What is Montefalco known for?

Thick-skinned native red grape, cultivated almost exclusively here, DOCG since 5 November 1992 in both dry Secco and sweet Passito styles. Benozzo Gozzoli's fresco cycle on the Life of Saint Francis, painted 1450-1452 in the apse of San Francesco, now the civic museum. Single belvedere takes in seven Umbrian hill towns, the reason the medieval chronicles called Montefalco la ringhiera dell'Umbria.

Montefalco is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 51 kilometers from Perugia.

Umbria · Perugia

Montefalco

The hilltop wine capital of Umbria, where Sagrantino is grown almost nowhere else and Benozzo Gozzoli painted Francis in 1452.

51 km / 32 mi

Nearest hub (Perugia)

5,357

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Montefalco sitson a hill above the Umbrian valley, called the railing of Umbria for the view that takes in Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Trevi, Spoleto and Todi from the same belvedere. The town gives its name to Sagrantino, a thick-skinned red grape cultivated almost exclusively on the slopes around the walls, traces of which go back to the 1st century AD. Sagrantino di Montefalco became the 12th Italian wine to receive DOCG status on 5 November 1992, with both dry (Secco) and sweet (Passito) styles regulated. The former church of San Francesco, now the civic museum, holds the fresco cycle Benozzo Gozzoli painted between 1450 and 1452, the life of Saint Francis in the apse, considered among Gozzoli's most complete surviving works. Three of the largest Sagrantino producers, Caprai, Antonelli and Adanti, have cellars within four kilometers of the centro storico. The harvest runs late September into October.

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Gallery

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Known for

Museo Civico di San Francesco
Former Franciscan church holding the Benozzo Gozzoli fresco cycle of the Life of Saint Francis, painted 1450-1452, plus works of the Umbrian school.
Piazza del Comune
Circular medieval square at the top of the hill, ringed by the Palazzo Comunale, the Oratorio di Santa Maria di Piazza and four converging streets.
Belvedere of Umbria
Panoramic walk on the eastern walls that takes in Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Trevi, Spoleto and Todi from a single viewpoint.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Fourteenth-century Augustinian church on Corso Mameli, with Gothic façade, holding frescoes of the local school and the body of Beato Pellegrino.
Walls of Montefalco
Two concentric medieval circuits of walls and five gates, the inner ring still complete, the outer ring built in the 14th century by the Trinci.

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 Montefalco. The vineyards run their full work cycle, the harvest of Sagrantino starts in the last week of September, and the railing belvedere holds the long Umbrian light. Settimana Enologica in mid-September brings producers from across the territory onto Piazza del Comune. July and August push the slopes into the mid-thirties; the cellars stay cool and most run tastings by appointment from mid-morning. November is the new oil season. December through March is quiet, with reduced hours at the museum and at the cellars, and Sagrantino Passito poured for tasting beside winter cured meats.