Where is Giano dell'Umbria?

Giano dell'Umbria is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 50 kilometers from Terni.

Umbria · Perugia

Giano dell'Umbria

A hill commune at 547 meters between Foligno, Spoleto and Todi, anchored by a Romanesque abbey founded over the tomb of a fourth-century martyr.

547m

Elevation

50 km / 31 mi

Nearest hub (Terni)

3,648

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Giano dell'Umbria sits at 547 meters on the eastern slope of the Monti Martani, inside the triangle between Foligno, Spoleto and Todi. The territory is full of small medieval castles, Montecchio and Morcicchia the most intact, and small Romanesque churches scattered between olive groves. The Abbazia di San Felice, just outside the walls of the capoluogo, occupies a fourth-century oratory built over the tomb of the martyred bishop Felice; the current church and monastery date from the early twelfth century, set above a remarkable Romanesque crypt. The Roman Villa Rufione along the Via Flaminia Vetus produced the artifacts now in the Antiquarium of Montecchio. The town is the seat of the DOC Spoleto wine and the Trebbiano Spoletino reborn here in the last decade, and the olive groves around Bastardo feed the Frantoi Aperti weekends every November.

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Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Abbazia di San Felice
Romanesque abbey rebuilt early 12th century over a 4th-century oratory marking the tomb of bishop-martyr Felice, with a remarkable crypt below.
Castello di Montecchio
Tenth-century castle on the Monti Martani slope along the Via Flaminia, fortified in the 10th century and held by the lords of Giano from the 12th.
Villa Rufione
Roman rural villa between Montecchio and Bastardo along the Via Flaminia Vetus; excavated finds now displayed in the Antiquarium of Montecchio.
Borgo di Montecchio
Medieval frazione on the ridge above Bastardo, with Antiquarium inside the restored castle complex and views across the Martani slopes.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the working months on the Martani slopes. The olive groves and the abbey grounds hold light well into the evening. November is the new-oil month: the Frantoi Aperti weekends open the mills, and the town fills for tastings of the just-pressed Martani oil. July and August are warm, often above thirty degrees on the slopes; the abbey crypt becomes the cool refuge of the afternoon. December through March is quiet. Many agriturismi close. The abbey stays open for Mass year-round and Castello di Montecchio against winter haze is a photograph worth the climb.