Bevagna - city of the southern Umbrian valley
| Bevagna is a city of the southern Umbrian valley, near Foligno and Montefalco and Assisi. Anciently called Mevania, it's situated on the old Flaminia, an important Roman trading route. Bevagna was a flourishing roman town hall, a prominent medieval centre and still preserves bought influences in city and buildings architecture. The city is surrounded by thick walls and towers; the city architecture is typically Roman, with two main streets crossing in a central square. Unlike most Umbrian cities, Bevagna was build in plain so during the medieval period suffered many invasions and destructions and was rebuild several times. Today the city still preserves in every corner a sign of its past times and a special charm. There are many little alleys in the historical centre, and its really suggestive to have a walk around this beautiful narrow streets. A perfect moment to visit Bevagna is during the Market of Gaite: the four Gaite or districts into which the city is divided recreate artisan's shops, taverns and typical medieval markets for one week, with representations of ancient crafts. The craftwork tradition of Bevagna is still alive and have been passed down over the centuries, from father to son. The historical most relevant monuments of Bevagna are: the Roman Baths of the II century, with mosaics representing mythological marine scenes; the Roman Theatre (of which we can just distinguish the form it had); the city walls and the entrances (Porta Cannara, Porta Foligno…). The main square is the real centre of Bevagna, here we have S. Silvestre’s Church, the most ancient and of Romanic origin; S. Michael Archangel’s Church and the Consul Palace, were in 1886 was built Torti Theatre; this delightful small theatre has been completely refurbished in 1994. Since then, every year the Torti Theatre hosts the Umbrian Theatre and Prose Season. Around Bevagna, and precisely on the street leading to Montefalco, you may visit several important wine producers of Sagrantino wine, a famous local red wine. |
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