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MEDIEVAL Montefiascone
Situated on the Cassia road, a few miles from Viterbo, this nice town is known mainly because of a dry white wine called ‘Est!Est!!Est!!!’. The name ‘Montefiascone’ seems to derive from the Latin expression ‘Mons Flasconis’ that is probably related to wine. In the Middle Ages Montefiascone became an important town. Frequented by popes and churchmen, the town was one of the main stage posts on the Francigena way. In the 13th century, the Roman Catholic popes decided to fortify the area, and a big fortress was built on top of Montefiascone hill. Known as ‘Rocca dei Papi’, the old castle became the residence of papal governors in the 14th century. Now the building houses a little museum with a documentation of the life and work of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, a famous Renaissance architect who restored the Rocca in the early 16th century. Other interesting sights are the Duomo of Santa Margherita, an early Renaissance church with a big dome and a fascinating crypt, and the Church of San Flaviano, which is a wonderful example of Lombard-Romanesque church (12th century). Its wonderful Romanesque capitals, carved by skilled stonemasons, are really worth seeing. Restored in the Gothic style, San Flaviano was decorated with frescoes dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
Testo: A.G.Tur. di Viterbo Fonte dati e immagini Amm.ne Prov. & APT di Viterbo |