Uppello: Hotels between valley views and cultural heritage

Uppello can be explored through its elevated position and layered history of churches and monasteries. When choosing a destination for your hotel stay, the landscape, historic sites, and their varied stories offer concrete points of interest. You can focus on the views over the Valle Umbra, the artworks in nearby churches, or the history of Sassovivo Abbey.

Location and landscape

Uppello is situated on a hill and overlooks the entire Valle Umbra. The village also lies where the Valle del Menotre and the Valle di Sassovivo meet. Its location is defined both by wide views across a valley and by its relationship to two other named valleys.

One specific natural landmark is the Fonte di Sassovivo. This oligomineral spring emerges from bare rock inside the Grotta dell’Orso, at an altitude of about 600 metres. You encounter the spring on the ascent in the area around Uppello. The view from the village and the natural feature inside the cave offer distinct perspectives: one shapes the views over the Valle Umbra, while the other is a spring at an approximate elevation.

Churches, art, and local history

The history of the original parish church goes back to before 1860. It was abandoned before that year because it was at risk of collapse. From 1860, services were held temporarily in a small chapel in the Castello di Uppello. The chapel was dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and the Castello belonged to the family of the Counts Orfini. This sequence links the abandonment of the parish church to a specific place where services were held temporarily.

Several aspects of art and church history come together at the nearby Chiesa di San Bartolomeo di Marano. The Trinci family founded the church in the early 15th century. It is home to the painting Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew: Niccolò di Liberatore began the work, and his son Lattanzio completed it after his death. The church also houses a life-size reproduction of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, dating from the 17th century. Its founding, the painting, and the reproduction each provide a distinct historical point of reference.

The Chiesa di San Venanzo is also connected to the castle of Uppello: it originally stood outside the castle walls. It has a stone baptismal font with wooden doors. The church’s position outside the walls and the details of its furnishings offer different perspectives: its original location and its specific features.

Sassovivo Abbey and walking trails

The nearby complex of the Abbazia di Santa Croce di Sassovivo includes a church, a Romanesque cloister, and the Loggia del Paradiso. The upper cloister is a rare example of Romanesque architecture and sculpture dating from 1229. The abbey is also one of the oldest signs of Benedictine presence in the Valle Spoletina. Thus, a specific construction date sits alongside the broader history of Benedictine presence in the region.

The abbey is located in a protected park. An ancient seven-hectare holm oak wood stretches around it, providing the setting for the Passeggiata dell’Abate and its walking trails. Architectural history and woodland landscape describe different aspects of the nearby complex: the cloister and loggia represent its architecture, while the woodland and trails are part of its landscape setting.

Historic routes and surviving traces

The early medieval Via Plestina passed through Uppello, linking Foligno with Plestia via a branch of the Via Flaminia. This is distinct from the historical account of the village: Uppello probably played an important role in events connected with the origins of the Trinci family and the history of Foligno. While the Via Plestina describes a specific route and connections between places, Uppello’s role is explicitly described as probable.

Only scant traces of the Castello di Uppello remain in Uppello. This is useful context for understanding its history: the Castello is connected with the account of the temporary place of worship, while few traces of the castle survive on site. Along with the Chiesa di San Venanzo and the history of the parish church, this paints a picture in which historical connections can be traced both through individual buildings and through recorded accounts.

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