22. What is the history of the castle?

The earliest written record is in the annals of a monastic order which notes that in 1143 the castle was a military outpost of Perugia.  The castle resisted a siege in the 1500s, an achievement noted with the date 1526 carved into the massive stone atop the cistern in the center of the castle. Subsequently, and until the early 20th century, it was occupied by farmers employed by a large landholder.

After World War II, the castle was abandoned.  In the early 1970s a diverse group of Europeans and Americans purchased the complex.  Over the course of the next ten years, the stone buildings were painstakingly restored.  Although electricity, telephone, plumbing and central heating were added, all lines were run out-of-sight and all work was done with the utmost respect of the original design. Today, the village is one of the best-preserved castles in the province of Perugia.