Overview
Set on a hill among the beautiful hills of Umbria, the village of Colfiorito dominates the plateau of karstic origin derived from the draining of lakes and marshes.
Inhabited already in prehistoric times, it became a Roman municipality under the name of Plestia or Plestina. Numerous archaeological excavations yielded finds from the most varied eras. In the 5th century, the city was a diocese seat and, after being abandoned, the cathedral church of Santa Maria was rebuilt, testifying to the importance of the area as a strategic junction between Umbria and the Adriatic regions. The settlement was rebuilt at a higher point and provided with a castle of considerable civil and military importance.
The abundance of water, channelled into a natural sinkhole, fed the ancient, now destroyed Molinaccio mill near Forcatura.
Numerous interventions, already in Roman times, took place to reclaim the marshes, like the 15th-century Botte dei Varano, a collector for draining water from the plateau.
The Archaeological Museum and the Nature Museum of the Colfiorito Park, giving us an insight into the natural and human history of this territory are unmissable.
06034 Colfiorito PG, Italia
