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Location: the medieval village of Toscolano in Umbria, Italy

Near Avigliano Umbro stands the small hamlet of Toscolano, whose name could derive from a Roman settlement of the ‘gens Toscola’, one or more families of probable Etruscan origin who settled in the area during Roman times.

Toscolano today is home to just about 30 inhabitants, whose houses have long since incorporated the remains of the ancient medieval castle, built in 1200 together with Melezzole and Santa Restituta. The construction of these forts was necessary to defend against the incursions that came from the neighboring Todi area. Attacks and skirmishes were however frequent, so much so that the castle was extensively renovated in 1442 assuming an interesting concentric plan which then determined the circular development in subsequent constructions.

Currently the castle, although now inserted in the urban context, still has an original wall of 1200 with its massive castle gate, a subsequent outer wall with the remains of quadrangular towers and a fortified central structure called “Corte Liviana”. This still exists as an enclosure that encloses a citadel, and owes its name to when, in 1492, the Liviani family of Alviano restored the dilapidated castle reducing it to its present state.

The village has a characteristic circular structure, surrounded by walls with quadrangular and cylindrical towers and a fortified central structure. The town-castle rises at 560 m above sea level, on a hill under Monte Croce di Serra, dominating the valley below, wooded with numerous chestnut groves.

Toscolano rose to recent fame in 1992 when it was chosen by the lyricist Giulio Rapetti, aka Mogol, the co-author of most of the songs of Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti, to build C.E.T. (Centro Eutopeo Toscolano), a specialization school dedicated to singing art and musical performances.

Another point of attraction nearby is the “Grotta Bella”, a place that has returned important finds dating back to the Neolithic (5,600 BC), as well as being an interesting geological site characterized by stalactites, stalagmites, columns (union between stalactites and stalagmites) and angel hair (very thin and fragile stalactites).

Check out the medieval beauty of Toscolano in the photo gallery below.

About medieval villages in Umbria and central Italy

Italian medieval villages usually arise from a central nucleus, the castle of the lord of the area, to which over time less important but always characteristic houses have been added, expanding the town over the centuries but always maintaining its characteristic circular structure and the imposing walls.

With the end of the Second World War, medieval villages gradually depopulated around Italy. Young people left the rural environment attracted by the economic and job opportunities of the big city. Today the villages in Italy experience a new youth, making themselves available for a holiday with a special flavor, where history and vestiges of the past are a special attraction for the tourist who knows how to appreciate them.

We have chosen the territory in Umbria, and a very picturesque location halfway between Rome and Perugia. A plateau at six hundred meters high that allows walks in the woods up to the altitude of a thousand meters and sightseeings as far as the eye can see towards the plain of Todi.

Among the various villages in the area, we have chosen Toscolano, where you can you experience the local life of the village while exploring the history and the nature of the surrounding territory.

Borgo Life: from busy city life to full quality of life

We take a break from all this when we go on vacation, but even in this case we often choose another metropolis or a resort where we continue to meet many people, where nature is the destination of a trip rather than the natural environment that surrounds us.

There is an alternative to all this. A distinctly European and in particular Italian alternative. The village and the life of the village.

Medieval villages were created in Italy many centuries ago, in the Middle Age. Initially they were just a fortified castle and later, with the end of the Middle Age, they became a nucleus of a few hundred active and trading inhabitants, with cultivated fields and agricultural activities not far from the town. Churches and bell towers were added to the fortifications. These have remained today as the most distinctive element of the Italian medieval village.

That said, we want to talk in particular about a special medieval village in Umbria, at six hundred meters above sea level where summer is never too hot and winter hardly ever snows. Its name is Toscolano, the permanent residents are about thirty people, its architectural structure remains intact and preserved from ancient times.

Buying and living a residence in the village means creating a beneficial alternative to the demanding life in a big city. In a medieval village time slows down, the nights are silent with the sky full of stars. The Milky Way seems to be at reach of our fingetips, you can almost touch it. You wake up to the birdsong and as soon as you open the window you can breathe deeply. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The views are as far as the eye can see and unspoiled nature, with its infinite greenery, awaits you a few steps away.

In the medieval village of Toscolano it is possible to live in a modern and comfortable house (the one we have for sale), but at the same time breathe the culture of centuries of history. The inhabitants of the village are sociable but also reserved and respectful of the privacy of others. Everyone is silently watching for common security. The medieval village of Toscolano has only one entrance door. If a stranger enters the village, the community would immediately monitor his possible malicious intentions.

When you live in the village you also learn how to buy well and cook better. Everyone is willing to teach you how to get the best raw materials, the aromas of the garden, seasonal fruits. And to make good use of it.

There are many possibilities for excursions on foot around Toscolano, also by mountain bike and by car in the surrounding area. Or, if you are in the spirit, you can also explore by horseback. On foot you have well-marked and indicated mid-mountain trails available, for scenic destinations through meadows and woods with a great variety of flora and fauna. Similarly on a mountain bike or on horseback. By car you can take off-road routes or, more simply, visit cities of art and other nearby medieval villages, each with its own and unrepeatable characteristics, within a radius of a few kilometers.

By purchasing the house we offer you in Toscolano, you can decide to live in it for a week, a month or six months, or even all year round.

The house is equipped with everything, including fully efficient heating, and the possibility of including an elevator to move between the four levels of the house. There is a dream garden where it is also possible to build a swimming pool.

Even when you are far away, the idea of ​​having such a village home available, reachable in less than two hours by car from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport, will give you a sense of serene tranquility, inner peace and security. Something that with the current times is definitely a treasure.

The second land for sale opportunity (B) is a plot of about 3,000 square meters (about 0,74 acres) where it is possible to build two medium-large houses (altogether 2,500 cubic meters). The place is pleasant, with a beautiful open view of the valley below, sun facing, a few minutes walk from the center of the village of Morruzze and a few minutes by car from all services. The lot is next to an enclave of small delightful villas inhabited for most of the year by foreign families from Europe and the United States. The price is interesting.

For both proposals, contact us for more information. We will be able to organize a visit for you to survey the properties, and to assist you in all the drafting and presentation operations of the implementation project, up to the design and construction of the villas, according to your wishes. We can also organize a remote visit (via video conferencing) in your preferred language.