With the XIV Transitional and Final Provision of the Italian Constitution, the Mauritian Order ceases to be a dynastic order but is kept as a hospital institution, with the functions and order established by the constitutional law of November 1962. 2. It is a term that designates the office of a parish priest, or provost (provost or provost) with special privileges in a parish. Sante Pellicciari He held important administrative positions in the second half of the sixteenth century at the orders of the General Council of Decemvirs (Priors) of the city of Perugia This compatriot of ours was a man of great ingenuity and proven probity. He was celebrated by Pellini in his "Storia Perugina", where he calls him "Writer of great gravity". He was Secretary of the Decemvirs (1) of the City of Perugia. After many years of honorable service, after having procured many advantages to that illustrious community, after having skillfully disengaged the most difficult tasks in very difficult circumstances, he obtained a rich pension and in addition he was spontaneously decreed by the General Council the privilege of adding the Half Griffin (2) to his noble armies. The same privilege on June 25, 1607 was assigned, in continuity with the father, to his sons Pietro Paolo, Lodovico and Silvestro, faithful imitators of the paternal virtues. The office of Secretary of the Community of Perugia was conferred on the proposal of Pellicciari to another of our no less famous compatriot, Filippo Alberti, his nephew. Full of honors, our saint retired to Fratta, settling in a delightful estate on the eastern slope of the Colle di Romeggio, or Piaggia di Metula, with a garden and a palace of noble architecture, where Francesco de 'Medici stayed on his return from Loreto to Florence. This Prince was treated sumptuously by Sante Pellicciari Junior, grandson of our Sante, who was given a very rich gold necklace as a sign of gratitude for the welcome received. In 1607 Sante Senior ceased to live in Perugia between the late general and his descendants lasted until 1814, becoming extinct with Dr. Luca Pellicciari, professor emeritus of experimental physics at the Perugino University. Note: 1. Also called Priors. Ten magistrates who held the city government in the Middle Ages until the early eighteenth century. 2. Tradition tells that it was the Etruscans, an ancient people also present in Umbria, who brought the griffin to Italy: its myth is in fact represented on urns, sarcophagi and bas-reliefs found in the finds. This symbol was then assumed by the Municipality of Perugia since the Middle Ages, through the members of the Corporations of Arts and Crafts who had the consent to use it in their coats of arms. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 COSTANTINO MAGI - ANGELO MARTINELLI - FRANCESCO SPINETTI Three characters who lived in Fratta between the 1600s and the early 1700s and who have proven themselves in various disciplines Constantine Magi Man of distinguished reputation in Fine Arts and in Philosophy. Accredited doctor and rare example of love for one's neighbor. The Magi, provided with sufficient wealth, never left Fratta to practice his art, which indeed for many years in a row and whenever necessary he served his fellow citizens for free, leaving the salary written in the Municipal Table always available. of the poorest and putting at their disposal what else they needed of his patrimony. After the loss of his wife, whom he had loved so much, he decided to embrace an ecclesiastical career. Having become a priest, he always led an exemplary and holy life. He wrote precious memories of his homeland, which for the most part were unfortunately lost due to the neglect of the descendants. In the year 1710, amid the blessings of the people, he died peacefully in the Lord. Angelo Martinelli Angelo Martinelli was born in Fratta on 29 September 1630. His father was Maurizio Martinelli and Fiora Corinti the mother. He became a priest and was parish priest in the Church of S. Luca (1) and Confessor of the Capuchins in Perugia and then of Monastery of S. Maria Nuova i n Fratta, where finally he fixed his abode. He was charitable in the name of the poor of Jesus Christ, so much so that he himself often remained deprived of clothing and food to help them. The exemplarity of his life, the sublimity of his virtues made him so grateful to the Lord who granted him the priceless gift of foreshadowing the future, as he did precisely for his death, as reported in a chronicle of that time. On March 19 of the year 1721, as predicted by him, passed placidly to eternal life. The funeral was solemn and all classes of people. His body was secretly buried enters double chest in the Parish Church of S. Erasmo in Cornu Evangelii (2) . Note: 1. The church of San Luca was built in 1586, on the site of one medieval church, commissioned by Bino Sozi of the Order of the Knights of Malta. It has a sober facade embellished with a beautiful entrance door embellished by materials stone and in particular from a truncated tympanum below which there are beautiful friezes of a religious nature. The interior, articulated in a nave with three spans separated by pillars of Doric style, it preserves a canvas by Giovanni Antonio Scaramuccia and the Madonna delle Grazie, a 15th century fresco. 2. The side of the gospel (in cornu Evangelii in Latin ) is an area of the Western Christian churches. It takes its name from the place where the reading of the gospel takes place in the liturgy. Compared to the high altar, it is located on the left side. Francesco Spinetti Francesco Spinetti, a man of great doctrine in the legal faculties, was born in our land in 1660. After having completed his studies in Rome, where he graduated in law, he also obtained the distinguished degree of Rotal Lawyer. By the Government, connoisseur of his merits, he was appointed Governor of the City of Foligno and then to other important positions. In old age he returned to his homeland with a good pension and stopped living there in the year 1724. Not having a direct succession, he left his consort Lucrezia Beni alone, a woman of singular piety, who had the Oratory of S. Filippo Neri called the New Church built near her house and at her own expense, then suppressed and reduced to home. The lawyer Francesco Spinetti, in addition to a magnificent library, left various manuscripts and especially an elaborate repertory of legal texts, divided into several volumes, which the surviving grandchildren recklessly dispersed. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 On the left, the house built on the remains of the church of Sant'Erasmo in the 40s and today Bernardino Magi The works are the mirror of the author's soul. A wise observer investigates the character, the custom, the passions, the character of the writer, and rarely deceives himself. The inert harmony of our elders, which not even a line has left on our famous painter Bernardino Magi, requires an exact observation of his paintings, in order to detect the character of the author, the school to which he belonged, the time in which he painted and the merit of the artist. Bernardino was born in Fratta over the middle of the 16th century from the ancient, conspicuous and wealthy Magi family, as evidenced by the grandiose mansion in the Piazza del Comune, where his descendants lived for a long time. From an early age he showed himself to be inclined to the art of painting. Objects of his meditation were always delightful things, inspiring sweet emotions, sweetness, graces, naturalness and above all beauty, towards which he was enraptured by an irrepressible transport. Either he admired it in the starry sky or in the rising dawn, or in the trembling groves struck by the sun, or in the gray hills where herds and shepherds swarm, or in the laughing prairies, wherever they appeared to him as an object of enchantment. He abhorred only melancholy, fatal, frightening objects. In this he conformed to an affable, sweet, mannered custom, led to love everyone and with equal affection to be paid for it. The parents, having known the inclination of their son and his genius, sent him to Urbino where the name of Federico Barocci (1) resounded high, as the most famous painter of that century. It was Barocci of a frank, kind and courteous character; such the disciple, so that great was the affection, unspeakable the commitment, and tireless study in order to satisfy the desires of the tutor. Hence that exact correction in the drawing, those pleasant attitudes, those figures so well posed, those heads of virgins, those nudes of children of a sweetness that enchant, those compositions of a simplicity and naturalness that fall in love. With what favor he waited to imitate the magical color of the tutor his paintings testify. Frederick did everything to emulate Correggio (2) , making him the most gracious, most agreeable, most lovable painter of the Roman School. Barocci was able to give harmony, a brightness, a truth to his paintings, which arouse wonder. Magi imitated the master so clearly that he was sometimes mistaken for him. For this there is an anecdote concerning the Magi. In the aftermath of the imperial government, the famous artist Agostino Tofanelli, Director of the Academy of Fine Arts, was sent to make a choice of Painting Heads to be transported to the capital. In the Church of S. Maria di Fratta ( Ed. It is probably the small church of S. Maria dei Rimedi which was located in the Mercatale Superiore area, the current end of Piaggiola and Piazza Marconi) observing the painting of Magi placed in his altar noble, considered it original by Barocci and as such had it transported to Rome. This results from the documents of that government and from the testimony of Mr. Giambattista Burelli who was then the Town Hall Secretary. It is true, however, that this painting, when examined better, was judged to belong to the school, not to the hand of Barocci. The painting was recovered by the Magi family and rearranged in the altar to the left of the main entrance. It is a rectangular canvas, 2.20 meters high, 1.60 meters wide. At the top there is the Holy Virgin above an arch of clouds slightly refracted by an area of light, which spreads from the divine head and which flows admirably to give life to the underlying countryside. The Madonna is dressed in a silky pink robe, cloaked in a blue cloth whose edges seem to be jokingly waved by the zephyrs of Heaven. Posing the face with dignified modesty, with the right hand in the act of dispensing a glorious palm, it seems to disengage a great decree of the Eternal. And he supports the Child Jesus with his left arm, who, covering his very delicate naked limbs with a white veil, tightens himself tenderly to the Divine Mother's neck in the eyes, in the horsehair, in the graceful lips. Three Seraphim masterfully arranged around, absorbed in blessed veneration, compose a glory in the style of the great Correggio. At the bottom of the picture there is a varied field of degrading hills well adorned with landscapes, woods, streams, rivers, the most delightful scenes of nature. To the right of the beholder is the profile of the Magdalene, a very charming young man, richly dressed, with her long hair on her shoulders dissolved, with her right knee bent in reverence and offering to Mary that jar of mysterious ointments which deserved the miracle of her conversion. On the left is St. Lawrence, kneeling, with his arms crossed at his breast, dressed in a diaconal tunic, who in the act of receiving the longed-for palm from the Queen of Martyrs, expresses in his animated face all the sacred joy that invades him. In front of the Saint, like a victory trophy, the iron painful grill stands on the ground; and alongside an old prelate (subject of the Magi family!) is about to crown him with the glorious diadem. Distances of admirably true positions, characteristic variety of complexions where the blood flows; a choice of very vague forms; a very pure correction of drawing; a freshness of color that enchants, an overall harmony that captivates. Under the figure of S. Lorenzo there is written by the same brush 1597. In a folder on the frame of the same Altar there is sculpted MDLXXXXII. On the sides of the side columns "RD Luduvicus de Magis". And in the dice of the pedestals on both sides of the Altar the noble weapon of the Magi family, consisting of two hands clasped in faith with a Comet above. In the lateral parts of the High Altar of the same Church there were two tables of the Magi, one copied by the Master, representing Christ on the Cross, St. John and the Virgin; the other a beautiful nativity scene. In the Sacristy there is also a S. Lorenzo and a S. Francesco. In the Church of the Good Death he painted the canvas of S. Antonio Abate. This canvas 2.48 m high, 4.40 wide is located in the altar to the left of the entrance. It is made up of four main figures. On one side we see the Holy Abbot Antonio in pontifical robes, all adorned with graceful golden embroidery. His right knee is bent with dignity to the ground, and all intent on a sacred legend, he opens his lips in the thick of a very soft beard to a smile of holy complacency. On the other side, St. Paul, a venerable old man, kneeling under a poor habit and on a curved stick, praying devoutly in the rosary of Mary. The gaunt tanned face, the absorbed furrowed eyelashes, the bald wrinkled forehead, all express the penitent effects of his religious solitude. Next to it you can see St. John the Baptist in the appearance of a dear young man, who with the gracefulness of the forms, with the floridity of the complexion harmonizes the effect of the most beautiful pictorial antithesis. Then, as seated among very limpid clouds, Mary rises up, who with folded hands holds the Baby Jesus to her breast between a white linen. She has a pink and white robe, a purplish mantle gracefully ruffled by the hand of the Angels. In the lips, in the eyes, in the compassionate attitude, how the divine tenderness transpires, which he feels for his delight! The latter, all joyful, with very vague pupils, almost fixed in an ecstasy of harmless abstraction, carries all the celestial maternal features on his face, charmingly repeated. Twelve Seraphim in splendid various rounds finally crown the glory of the Queen of Heaven. In the rear frame we can read Bernardino Magi painted the year 1596. From this we can deduce the age of his works. In the noble Oratory attached to his home he had repeated the Madonna in the picture of S. Maria in large scale and his apartments were full of his paintings. Bernardino did not want to abandon his beloved Preceptor even in death. He was missing from the living in perhaps not senile age in 1612, in the same year in which the master Federico was kidnapped to the Fine Arts. Note: 1. Federico Barocci, known as Fiori, was born in Urbino between 1528 and 1535. His elegant style makes him considered an important exponent of Italian Mannerism and the art of the Counter-Reformation between Correggio and Caravaggio and is also considered one of the precursors of the Baroque. 2. Antonio Allegri, known as Corréggio, was one of the most important Renaissance painters of the Parma school. He was the son of a merchant who lived in Correggio, the small town where Antonio was born in 1489 and died in 1534, and from which he took his name. Sources: - "History of the land of Fratta now Umbertide" by Antonio Guerrini (completed by Genesio Perugini) - Typography Tiberina Umbertide - 1883 Bernardino Magi - Muzio Flori Leopoldo Grilli Lodovico Flori LODOVICO FLORI Il gesuita ragioniere di Fratta che proseguì con successo gli studi di contabilità sulla partita doppia intrapresi cento anni prima dal frate toscano Luca Pacioli Lodovico Flori nacque a Fratta il 26 dicembre 1579 da famiglia benestante sebbene di rango modesto. Da giovinetto si dedicò allo studio delle leggi conseguendo il dottorato. All’età di 31 anni, il 25 marzo 1610, entrò nel noviziato della Compagnia di Gesù a Roma dopo i suoi studi di filosofia, teologia e diritto. Concluso il biennio da novizio, nel 1612 si trasferì a Messina dove, nel 1614, fu ordinato sacerdote. Il 1° gennaio 1625 emise i voti solenni e diventò così “coadiutore spirituale” (1) . Non emettendo il quarto voto solenne dei gesuiti, non sarà un “professo” (2) . Fu nominato procuratore della Provincia sicula della Compagnia dal 1617 al 1632, quando lasciò la carica per occuparsi dell’amministrazione della Casa Professa di Palermo dove morì il 24 settembre 1647. Nonostante gli importanti e impegnativi incarichi amministrativi che rivestiva all’interno della Compagnia, Flori continuò a dedicarsi allo studio degli antichi codici e dei 60mila volumi del Collegio Massimo dove abitava. Frutto di tutto ciò furono 18 opere che ci ha lasciato, in parte da lui composte, in parte da lui tradotte, opere che si ritrovano nell’elenco pubblicato dal prof. Vermiglioli nella sua “Biografia degli scrittori perugini”. Tuttavia l’opera più importante del nostro illustre concittadino è senza dubbio il “Trattato del modo di tenere il libro doppio domestico col suo esemplare composto” , trattato per uso delle case e dei collegi della medesima compagnia nel Regno di Sicilia (stampato a Palermo nel 1636 da Decio Cirillo), opera ancora oggi citata, analizzata e studiata. “Fu ai primi del ’600, col sopravvenire della grande crisi, che i dirigenti gesuitici dovettero preoccuparsi seriamente della situazione economica dell’ordine divenuta drammatica e allarmante. Furono perciò promosse inchieste, studi e ricerche nell’intento di stabilire quali mezzi fossero i più idonei per fronteggiare i paurosi disavanzi della gestione patrimoniale” (F. Renda, Bernardo Tanucci e i beni dei gesuiti in Sicilia, 1974, p. 65). Fu in questo clima che i superiori nel 1631, poco prima che lasciasse la carica di procuratore della Provincia, incaricarono Flori di “voler fare una breve instruttione da tenere i libri de i Conti per uso delle nostre Case, e Collegij in questo Regno di Sicilia”. Non sappiamo dove egli abbia appreso la materia contabile, “si può ipotizzare che acquisisca le sue conoscenze all’Università di Perugia, in quello stesso ateneo che più di un secolo prima ha insignito Luca Pacioli del ruolo di docente” (C. Cavazzoni e F. Santini, L’attualità del percorso scientifico di Lodovico Flori […], 2011, p. 605). L’autore avverte che “la buona cura de’ beni temporali è tanto necessaria a chiunque giustamente le possiede, e massime alle Religioni, che dependendo da essa il necessario sostentamento de’ Religiosi, se l’amministratione della robba non va bene, oltre la perdita, e deteroratione di beni, ne seguono infiniti altri inconvenienti». Flori è consapevole che il suo libro descrive una materia non facilmente assimilabile da tutti. “Chi leggerà questo libro, vedrà che in esso si procede a modo di scienza pratica, e che i termini, i principi, le conclusioni e le cose che in esso si deducono sono talmente tra di loro congiunte, che non si possono bene intendere né capire le ultime senza la cognizione delle prime. Chiunque vuole intendere bene questo modo, habbia patienza di leggere da principio tutto il libro”. Il quale si compone di tre parti: la prima ha per titolo “Del modo di formare le partite in Giornale, e riferirle al Libro”; la seconda “Come si debba disporre e ordinare il Libro per ottenerne l’intento che si pretende” e la terza “Dell’uso e Comodità del Libro disposto e ordinato al modo suddetto”. Per la sua opera il Flori rivolge particolare attenzione sia al lavoro del monaco benedettino Angelo Monaco, di cui “si pone ad erede e prosecutore”, che ha adeguato la partita doppia alla realtà operativa dei Collegi del Suo Ordine, sia al “Tractatus de computis et scripturis” della “Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita” di Luca Pacioli, nel quale il padre francescano “fa uscire il metodo della partita doppia dalla bottega del mercante, lo rielabora in modo astratto e sintetico secondo le sue concezioni di matematico e lo fa assurgere a modello scientifico, rendendolo così “immortale” nel tempo e nello spazio”. Il Pacioli, infatti, considera le aziende centri del progresso economico e sociale che per le loro finalità, devono tenere una ordinata contabilità utilizzando il lavoro di un competente ragioniere e di un computista per tenere correttamente i libri ed i registri contabili per poter misurare la consistenza patrimoniale e le sue variazioni. Utilizzando la codificazione dei suoi principi contabili per risolvere le necessità pratiche richieste dalle aziende e per impostare con corretti ragionamenti la loro conduzione, il Flori ne estende il campo di applicazione alle corporazioni religiose, le cui attività sono ispirate da un comune interesse umano e spinte da uno stesso modo di intendere la realtà operativa. Il 25 giugno 2016 si è svolto a Santa Croce un convegno di studi dedicato a Lodovico Flori, il gesuita ragioniere di Fratta, organizzato dal Centro Studi Mario Pancrazi e da Digital Editor Srl in collaborazione con il Comune e l’Università di Perugia. Nel corso dell’evento è stata presentata la copia anastatica dell’opera del Flori stampata dalla Digital Editor Srl di Umbertide. Note: 1. I “coadiutori spirituali” erano i preti che prendevano i voti semplici, non solenni, e che non pronunciavano il quarto voto al papa. 2. I “professi” erano i preti che avevano pronunciato i tre voti solenni di povertà, castità, e obbedienza e avevano fatto uno speciale voto di ubbidienza al papa. Fonti: - “Storia della terra di Fratta, ora Umbertide” di Antonio Guerrini, completata da Genesio Perugini -Tipografia Tiberina 1883, Umbertide – copia anastatica a cura della Digital Editor Srl 2009 - Umbertide - “Studi su Lodovico Flori” a cura di Gianfranco Cavazzoni – Biblioteca del Centro Studi “Mario Pancrazi” – University Book – Stampa “Digital Editor Srl”, 2016 - Umbertide Massimo Martinelli Massimo Martinelli Fu il maestro della banda musicale di Umbertide, denominata allora “Società Giuseppe Verdi”, dal 1872 al 1898 di Amedeo Massetti Nonostante sia passato ben più di un secolo da quando Massimo Martinelli si dedicò anima e corpo alla banda e all'insegnamento della musica ai ragazzi di Umbertide, non si può non provare ammirazione e vivo affetto nello scoprire e rivivere le sue vicende umane e professionali. Come sempre accade a chi si dedica con entusiasmo ad una missione da cui si sente pervaso, anche al maestro Martinelli toccò subire inevitabili sacrifici e delusioni. La sua dedizione lo portò ad agire talvolta anche con ingenuità e imprudenza, fino a rasentare la sprovvedutezza, esponendolo allo sgomento di coinvolgere anche la famiglia, sprofondata nella povertà dopo un solido benessere. Per la sua candida generosità si è ben meritato il posto d'onore fra i maestri della banda. Ci piace regalargli questo riconoscimento simbolico nella convinzione di restituirgli un granello di quello che egli ci ha dato. Ventiseienne, già preparato musicista, non esitò nel 1872 ad assumere la responsabilità del nuovo Concerto dei giovani, dirigendo poi il gruppo bandistico umbertidese, tra alterne vicende, per 26 anni, fino al 1898. Qualche anziano ricorda che la sua memoria era ancora viva nella banda dei successivi anni Trenta (testimonianza di Eraldo Arcelli), e di aver suonato, negli anni Quaranta, brani musicali da lui composti (testimonianza di Luigi Gambucci). Massimo era nato il 12 marzo del 1846 da Antonio e Margherita Reggiani, in via di Castelnuovo (l'odierna via Cavour) al n. 33 dove aveva anche sede la rinomata attività del padre e dello zio Francesco, "fabricatori d'organi alla Fratta di Perugia". Probabilmente i Martinelli conobbero una notevole sicurezza economica, anche per la proprietà di alcuni terreni appartenenti a Margherita, moglie di Antonio, proveniente da una famiglia di possidenti. L'alta opera artigianale di Antonio e Francesco Martinelli aveva dotato molte chiese delle Marche, dell'Umbria, del Lazio e della Toscana di eccellenti strumenti, una quarantina in tutto, e la loro fabbrica organaria era diventata una delle più importanti e prestigiose dell'Italia centrale. Costruirono, tra gli altri, l'organo a due tastiere per la Cattedrale di San Rufino ad Assisi, quello della Cattedrale di Terni e il grande organo di Santa Maria in Aracoeli a Roma. Massimo frequentò da ragazzino la fabbrica del padre, acquistando abilità con il mestiere e familiarità con le tastiere degli strumenti che lì nascevano; imparò le prime nozioni di musica in famiglia dal genitore e dallo zio Francesco che, oltre ad essere bravi artigiani organari, conoscevano anche la musica e sapevano suonare gli strumenti che costruivano. Il giovane li seguì nei loro frequenti spostamenti e nei lunghi soggiorni di lavoro nelle Marche, potendo così studiare organo e composizione alla cappella musicale di Loreto, diretta da Roberto Amadei. Ebbe forse rapporti di studio anche con Agostino Mercuri, direttore del Civico Istituto Musicale di Perugia, pur se solo di sette anni più grande di lui". E probabile però che le prime nozioni sugli strumenti a fiato, in particolare quelle sul trombone, gli siano venute da Antonio Bernabei, maestro di cappella e direttore del Concerto municipale di Umbertide. È possibile anche che questi gli abbia insegnato i primi elementi di armonia, composizione e contrappunto. Nel 1867, a 21 anni, Massimo fu con Garibaldi a Mentana, dove si ritrovarono 31 giovani di Umbertide. Cinque di questi ragazzi, che divisero con lui l'esaltante esperienza, entreranno nel 1872 a far parte della sua banda appena costituita. Martinelli sposò Maria Censi, dalla quale, il 3 giugno 1874, ebbe una figlia, Chiara Gislena. L' 11 aprile 1876, trentenne, mentre era direttore della "Società Giuseppe Verdi" di Umbertide, inoltrò la domanda per essere ammesso all'Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna ed ottenere un diploma di quel prestigioso istituto. Presentò per questo due composizioni musicali che, nonostante intensamente impegnato alla direzione del Concerto e "al suono del pianoforte e del trombone", era riuscito a scrivere "nelle ore libere da quelle occupazioni". I due brani erano un Notturno concertato dal Flauto, Clarino, Tromba e Trombone con accompagnamento d'orchestra, e una Sinfonia per Flauto, Clarino, Viola e Pianoforte. Nonostante fossero stati da lui definiti "meschini", forse per quel gusto di schermirsi e per quell'eccesso di modestia tipici di certi stili epistolari dell'Ottocento, non erano poi tanto male se la commissione di tre musicisti che li esaminò (tra i quali Antonio Fabbri, direttore dell'Accademia Filarmonica) espresse un giudizio positivo sia sulla "perfetta" conoscenza degli strumenti per i quali erano stati composti, sia sulla struttura armonica delle composizioni. Le opere di Martinelli furono poi presentate all'intero corpo accademico insieme a quelle di altri musicisti che ugualmente avevano fatto richiesta di ammissione, e dopo due votazioni quasi unanimi Massimo, il 28 aprile 1876, venne "aggregato" all'Accademia come “Maestro Compositore Onorario”. Il giovane musicista, per questo esame, aveva esibito a sostegno delle sue capacità di compositore gli attestati di due musicisti famosi (bene cogniti): il professor Agostino Mercuri ed il maestro Roberto Amadei. Mercuri, il 17 dicembre 1872, in una dichiarazione ufficiale redatta su carta intestata del Civico Istituto Musicale di Perugia, scriveva: Il Signor Massimo Martinelli di Umbertide mi ha presentato ad esame alcune sue composizioni, e riduzioni per banda, allo scopo di avere da me un certificato per uso di Concorso. Posso pertanto documentare che dall'esame fatto di quelle partiture, si rileva come il Sig. Martinelli sia fornito di intelligenza, e di cognizioni sufficienti per potere con lode scrivere per Banda, e contemporaneamente dirigerla. Tanto depongo per la verità potendo il Signor Martinelli usare di questa mia dichiarazione in qualunque modo migliore possa giovargli. In fede Prof. Agostino Mercuri E Amadei, il 17 marzo 1873: Richiesto dal giovane Massimo Martinelli di Umbertide, certifico che questi è dotato delle qualità necessarie per dirigere una Banda, comporre e ridurre pezzi di musica per la medesima. Spero che questo mio documento possa essergli utile presso chi da ragione. Roberto Amadei Maestro Compositore e Direttore della Cappella di Loreto Massimo era la giovane guida e l'anima della Società "Verdi", ma all'impegno con cui si dedicava all'insegnamento e alla direzione della banda non corrispondeva un adeguato compenso da parte del Comune. Fu costretto così a lasciare il posto: ai primi di gennaio 1876 dovette lavorare fuori Umbertide, dove rimase probabilmente fino a quando non gli fu affidato il compito di direttore del Concerto municipale, con uno stipendio adeguato al ruolo. Dal 1878 al 1879, oltre che quella di Umbertide, diresse la banda di Montone curandone la scuola di musica, nominato come maestro da quella Società Filarmonica, la cui decisione sarà ratificata dal Consiglio comunale il 28 maggio successivo. Lavorò con professionalità e disinteresse: la Filarmonica montonese gli espresse la propria riconoscenza "e pel molto avanzamento in sì breve tempo della istruzione degli allievi e per la nessuna spesa incontrata dalla Società, essendosi il sig. Martinelli prestato gentilmente". Massimo, nonostante le non floride condizioni economiche, aveva svolto la sua opera gratuitamente. La Filarmonica Artigiana Braccio Fortebracci (o Fortebraccio) lo rielesse anche per l'anno successivo a maggioranza dei voti come maestro di musica, nonostante il montonese Celso Pasqui avesse presentato l'unica domanda per avere questo incarico e risultasse apparentemente il candidato favorito. Durante la direzione di Martinelli, (probabilmente su sua richiesta) il comune di Montone acquistò per la banda alcuni strumenti a percussione, "una Gran cassa con Piatti della più piccola dimensione". Agli inizi del 1883, dopo la crisi della banda di Umbertide, Massimo lavorò come maestro di musica a Foiano della Chiana. Partecipò anche ai concorsi per maestro delle bande di Città di Castello e di Marsciano. Nel 1884 riprese l'insegnamento della musica ad Umbertide per incarico del Comune e nel 1889, ricostituitasi la banda, fu riassunto come direttore. Oltre che alla direzione del gruppo bandistico, lo troviamo spesso anche come organista in importanti manifestazioni religiose in paese e fuori. Martinelli compose opere per banda, per pianoforte ed organo, molte delle quali pubblicate ed eseguite in varie parti d'Italia. E’ nota, tra le altre, “La caccia”, marcia caratteristica (manoscritta, Umbertide 1877). L'Editore De Giorgi, di Milano, pubblicò le sue composizioni “La povera”, polka per banda, e “Sulle rive del Tevere”, valzer per pianoforte a quattro mani che Massimo dedicò alle sorelle "Marietta e Franceschina" Zucchini di Umbertide; un pezzo di virtuosismo che probabilmente le ragazze erano in grado di suonare. Il 3 dicembre 1899 alle 17.30, a soli cinquantatre anni, Massimo Martinelloi si spense nella sua casa al n.33 di via Cavour, plausibilmente stroncato da una grave malattia polmonare. Lasciava la moglie Maria, la figlia Chiara Gislena e la mamma Margherita che cesserà di vivere tre anni dopo. Il giorno successivo si recarono in Comune per la dichiarazione di morte allo Stato Civile il cognato Americo Censi, muratore, e il clarinettista della banda Luigi Bartoccini, sarto. Dal libro di Amedeo Massetti “Due secoli in marcia – Umbertide e la banda” – Maggio 2008 GALLERIA FOTOGRAFICA LEOPOLDO GRILLI La storia di Leopoldo Grilli, figura di spicco dei mazziniani repubblicani umbertidesi, è stata raccontata da Federico Ciarabelli nel suo libro dedicato ai garibaldini locali. Anche se non è citato in alcuna lista come volontario umbertidese, è doveroso riportare alcune note sulla figura di Leopoldo Grilli. Personalità politicamente influente, godeva di grande stima e prestigio. Ebbe un ruolo importante nella costituzione dei primi nuclei delle organizzazioni operaie e democratiche e nel corso della sua vita, oltre a lavorare nella sua caffetteria, svolse un'intensa attività politica, ricoprendo incarichi pubblici tra i quali quello di consigliere comunale e assessore comunale, segretario della Società dei Reduci delle Patrie Battaglie, segretario della Società operaia di mutuo soccorso e consigliere dell'Unione Operaia di Umbertide. Dalle note che seguono, tratte da varie pubblicazioni, emerge chiaramente il suo ruolo sulla scena del movimento repubblicano. Nel Dizionario del Risorgimento Nazionale la voce (1) dedicata a Grilli ci dice che nacque nel 1848 (erroneamente indicando Umbertide come luogo di nascita) e che combatté nelle file garibaldine sui monti del Tirolo nel 1866 e nel 1867 a Mentana. Mazziniano convinto e ardente, soffrì lunghe persecuzioni, l'esilio e il carcere. Fu assessore comunale a Umbertide, membro della Congregazione di Carità e segretario-cassiere della società operaia di mutuo soccorso. Leopoldo Grilli nacque a Sigillo il 24 aprile 1848 da Antonio e Maria Polidori. Il suo trasferimento a Umbertide ebbe luogo nel 1870 dove, il 21 giugno 1874, sposò Francesca Natali (nata il 1° giugno 1853). Alcune informazioni sulle vicende di Grilli sono state pubblicate da Bistoni (2): oltre alle campagne italiane del 1866 e 1867 partecipò anche alla campagna di Garibaldi in Francia nel 1870. Dalla medesima fonte è possibile avere informazioni sul processo e il mandato di arresto che obbligò Grilli all'esilio a Lugano. La mattina dell'8 febbraio 1878 vennero trovati affissi sui muri di Umbertide dei manifesti che, come è scritto nel rapporto dei carabinieri, erano istiganti alla rivolta, alla guerra civile, all'odio contro la monarchia e il governo. Le indagini furono rivolte subito in direzione del Circolo Pensiero e Azione, di cui era presidente Leopoldo Grilli. Vennero spiccati mandati di cattura per varie persone e il 20 febbraio, con un grande dispiegamento di forze dell'ordine, furono avviate le attività per l'arresto simultaneo dei ricercati. Quasi tutti furono catturati facilmente, ma i guai per i carabinieri si verificarono nel tentativo di arrestare Grilli. Un carabiniere e una guardia, poco dopo le sei del mattino, si presentano alla caffetteria appena aperta. La moglie e la suocera di Grilli iniziarono a gridare e a chiedere aiuto. Si unirono allora altri carabinieri, ma un gruppo di operai che si recavano al lavoro, armati dei loro strumenti (pale, badili), risposero alle grida e gli scontri che ne seguirono consentirono a Grilli di sfuggire all'arresto e a dileguarsi. Dalle indagini successive si venne a sapere che Grilli, grazie all'aiuto di Ernesto Nathan (3), riuscì a riparare in Svizzera dove lavorò presso la farmacia Fontana di Lugano. Dell'esilio svizzero abbiamo informazioni attraverso un testo dedicato a Carlo Cafiero curato da Gian Carlo Maffei (4). Il nostro concittadino entrò a far parte del “gruppo di Lugano”, originariamente composto dal Cafiero (5) stesso, Egisto Marzoli. Filippo Boschiero, Florido Matteucci (6) e Gaetano Grassi (del gruppo facevano parte altri componenti di varie nazionalità). Grilli era giunto a Lugano il 20 febbraio 1880 e si era messo, come lui stesso afferma, in relazione amichevole con Cafiero. Nel mese di maggio 1881 le autorità ticinesi registrarono come ancora presenti a Lugano tre o quattro internazionalisti-anarchici e cioè Cafiero, Grilli e Apostolo Paolides. Il gruppo di Lugano aveva suscitato nelle autorità svizzere molte preoccupazioni, anche perché la prefettura di Milano comunicò di temere un'azione di quel gruppo volta a turbare l'ordine pubblico in occasione della esposizione nazionale nella città lombarda. Così nel maggio 1881 Cafiero, Paolides e Grilli vengono interrogati una prima volta. Le indagini e i controlli sul gruppo e sui movimenti di persone a loro legati si svolsero costantemente per tutti i mesi successivi, ma la situazione mutò a settembre 1881. A seguito dei ulteriori controlli le autorità, temendo che il gruppo, rinforzato da nuovi arrivi, fosse in procinto di compiere un attentato, alle 2:30 del mattino del 5 settembre procedettero all'arresto di Cafiero e di tutti coloro che si trovavano con lui. Ad alimentare la tensione si aggiunsero voci circa la preparazione di un attentato contro Umberto I, che allarmarono ancora di più le autorità svizzere. La loro preoccupazione salì quando a Lugano l'8 settembre, giunsero altre persone accolte alla stazione da Grilli e altri. I controlli e le indagini non ebbero conseguenze e tutti furono scagionati. La situazione a Lugano si era fatta però troppo pesante per questi personaggi e quindi Cafiero si spostò a Locarno e gli altri rientrarono in Italia. Per Grilli la situazione giudiziaria italiana si era conclusa il 3 maggio 1880 quando la camera di consiglio presso il tribunale di Perugia decise (in relazione ai fatti umbertidesi del 1878) di non procedere per insufficienza di indizi, revocando tutti gli ordini di cattura. Rientrato a Umbertide Grilli continuò le sue attività politiche, amministrative e sociali fino alla sua morte, avvenuta il 22 settembre 1912, che fu annunciata da alcuni organi di stampa. Da “Il Popolo” organo dei repubblicani umbro-sabini: Leopoldo Grilli Muoio nella fede di Giuseppe Mazzini: così, nelle sue ultime lettere, il vecchio e ardente Mazziniano. Il lutto degli amici di Umbertide è lutto dell'intero partito repubblicano dell'Umbria. Le nostre bandiere sia abbrunano ancora: dopo Domenico Benedetti Roncalli: Luigi Soleri; dopo Luigi Soleri: Leopoldo Grilli. Sono i validi soldati del vecchio partito d'azione che ci abbandonano. Leopoldo Grilli - tenace è immutato assertore della fede mazziniana - fu, nelle cospirazioni repubblicane e sui campi della patria, con Garibaldi, uomo di azione; e anima aperta: fiero, ribelle. Non conobbe i comodi opportunismi. Conobbe sacrifici, disillusioni, dolori. Fu contro il parlamentarismo; e tale rimase, senza piegure [sic] a blandizie di avversari o di amici: anche tutto solo, chiaro nella sua fede e nelle sue speranze. Educazione ed armi! In questo binomio riassunse gl'ideali della sua fede profonda. Alla memoria purissima del vecchio mazziniano, che mai ripiegò un lembo della bandiera adorata, va il nostro pensiero di dolore... ricordando ed augurando. E, soprattutto, promettendo (7). Da “La Democrazia”, quotidiano della provincia dell'Umbria: Nelle ore pomeridiane di ieri, si è spento, dopo breve malattia, in Umbertide nella ancor vegeta età di 64 anni LEOPOLDO GRILLI una delle più belle e caratteristiche figure della democrazia umbra. Repubblicano ardente e convinto, mantenne fede costante al suo ideale fino alla morte. Combatté giovanissimo nelle file garibaldine sui monti del Tirolo e a Mentana; partecipò poi a tutte le cospirazioni repubblicane che furono provocate ed alimentate dall'inconsulto spirito reazionario dei bigotti della monarchia, destri e sinistri, che, dal 1870 al 1898, più volte riuscirono a mettere in pericolo il trono. Fu anch'Esso ferocemente perseguitato, ed affrontò con indomita fermezza l'esilio e il carcere. Convinto che il parlamentarismo fosse un semplice strumento di corruzione, che le alleanze con gli altri partiti costituissero un pericolo di deviazione. Egli si mantenne fedele alla tattica intransigente, rimanendo completamente appartato da tutte le lotte politiche e amministrative combattutesi in questi 25 anni. La sua opera, che avrebbe potuto essere preziosa per il paese, andò quindi perduta in uno sterile isolamento; ma per la fermezza del suo carattere, per la sua proverbiale onestà, per l'integrità indiscussa e indiscutibile di tutta la sua vita laboriosa e semplice, Egli fu stimato e rispettato anche dagli avversari. Fu anzi col voto di questi eletto più volte a membro della Congregazione di Carità, unico uffizio che accettò, non senza riluttanza, e nel quale egli dette prova constante di premuroso zelo e di intelligente operosità. La sua morte apre un grande vuoto nelle file della democrazia umbertidese; poiché sparisce con Leopoldo Grilli un luminoso esempio di virtù e di carattere (8). Note: 1. Giustiniano degli Azzi Vitelleschi. “Grilli Leopoldo”. In Dizionario del Risorgimento Nazionale. Vol. 3, Le persone, E-Q Milano: Vallardi, 1933, pag.260. 2. Bistoni, Origini del movimento operaio nel Perugino, pp. 325-329. 3. Ernesto Nathan (Londra 1845 – Roma 1921), discepolo di Giuseppe Mazzini, fu Gran Maestro della Massoneria Italiana e nei primi anni del ‘900 sindaco di Roma. Altre informazioni su http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ernesto-nathan (Dizionario-Biografico). 4. Carlo Cafiero. Dossier Cafiero. A cura di Gian Carlo Maffei. Con introd. Di Pier Carlo Masini. Bergamo: Biblioteca M. Nettlau, 1972. 5. Carlo Cafiero (Barletta 1846 – Nocera Inferiore 1892) di ricca famiglia pulgliese era diplomatico di carriera. E’ stato uomo politico socialista. Conobbe Marx ed Engels e si votò alla diffusione del socialismo rinunciando ai suoi beni. Tradusse e pubblicò un Compendio del Capitale di Marx divenendone così il primo divulgatore in Italia. Prese parte ai moti di Benevento del 1877 per cui scontò 18 mesi di carcere. Fu una figura preminente del socialismo anarchico. Per maggiori informazioni http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ carlo-cafiero_ (Dizionario-Biografico)/ . 6. Florido Matteucci (Città di Castello 1858 – dopo il 1924) Anarchico, partecipò alla rivolta nel Matese. Fu presente a vari congressi degli anarchici e internazionalisti, sostenendo le tesi insurrezionaliste. Varie volte processato e condannato, fu attivo in Italia, Francia, Svizzera e in Egitto. Scrisse per molti giornali e riviste. Nel 1885 partì per l’Argentina dove fondò un giornale. Divenne massone e successivamente si ritirò dalla vita politica senza rinnegare le sue idee. Sono sconosciuti la data e il luogo di morte. 7. “Leopoldo Grilli”. In Il Popolo 597 (29 set. 1912). 8. “Necrologico Leopoldo Grilli”. In: La Democrazioa 218 (23 set. 1912). Dal libro di Federico Ciarabelli “Umbertidesi nel Risorgimento – Note su cento patrioti” Digital Editor Srl – Umbertide, Settembre 2021. Una lapide marmorea, posta sul muro esterno della sua casa in piazza Matteotti, dice: “In questa casa visse cospirò educò Leopoldo Grilli morto nella fede di Mazzini il 22 settembre 1912”. Il 18 dicembre 1960 l’Amministrazione comunale dedicò a Leopoldo Grilli l’attuale via, posta vicino alla sua casa natale. Dal libro di Bruno Porrozzi “L’uomo nella toponomastica” – Ass. Pro-Loco Umbertide, 1992.