Pian di San Martino: Local History and the Sentiero del Furioso

Discover Pian di San Martino through its architectural history and the Sentiero del Furioso. The parish church, a 19th-century villa and traces of earlier hydropower provide the village with a range of historical points of interest. The route connects these industrial remains with old mills, agricultural production and nature.

Church, tradition and historic buildings

According to an old tradition, San Martino I, pope and martyr, was born in the place now known as Pian di San Martino. The parish church of San Martino I Papa takes its name from him and has its own architectural history: in 1906, it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style to a design by Getulio Ceci, on the remains of an earlier building. It was completed in 1927 with the construction of the bell tower and the finishing of the exterior façade.

Its interior features are also part of the village’s history. Several tempera paintings, including a series of angels, have been restored in the parish church. The time between the rebuilding and its completion marks two distinct stages in the building’s history; the restoration of the paintings adds another dimension to the church.

A 19th-century villa stands in the oldest part of Pian di San Martino. The year 1897 is inscribed on an architrave. The villa includes, among other features, an open-sided tower and a picture niche set into the street-facing façade, depicting the Madonna and Child. The date can therefore be seen as an inscription on a building element; the villa itself is dated to the 19th century.

A recurring date in the local calendar is 20 May, when San Bernardino da Siena is solemnly honoured every year with a long procession. If you are interested in the village’s religious traditions, this date is a useful point to consider when planning your trip.

The Sentiero del Furioso: industrial history and nature

The Sentiero del Furioso, also called the Anello del Furioso, starts and ends in the green area of the hamlet of Pian di San Martino. The two names refer to the same route, not to two different trails. The route offers several traces of how the landscape was used in the past: it passes the former Montemolino hydropower plant, considered an example of industrial archaeology, as well as the ruins of old watermills.

The Sentiero del Furioso also brings together wine cellars, farms and local produce with the biodiversity of nature. The same route thus takes in industrial and agricultural traces alongside natural features.

The route also reaches Ponte di Ferro, a cycling and pedestrian bridge that crosses the entire Tiber. This adds a modern bridge serving a different purpose to the earlier examples of water engineering. The hydropower plant, mill ruins and crossing of the Tiber offer different points of interest for exploring the route’s historical and landscape themes.

Torre Vecchia and archaeological traces

Torre Vecchia lies just outside Pian di San Martino, on the road to Torre Piera. The medieval building has an inner courtyard and is privately owned. Remains of a Roman bathhouse have been found at the tower site. The site of the medieval tower thus brings together medieval architectural history and Roman traces of a bathhouse.

Pian di San Martino offers two distinct points of focus: the parish church, the villa and Torre Vecchia bring together architectural and historical points of interest, while the Sentiero del Furioso connects industrial history, mill ruins, agricultural production and nature. You can weigh up which of these themes to prioritise for your trip based on your interests.

Discover more destinations

Lenano, Scopoli, Preci, Passaggio Di Assisi, Castello Delle Forme, Santa Maria Degli Angeli, Sigillo, Gualdo Cattaneo

For the main travel guide: Perugia.