Sigillo: Medieval Village Character in Parco del Monte Cucco

Pink Stone and Medieval Character

Sigillo preserves the character of a medieval village. Closely spaced houses made of pink stone give the town a clearly recognizable architectural character. The Palazzo Comunale dates from the 12th century. This provides you with an introduction that connects the village's distinctive appearance with a historically datable building.

Historic Churches and Art

The Church of Sant'Agostino in Sigillo was built between 1788 and 1791 on the foundations of the former Church of Santa Caterina. The preserved medieval crypt of Santa Caterina was restored and established as a cultural center.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta is a Romanesque sanctuary dating from the 12th century. It has a bell dating from 1250 and contains a fresco by the painter Matteo da Gualdo dated 1484. Those interested in medieval religious architecture, historic furnishings and painting will find several clearly identifiable points of interest here.

The Church of Sant'Andrea houses an organ made in 1793 by the Venetian organ builder Gaetano Callido. It is considered the first and only surviving work by this organ builder in Umbria. The Chiesa di Sant'Anna was built in the mid-15th century on the ancient Via Flaminia. Just outside Sigillo lies the Ponte Spiano, which enabled the crossing of the Fonturci stream on the ancient Via Flaminia.

Museums Covering Paleontology and Painting

The “Brascugli” Paleontological Museum houses fossils and virtual displays on the paleontology of the Monte Cucco area and the adjacent geological strata. The “Anton Pietro Valente” Museum contains part of the collection of 175 paintings that the painter, sculptor and set designer Anton Pietro Valente (1896–1973) donated to Sigillo. In Sigillo, therefore, natural science topics and fine art stand side by side.

Landscape in Parco del Monte Cucco

The area around Sigillo lies within Parco del Monte Cucco. The park contains centuries-old beeches, maples, holm oaks, chestnuts, yews and hornbeams. The natural rock wall of delle Lecce is a rock face up to 70 m high that appears to close off the valley. During rain, the temporary delle Lecce spring emerges from a horizontal fissure in the limestone wall as a powerful, fan-shaped jet of water.

The Orto della Cicuta is a largely level natural balcony situated high above the valley and overlooking it. Together with the rock wall, the intermittently emerging spring and the old trees, this landscape area displays different forms of limestone, water and elevation. For your planning, you can therefore weigh cultural and historical attractions in the town against nature observation in the Monte Cucco area.

Free Flight, Climbing and Bouldering

Monte Cucco and Sigillo are suitable for free flight thanks to favorable orographic and meteorological conditions. In Sigillo, two facilities for sport climbing and bouldering were inaugurated in Parco del Monte Cucco. This allows you to choose a hotel in Sigillo according to your personal interests: churches, museums and village history as well as landscapes, free flight or climbing.

Other Places for Orientation

For further orientation within the same broader destination, you can also find Triponzo, Sant'arcangelo, Cerro, Colle, Gavelli, Buchignano, Promano and Papiano.

For the broader travel overview: Perugia.