What is Campello sul Clitunno known for?

Lombard-reworked sacellum on the Clitunno, inscribed by UNESCO in June 2011 in the serial site The Lombards in Italy: Places of Power. Springs of 1,300-1,500 liters per second, written by Pliny, walked by Byron, the subject of Carducci's ode Le fonti del Clitumno. Slopes between Trevi and Spoleto produce some of Umbria's most decorated extra virgin, with Campello among the historic Città dell'Olio.

Where is Campello sul Clitunno?

Campello sul Clitunno is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 54 kilometers from Terni.

Umbria · Perugia

Campello sul Clitunno

Springs of the Clitunno and the Lombard Tempietto on the valley floor, the temple inscribed by UNESCO in 2011.

54 km / 34 mi

Nearest hub (Terni)

2,314

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Campello sul Clitunno sitsalong the Clitunno river, a few kilometers north of Spoleto. The name comes from the Counts Campello, originally Champeaux of Reims, who founded the hilltop nucleus of Campello Alto in the mid-10th century under the Burgundian noble Rovero. The Fonti del Clitunno, the springs that form the river, produce 1,300 to 1,500 liters of water per second; Pliny the Younger wrote about them, and Lord Byron and Giosuè Carducci returned to the place in poems centuries later, the latter with the ode Le fonti del Clitumno. A kilometer downstream from the springs, in the frazione of Pissignano, the Tempietto del Clitunno is a 4th- or 5th-century pagan sacellum reworked by the Lombards in the 7th and 8th centuries; the interior frescoes have parallels with Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome. The Tempietto entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2011 as part of the serial site The Lombards in Italy: Places of Power. The Castello di Pissignano above the temple covers the medieval layer.

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Gallery

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Known for

Tempietto del Clitunno
Small temple-shaped chapel of the 4th-5th century reworked by the Lombards in the 7th-8th, with frescoes of the Saviour, Peter and Paul; UNESCO World Heritage.
Fonti del Clitunno
Springs producing 1,300-1,500 liters per second, forming the source of the Clitunno; visited by Pliny, Byron and Carducci.
Castello di Pissignano
Eleventh-twelfth century hilltop castle just above the Tempietto, founded by Benedictine monks who enclosed the settlement with walls.
Campello Alto
Tenth-century hilltop nucleus of the commune, founded by Rovero di Champeaux, with walls and a single circular access road still intact.
Pieve di San Cipriano
Romanesque parish church near the Tempietto, traceable to the 11th century, with a single nave and stone façade.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months for Campello sul Clitunno. The springs run cold and full, the willows along the lake at the source hold the morning light, and the trails between the Tempietto and Campello Alto are walkable in shade. July and August touch the mid-thirties in the Spoleto valley; the Fonti basin runs a few degrees cooler at the water's edge. November is olive harvest, with frantoi running along the slopes between Trevi and Spoleto. December through March is quiet, the springs and the Tempietto remain open with shorter hours, and the winter light on the Lombard interior is the photograph most photographers come back for.