
Umbria · Perugia
Scheggino
Triangular castle village on the banks of the Nera, where the first commercial Italian truffle company was founded in 1928.
32 km / 20 mi
Nearest hub (Terni)
446
Population
Apr–Oct
Best time to visit
Why come
Scheggino sitsin the heart of the Valnerina, the village wedged into a triangle of walls between the slope above and the Nera river below. The Duchy of Spoleto built it around the 12th century to defend one of the three bridges over the Nera; the triangular plan and the watchtower of white and pink stone, about 20 meters high, still mark the top of the castle. The Nera runs alongside the lower edge of the village, divided into channels that once turned mills and now hold trout and the springs that feed the truffle washing rooms. Scheggino is the home of Urbani Tartufi, the first commercial company for the storage and processing of truffle, founded in 1928, which still has its plant on the river. The Diamante Nero festival each summer prepares a giant frittata with more than 2,000 eggs and 80 kilos of black truffle. The Cammino di San Francesco passes through the village on the way south.
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Gallery
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Known for
Castello di Scheggino
Twelfth-century triangular castle of the Duchy of Spoleto, with a watchtower in white and pink stone about 20 meters high at the summit.
Chiesa di San Nicola
Romanesque parish church at the heart of the centro storico, frescoes of the Umbrian school of the 15th century in the apse.
Nera river canals
Channels of the Nera divided through the lower village, once for mills and now for trout farming and the truffle washing rooms of Urbani.
Cammino di San Francesco
The Franciscan pilgrim route from La Verna to Assisi and on to Rome passes through Scheggino along the Nera.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through June and September into October are the months for Scheggino. The Nera runs cold and full, the trout farms work at capacity, and the trails up to Vallo di Nera or down to Ferentillo are walkable in shade. July and August push the valley into the mid-thirties; the river canals through the village cool the lower streets and the trattorie pour Nera trout with local truffle. The Diamante Nero festival runs in summer with the giant frittata. November is the heart of the black truffle season in the surrounding woods. December through March is quiet, damp and short on light; the castle tower and the canals are walked mostly by residents.
How to get there
From Terni, Scheggino is roughly 32 km by road. Allow about 27–38 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Ancona / Pescara2h 15m
- Rome2h 42m
- Rimini3h 21m
Elevation 280 m
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