THE HISTORY
Sigillo has ancient roots, going back to the time of the Umbri people who populated Central Italy before the arrival of the Etruscans and the Samnites. With the advent of the Roman Empire, Sigillo became a “municipium” (municipality), situated at the 200 km-stage on the Via Flaminia, to which its varying fortunes were always connected. With the decline of Roman power, it suffered repeated invasions by the Barbarians and witnessed the decisive clash between the Lombard and Byzantine forces in 534 A.D., with Totila and Narsete facing each other in battle over this piece of territory. The town disappeared in the tempest of the Barbarian invasions, as did all the other centres of habitation along the Via Flaminia. It was rebuilt in about 1274, coming under the control of Perugia, which made it one of its fortified outposts, transforming the town by building the important castle. Sigillo remained under the dominion of Perugia until the Napoleonic era. The town suffered during the struggle for power between the Communes, Dukedoms and Signorie and experienced the effects of the Napoleonic campaign until the events leading to the unification of Italy.

THE CITY, CULTURE AND ART
Sigillo maintains the characteristics of a mediaeval town: a mass of houses abutting each other, built of rough pink stone, with roofs covered in reddish-grey tiles. At the centre of the town lies the elegant main square, built with pink stone slabs from Assisi and tufa bricks laid in geometric patterns. In the middle is a large well with a heavy circular cover, and the end of the square is dominated by the C12 Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), with its turret and great bell dating from the time of the Priors and Statutes. Near the square there are two splendid old churches: the Church of St Andrea and the Church of St Agostino. The former is one of the ancient, mediaeval Pieve-style churches, dating from before the feudal period, but it has undergone many changes and rebuilding programmes over the centuries. The present church, reconstructed in the 1800’s, contains the C16 “Tela del Rosario”, a depiction of the Madonna and child, and a C16 walnut choir-stall. The C18 Church of St. Agostino was erected on the foundations of the ancient church of St. Caterina. Of this original church, only the crypt remains: it has been restored by the Town Council and now houses a cultural centre. Inside the Church of St. Agostino can be seen a painting of the Annunciation by Ippolito Borghesi, the only work that this eminent C17 artist, left to his native town. Another two churches are worthy of note: the historic Oratory of St.Anna, and the Church of St.Maria Assunta di Villa Scirca. The Oratory is a real treasure-house, comparable to the famous chapel of Porziuncola, with C15 frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo and a façade decorated with fine stone-carvings by the sculptor Michelangelo da S.Pellegrino di Gualdo. The historic C13 Church of St.Maria Assunta also contains frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo, as well as an ancient Roman remain: a parallelepiped made from a gravel compound and standing over a metre tall. It has a conical cavity in its upper part: it is possible it was a votive stone or the base of a pagan altar. The surrounding area is rich in Roman remains, including the splendid and imposing Roman Bridge, almost perfectly preserved, which spans the Fonturci torrent. It can be found a short distance from Sigillo, along the Via Flaminia. THE ROMAN BRIDGE After the Battle of Sentino, the Romans founded the colony of Sena Gallica (283 B.C.), and a fast road was constructed to facilitate communications with the Adriatic coast, following the original route used by the ancient Umbri and Picene peoples. The oldest and most precise record of the course of the Via Flaminia across Umbria comes from Stradone, the eminent Greek geographer, who lived from 63-19 B.C. Work on the road was begun in 223 B.C. (according to Paolo Festo and Stradone), and completed in 210 B.C., under the direction of the censor, Gaius Flaminius, who died two years later in the Battle of Trasimeno (217 B.C.). The Emperor Augustus, writing in his testament, “Monumentum Ancyranum”, claims credit for constructing all the bridges along the Flaminia, from Rome to Rimini. Just outside Sigillo, spanning the Fonturci torrent, can be found one of the most imposing of these Augustine bridges, the Ponte Spiano. Built of huge blocks of cornelian, it measures 32 m in length and 3.25 m in width at the top of the arch. The bridge is completely intact: a work of art which is impossible to miss if one is travelling along the Via Flaminia. The visitor should take time to admire it. It is constructed in lines of blocks varying from 0.30 m to 0.85 m in height. The blocks are each over a metre long and are not arranged in a fixed pattern. One of the thirteen wedge blocks is held up by a massive pillar. Another feature is that the lowest blocks are cut in a pentagonal form, to adapt to the lines of the vertical walls. Above all, this monument is emblematic of the old Roman “municipium”of Suillum (governed by the “duoviri”, together with the “quattuoviri” college of magistrates), as well as symbolizing the ancient and deep-rooted connection between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Adriatic. Within the territory of Suillum could be found the famous staging-post on the Via Flaminia, Helvillum. From here, a branch road crossed the mountains and led on to Ancona. It remained in use for many centuries, until the beginning of the 1900’s and was known as the “Postiglione” (Postillion).

NATURE, WATER AND THE MOUNTAIN
Sigillo and its ancient countryside are situated in the Monte Cucco Regional Natural Park, which was established in 1995. This Park is situated on the north-eastern border of the Region of Umbria, and is demarcated by the Apennine Ridge, with the soaring peak of Monte Cucco (1,566 m.), by the ancient Via Flaminia and by the Sentino and Chiasco Rivers. The landscape of the Monte Cucco massif unfolds with great variety: narrow valleys are succeeded by rocky spires, pinnacles and terraces, together with canyons and clefts. These ancient gorges give a touch of harshness, which is offset by the soft, gentle slopes with their hollows and pleasant valleys. In this wonderful, natural setting, beautiful forests of ancient beech-trees, towering to the sky, alternate with woods of ilex, dominating the cliffs and limestone precipices. This is the home-land of the “Madre dei Faggi” (Mother of the Beech): one of the most ancient beech-woods in Italy, extending for 30 hectares at a height of 1000 metres above sea-level. It contains examples of beech-trees (Faggio Fagus Selvatica) of extraordinary size, often accompanied by huge specimens of holly-trees (Agrifoglio Ilex Aquifolium). Indeed, it really does seem as if, within this unique micro-system, examples of mountain vegetation are preserved which belong to a distant, prehistoric past. The trees are irregularly spaced, with the light entering at different intervals, and consequently the undergrowth contains a wide variety of plants and bushes. Under the beeches grow many small flowers, such as cyclamens, primroses, wood anemones and even snowdrops. The big meadows, on the highest slopes of the summit host narcissi and yellow and purple crocuses, as well as lovely dog-roses, orchids, forget-me-nots and sweet wild strawberries. An extraordinary variety of wildlife inhabits this diverse and ancient bio-system. The mammalian species include predatory wolves, foxes, badgers, beech-martens, weasels and squirrels, as well as two types of dormouse. The many varieties of birds include rock partridges, found on the very highest slopes, golden eagles and peregrine falcons. This is also a land of underground water-courses, and of clear, fresh brooks and springs, sheltered by willows, hazel-trees and mountain elms. In the streams live rainbow trout, fresh-water crayfish and examples of “tricotterus troglophilus”, a tiny, rare creature which can only survive in a totally unpolluted aquatic environment. Of the numerous streams and rivers, the Scirca torrent is surely the most important. Like most of the water-courses in the area, it begins life in the bowels of Monte Cucco, rising to the surface at 576 m. Its waters are used to supply one of the largest aqueducts in Umbria, that of the Villa Scirca. Able to carry a maximum of 115 litres per second, the system is used to supply the city of Perugia, as well as the districts of Sigillo and Costacciaro.

THE GROTTO OF MONTE CUCCO
Monte Cucco is symbolized, above all, by its Grotto, a vast and formidable underground karst system extending for over 30 km, and reaching a maximum depth of 923 m. For a long time it was believed to be the largest and deepest limestone cave system in Italy. We now know of three entrances to the grotto, all on the north-eastern flank of Monte Cucco. The Main Entrance is at 1390 m., the Pozzo del Nibbio entrance, opening practically on the summit, lies at 1509 m., and the entrance facing Pian delle Macinare is located at 1395 m. From the main entrance, after a drop of 27 m., one can reach a series of huge chambers, following each other in quick succession. These are known as: the “Cattedrale”, the “Sala Margherita”, the “Giardino di Pietra”, the “Sala del Becco”, the “Sala delle Fontane”, the“Sala Simonetti”, the “Condotte Termali”, and the “Sala Terminale”. Here, one can admire the spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations, created over hundreds of thousands of years by the constant fall of droplets of water bearing limestone crystals. This system is, without doubt, prime territory for scholars of subterranean hydrology and speleogenesis, and a paradise for cavers wanting to test themselves in one of the most astonishing karst formations known to man.

THE RIO FREDDO GORGE
The Monte Cucco massif is one of the few areas in the Apennines with a high-elevation water course which remains in flow throughout the year: the Rio Freddo. This river marks a distinctive route down virtually all the eastern flank of the mountain, with a deeply eroded gorge known as the “Forra di Rio Freddo”. This dramatic fault-line sharply incises the solid river-bed, making the limestone massif appear like a giant wall barring the valley. The slow, erosive activity of the river leaves the impression that the side of the mountain has been sliced downwards, making a cut which stretches for a distance of many kilometres, and to a depth of up to 200 m. Between the high walls the Rio Freddo falls in level for over 400 m.; with a series of waterfalls, rapids, deep pools, and narrow defiles where the sunlight can hardly penetrate. The landscape within the gorge is primordial, and any attempt to traverse it requires careful preparation. It was here that the activity of “Canyoning” was first tried out, when a party of speleologists from the CAI in Perugia descended the gorge in 1956.

SPORTS
Caving is not the only sport practiced on Monte Cucco. Trekking and mountain-biking are also popular, with a choice of many delightful routes. Canyoning has become increasingly fashionable, particularly amongst the young, who enjoy breath-taking descents down the gorge of the Rio Freddo, a canyon carved into ancient sedimentary rock by the continuous activity of this ice-cold river. Monte Cucco has also been, from 1986 onwards, one of the most popular sites for holding free-flying competitions. It is one of the few places where national and international free-flying championships are often staged. An international competition known as the “Monte Cucco Trophy” is regularly held in the local district of Sigillo, and attracts many overseas participants. The relief formation of the mountain is not too extreme, reducing the possibility of strong turbulence and promoting extremely favourable weather conditions. There is a high incidence of convergence phenomena, which create long, ascending air corridors, ideal for competing in distance free-flying events. It is no coincidence that many free-flying records have been achieved as a result of take-offs from Monte Cucco. In addition, there is the possibility for practising a particularly spectacular form of the sport known as the “top”, by which one takes off and lands in the same spot. Because of its special geographical characteristics, Monte Cucco was chosen as the site for the World Hang-gliding Championships in 1999. These were staged by the Italian Aero Club and the Italian Free-flight Federation, bodies that are recognized for their expertise and organizational capacity.

GASTRONOMY AND SPECIALIST PRODUCTS
Specialist products are not solely food items: they are products of a particular natural environment and culture. The story of a place can be recounted through its past and present, based on a particular set of values which are unique to that area. Such is the case in the breeding of beef-cattle or the rearing of sheep: a very high standard of quality is maintained thanks to the natural pasturage provided for the animals. The same also applies to the crops of cereals (spelt, maize and barley), or pulses (chick-peas, lentils and the Monte Cucco grass-pea) which are traditionally grown here. They symbolize a richness and bounty particular to this area and a consciousness of the tastes, the history and the culture of the local people. The traditional cheeses produced in this area, such as “pecorino” and the delicious “formaggio di fossa” recall age-old methods of cheese-making. Thanks to the use of traditional recipes, which have remained almost unchanged down the years, a consistently high standard of quality is maintained. On the subject of cereals and pulses, the Monte Cucco grass-pea is worth a special mention. Until a few decades ago, it was the tradition, during the Spring months, to sow certain crops such as beans, chick-peas and grass-peas. Generally, these crops were grown amongst the maize, making use of the space between the furrows. In August, the plants, laden with pods, were pulled out of the ground and hung up to dry in the sun until ready to be threshed. After the threshing, the grass-peas were cleaned and the final chaff from the broken pods dispersed in the afternoon breeze when the grass-peas were laid out and fanned under the shade of great elms or oaks. Nowadays, threatened with extinction, the grass-pea has becomes an object of renewed interest for chefs and organic food producers. They are promoting a rediscovery of this legume, using it as a substitute for beans in various popular dishes, such as delicious hot soups.