Bettona

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Bettona

Bettona Belvedere Etruscan

Outpost to the left of the Tiber

An ancient Etruscan center to the left of the Tiber controlled by nearby Perugia, Bettona acquired Roman citizenship in 90 BC. In the 12th century, after the barbarian invasions, it became an autonomous municipality but, in 1352, after a long siege, it was conquered and destroyed by Perugia.
In 1367 the Church commissioned Cardinal Albornoz to rebuild the city, which briefly became part of the Papal States. Soon after it returned under the rule of Perugia and the Baglioni lords. In 1648 it definitively became part of the Papal States where it remained until 1860.

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES

A heritage of history and art

The medieval village coincides with the site of the Etruscan and Roman city and is surrounded by medieval walls, which incorporate various sections of the Etruscan walls. The village is structured around the central space formed by Piazza Cavour, the site of the ancient forum, and Piazza Garibaldi, where the main civil and religious buildings are located. In the central square stands the Palazzo del Podestà (1371), now home to the City Museum, which also occupies some rooms of the Biancalana family residence. Since 2014, it has been included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy

Podesta Palace

Built in 1371, as part of the reconstruction of the city commissioned by Cardinal Egidio Albornoz, this building was the residence of the city’s podestàs. On the outer wall, along the access ramp, they are visible are the papal coats of arms and the frescoes of the Maestà e Santi and of Saints Peter and Paul. Currently, it houses part of the Municipal Art Gallery whose first nucleus was created in 1904, constituting a fundamental piece in the telling of Bettona’s institutional and artistic history.”

Town hall

Built in the second half of the 14th century, the Town Hall is one of the oldest civic buildings in the city. Inside, in the council chamber, there is a precious 16th-century wooden choir, from the church of Sant’Antonio.

SANT'ANDREA ORATORY

The building dates back to the 12th century and has undergone numerous alterations, resulting in its current Baroque style. Inside, there is a wooden coffered ceiling, enriched with finely carved rosettes. The high altar is a refined creation with stucco decoration framing a canvas depicting the martyrdom of Sant’Andrea. Of great interest is the cycle of late Giottesque frescoes illustrating scenes from the Passion of Christ.
The remains of the co-patron Blessed Pietro Negles are preserved here. It has been the seat of the Venerable Confraternity of St. Andrew the Apostle since the 13th century.

SAN CRISPOLTO CHURCH

It was built in the early 13th century by Benedictine monks to house the remains of the patron saint. The building has undergone transformations over time, preserving Romanesque elements, including the striking pointed bell tower. The façade, in late Baroque style with neoclassical influences, is the work of architect Antonio Stefanucci, a pupil of Vanvitelli. It is currently undergoing renovation, which will be completed in 2026.

FORMER CONVENT OF SAN CRISPOLTO AND LAST SUPPER

In the 13th-century convent of San Crispolto, it is still possible to walk through the cloister and visit the Chapter House and the Last Supper. The large back wall of the refectory is decorated with a recently restored fresco. One of the latest hypotheses attributes the creation of a freely interpreted Last Supper to the painter Cesare Sermei, whose characters belong more to the iconography of the Wedding at Cana than to that of the Last Supper.

SAN FRANCESCO CHURCH AND PRAYER

A building dating back to the 12th century, inside the high altar is enriched with elegant 16th-century stuccoes. The 17th-century altarpiece depicts the Crucifixion, with Mary Magdalene, Saint Crispolto, Saint Francis and brothers of the Confraternity of Death. Above is the Eternal Father. On the left altar is a wooden crucifix used for the Good Friday ritual of scavigliatura On the right altar is a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, dating back to the 17th century.

SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA CHURCH AND COLLEGIATE CHURCH

Its roots date back to the early centuries of Christianity and it was built on the site of the first miracle performed by Saint Crispolto. Its neoclassical appearance is the result of extensive restoration work. Only the Chapel of Saint Rita remains of the ancient Roman-Gothic church. The apse was frescoed in 1939 by the painter Gerardo Dottori. The high altar is embellished with a ciborium dating back to 1590. In 1797, a collegiate church was built next to the church.

THE WALLS OF BETTONA

The walls of Bettona, which stretch for about 1000 metres, are ellipsoidal in shape. The perfectly preserved medieval walls rest on a long stretch of pre-existing Etruscan walls made of large square sandstone blocks, resting on the bedrock and heavily eroded over the millennia. A panoramic walkway runs along them for 1.5 km, offering breathtaking views of the Umbrian Valley.

Jewel Of Architecture

Mouthpiece Villa

The villa of Boccaglione or Bucaione, is located in Passaggio, in the plain that stretches at the foot of the hill of Bettona where the Chiascio and Topino rivers mix their waters before flowing into the Tiber.

It was built in the second half of the eighteenth century perhaps on a pre-existing building dating from two centuries earlier, by the ancient Bettonese family of Crispolti; it then passed to the Perugian family of Arcipreti della Penna, then to the Bettonese family of Bianconi, and from them to the Iraci Borgia Mandolini family.

THE TERRITORY

A treasure trove of surprises

The territory that opens up downstream is rich in opportunities for discovery. The plain surrounding the village of Bettona is characterised by ancient abbeys, rural structures and containment towers, while small churches stand on the hillsides up to the densest forest.

SANT'ONOFRIO MONASTERY

Annessa all’omonimo monastero, la chiesa di Sant’Onofrio fu affidata nel 1550 ai Frati Minori Today, the entire complex is owned by the municipality. Since 1869, the church has served as the chapel of the monumental cemetery of Bettona, maintaining a strong link with the memory and spirituality of the local community. The interior preserves valuable late Giottesque frescoes, dating from between the 14th and 15th centuries, which testify to the historical importance of the place.

SAN CRISPOLTO DELLA PIANA’S ABBEY

Located in Passaggio, the abbey was founded in 1000 as a Benedictine monastery to house the relics of San Crispolto, whose remains were later transferred to the Church of San Crispolto. The building is constructed of sandstone, travertine and brick. The crypt features a single room supported by a central column with a rough capital, an architectural element of great charm and simplicity. Today, the abbey is a private residence that can be visited upon request.

SAN CRISPOLTO DELLA PIANA’S ABBEY

SANT'ANTONIO MONASTERY

Sant’Antonio Monastery was built between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century by the Observant Friars Minor. With its square plan and powerful buttresses, it reveals its defensive function. The church, with a single nave and barrel vault, was richly decorated and is the source of the paintings by Perugino kept in the Municipal Art Gallery. The convent is located close to the town centre and is an example of Umbrian convent architecture, between late Gothic and early Renaissance. It can only be visited on request.

SAN QUIRICO ABBEY

Located in Cerreto, it is an ancient Benedictine monastery dating back to 1185. In 1414, the complex was sacked and abandoned by the monks. All that remains of the ancient monastery is the small Romanesque church, which preserves a fresco on its façade depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Child, surrounded by adoring angels and saints. The work, of great devotional and artistic value, is a rare example of local sacred painting. Privately owned, it can be visited on request.

THE MOLINACCIO TOWER

The Molinaccio Tower, between Colle and Passaggio di Bettona, stands alone as a sentinel of time. Built in the 13th century, it dominated the Chiascio ford, a strategic point in conflicts with Perugia, and protected an ancient mill hidden among the bends of the river from which it takes its name. Before the nineteenth-century land reclamation, the waters of the Chiascio lapped against the hill of Bettona, making the tower a stronghold between land and river. Today, it retains its elegant corbel crowning.

THE ETRUSCAN TOMB IN COLLE

Along the ancient road to Bettona, an Etruscan-Roman underground tomb carved into the sandstone was discovered in 1913, with a burial chamber and stepped platforms. Already plundered in ancient times, cinerary urns, jewellery, bronze and glass objects remained. The structure, similar to the hypogeum of San Manno, was used from the 3rd century BC to the early 1st century AD, bearing witness to the funerary practices of Hellenistic central Italy.

Church of Madonna del Ponte

A heritage yet to be discovered

Listed as one of the Contemporary Architectures after 1945 and included by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in the national register in 2018, the church designed by architect Bruno Signorini was built between 1964 and 1965 at the behest of the then parish priest Don Francesco Bianchi, around whom he founded an entire community, which also actively participated in its construction, stone by stone. The church is one of the finest examples of post-war sacred architecture in Italy and Umbria.

San Crispolto

The origins of Christianity in Umbria

The origins of Christianity in Umbria are represented by a series of figures who, according to historical and hagiographic accounts, spread the word of Christ from the first century onwards. Crispolto da Bettona, patron bishop and martyr, together with St. Brizio, St. Ercolano and St. Vincenzo, is one of these. He is still venerated and celebrated today both as a spiritual source and as a symbol of identity for the region. He is the vice-patron saint of the Diocese of Assisi-Gualdo and Nocera Umbra.

AMONG THE 72 MANDATES FROM PETER

According to the Passio De S. Chryspolito episcopo contained in the Acta Sanctorum, the oldest source we have, Crispolto, originally from Jerusalem, was part of the group of seventy-two disciples sent by Peter to evangelise mankind. When he arrived in Bettona, he performed numerous miracles, was appointed bishop and, according to the laws of the Roman Empire, was martyred (by having his body cut in two with a sword) in the place known as Campo di Bucarone on 12 May.

ICONOGRAPHY OF ST CRISPOLTO

According to La Passio, Crispolto’s martyrdom took place after his condemnation by the Roman Prefect Austerio, by means of “taglio per medio”, or sawing in two. All the iconography concerning him, most of which is preserved in the Pinacoteca di Bettona, depicts him with a bloody saw and his body cut in two. Particularly striking is the predella dedicated to him under the Nativity by Dono Doni.

FOLKLORE AND CELEBRATIONS

On the evening before the feast day of Bettona’s patron saint (12 May), after a solemn Mass, a procession carrying the silver bust containing the saint’s relics winds its way through the streets of the town and around the town walls.

At the end of the celebration, the faithful are given a wad of cotton wool to use as a remedy for migraine. The lighting of votive flames along the route, which were once contained in snail shells, is particularly evocative.

THE WAYS OF CRISPOLTO

Hagiography of the Saint. In search of our roots.

From 2023, the Municipality of Bettona has decided to explore the figure of the patron saint Crispolto by establishing an event of study, conferences, creative and artistic activities that takes place between May and June. The initiative aims to bring to light a central figure in the history of Christianity in Umbria and, above all, to help the community maintain its historical, cultural, folkloric and devotional identity.

CURIOSITIES

Stories and folklore

One of the stones that make up the Etruscan walls has a particularly curious shape resembling buttocks; it is called the ‘culo delle monache’ (nuns’ bum) because it is adjacent to the former convent of St. Catherine. Another curious feature are the crocheted small pockets hung on the doors of houses, which can hold small flowering plants. They are produced by volunteer craftswomen from the village of Bettona and decorate the streets of the town.

EXCELSIOR THEATRE BETTONA

A visionary project

In 1957, the new parish priest Don Francesco Bianchi decided to invest his resources in building a place that would become the glue for the nascent community of Passaggio di Bettona. He chose to build a cinema theatre, even before the church, because he knew that the citizens needed a space where they could share not only their faith but also their free time and passions, and grow together.

INSIDE A THEATRE

the future was seen

The Excelsior Theatre was immediately an experimental place. The first Cinemascope machine arrived from Rome, but even more innovative was the telescuela. In the theatre halls, it was possible to attend after-school and evening lessons projected on the screen. Many working children were able to obtain their primary or secondary school diplomas with this support.

THE SAME THEATRE

The same mission

Conceived as the first step in the growth of a community, the theatre has experienced ups and downs in its nearly 70-year history. In 2022, after years of neglect, it returned to activity, becoming the centre of the community and officially a community space open to the arts, but also to schools and associations.