Casalina: Roman Origins and Building History

Casalina is a settlement of Roman origin. It grew along a consular road on the historic border between the territories of Perugia and Todi. The road and the settlement’s territorial setting together form part of its early history. This provides a useful framework for a culturally focused trip: alongside individual buildings, you can also explore how the settlement came into being.

Church and Rocca: Different Building Histories

The Church of San Girolamo was built between 1779 and 1785 on the remains of an older church. This links a precisely dated building phase with an earlier church on the same site. The older church points to an earlier building phase, while the dates mark the construction of San Girolamo. Both periods are part of the history of this church site, but they should not be combined into a single date of origin.

The Rocca di Casalina played a different role in the early history of the area. Construction began around 1315; initially, it served as a fortified building and protected the Benedictine monastery of San Pietro. Its building history is therefore connected with its protective function and the Benedictine monastery. To understand its historical context, it is important to consider not only its approximate construction date but also the role the Rocca initially served.

Tobacco, Agriculture and Natural History

Tobacco and agriculture add buildings with a different history of use to the picture of Casalina. The Natural History Gallery is housed in the former tobacco factory of the hamlet of Casalina in the municipality of Deruta. The former factory building connects the history of tobacco with the site of the natural history gallery. The Laboratory of Agricultural History is next to the old tobacco-drying building on the Casalina farm. This gives us two distinct relationships between buildings: the gallery is housed in the former factory, while the laboratory is next to the drying building. Together, these places broaden the picture to include tobacco processing and agriculture alongside the history of churches and fortified buildings.

The Santuario Madonna del Bagno

The Santuario Madonna del Bagno was established around the 17th century beside a sulfur-water spring near Casalina in Deruta. The spring is part of its history, and the date is approximate. Alongside the churches and the Rocca, it is another historical landmark in the area around Casalina. The connection between the sanctuary and the spring is as characteristic as its approximate dating to the 17th century.

Putting Historical Dates in Context

The dates reflect different measures of time: the Rocca’s construction began “around 1315”; San Girolamo is dated to the period from 1779 to 1785; and the Santuario is said to have originated around the 17th century. This is more useful for comparing dates than a single sequence without context, because the figures do not all refer to the same thing: a construction start, a building period and an approximate date of origin. Together with the role associated with each site—protecting the monastery, serving as a church or being connected with the sulfur-water spring—you can sort the places by period and theme.

Discover more destinations: Badia, Assisi, Cerbara, Popoli, Magione, Casanova di Torre, Bazzano Superiore, Scritto

For the main travel overview: Perugia.