Cerreto di Spoleto
Encyclopedia
Cerreto di Spoleto is an Italian village and comune
of the province of Perugia
in Umbria
. It is a dispersed, rural community with 1,158 inhabitants spread over 8 frazioni. Its claim to fame is to be the root of the English term "charlatan", as Cerreto was once widely known for the quacks among its natives.
. The counts of Celano built a fortress at this site, which has not survived. Today, the village is best known for the 12th-century Romanesque
abbey
church of Santa Maria: the façade includes a very good rose window, and the interior is notable for preserving the architect
's sketch of that window, engraved on one of the walls of the nave. Among the fresco
es is an almost equally rare depiction of the Trinity
as a three-headed man.
Rocchetta (Rocchetta di Cerreto when distinguishing it from others
) lies at 793 metres (2,601.7 ft) above sea-level on a ridge above and to the east of the Tissino
River. Its principal sights are three churches, two of them medieval and the third of the 16th‑18th centuries, of which the best is San Nicola, with a frescoed interior.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of the province of Perugia
Province of Perugia
The Province of Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia...
in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
. It is a dispersed, rural community with 1,158 inhabitants spread over 8 frazioni. Its claim to fame is to be the root of the English term "charlatan", as Cerreto was once widely known for the quacks among its natives.
Villages
Ponte di Cerreto is a village of about 200 inhabitants about a mile south of Cerreto. Though now insignificant, Ponte was once an important defensive outpost overlooking the first bridge over the Nera RiverNera River (Italy)
The Nera is a 116 km long river which flows almost entirely in Umbria, Italy. A tributary to the Tiber, its sources are in the Monti Sibillini, east of Foligno. It flows southward past Terni and Narni. It joins the Tiber near Orte.-See also:...
. The counts of Celano built a fortress at this site, which has not survived. Today, the village is best known for the 12th-century Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
church of Santa Maria: the façade includes a very good rose window, and the interior is notable for preserving the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
's sketch of that window, engraved on one of the walls of the nave. Among the fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es is an almost equally rare depiction of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
as a three-headed man.
Rocchetta (Rocchetta di Cerreto when distinguishing it from others
Rocchetta
Rocchetta may refer to any one of many towns in Italy.comuni:*Rocchetta a Volturno, in the Province of Isernia*Rocchetta Belbo, in the Province of Cuneo*Rocchetta di Vara, in the Province of La Spezia...
) lies at 793 metres (2,601.7 ft) above sea-level on a ridge above and to the east of the Tissino
Tissino
The Tissino River is a small watercourse of eastern Umbria in Italy. Its source is a few hundred meters S of Usigni, at an approximate altitude of 1000 m , and it flows for about , almost due north, past the towns of Usigni, Poggiodomo, Roccatamburo and Mucciafora, high above the river in...
River. Its principal sights are three churches, two of them medieval and the third of the 16th‑18th centuries, of which the best is San Nicola, with a frescoed interior.
Notable people
The Renaissance humanist and poet Iovianus Pontanus (Giovanni Gioviano Pontano) was born here in 1426—although after his father had been murdered in a civil brawl his mother escaped with the boy to Perugia.External links
- Official website
- Thayer's Gazetteer of Umbria - Cerreto
- Thayer's Gazetteer of Umbria - Ponte
- Bill Thayer's Gazetteer - Rocchetta