Castelvecchio
Calvisio is encircled by ancient walls. In addition, the
folks in this town have covered their streets (for safety) —
so many of the streets are tunnels! Amazing….The town sits
in the hills and has lovely views. The Ruderi del Castello
di San Lorenzo is a church (formerly the 8th
century castle/castello). The Chiesa di San Cipriano
has a statue of the Madonna and child. Wander, relax and tour
— an easy town to get to know.
La
Rocca Calascio is high in the hills — a fortress. The
castle has a large tower (14th century) surrounded
by four other towers linked together by ramparts/walls. Today
the castle is abandoned — yet the doors are open and you
can wander through (eerie and interesting). At one time the village
existed right next door to the castle. Stop in at the Chiesa
di Santa Maria della Pietra. The views from up here are wonderful.
Calascio is the associated "new" village and
it is a wonderfully peaceful place….That may come from the
vast and beautiful countryside that surrounds the hamlet. As you
wander the streets, under the arches — you’ll find yourself
totally relaxed.
If
you haven’t already figured me out…..I love these towns
with castles…..Fontecchio has a castle, a medieval
center, palazzi, arcades, fountains — it’s just a lovely
place. In the middle ages, the village was fortified. The symbol
of Fontecchio has to be the fountain at the entrance to
the old town. The fountain has four faces blowing water from their
mouths. At the base is an inscription that loosely translated
says: honor the fountain of healthy sweetness — October 15,
1755. Inside the medieval walls, actually connected to the walls
is the clock tower. The clock is one of the most ancient
in all of Italy — it has to be rewound every 6 hours by hand
(can you imagine)! The clock chimes 50 times each evening in memory
of a siege in the 17th century. The Monastery of
San Francesco (at least 12th century) has a
cloister, outer buildings and a 14th century church
(note the entryway with the fresco of Mary with child, San Francesco
and Saint Agnes). The monastery is used for meetings, hotel, restaurant
etc. The Palazzo Corvi is a gorgeous palace (14th
century). It was built on the site of another castle. The Germans
headquartered here during WW2 (today it is a private residence).