Here you can find Spoleto's largest and most important chestnut-growing area, with the presence of chestnut groves that, especially in the past, used to play a major role in the local economy. These trees are sometimes centuries old and bear very tasty fruits, the so-called 'marroni', which are larger than common chestnuts and known for their excellent quality.
In this area of luxuriant nature, among woods and valleys, among dovecote towers and ovens that produce excellent bread baked in wood-fired ovens, there are villages where time seems to stand still, such as Pompagnano, Montebibico and Castagnacupa.
These places are characterised by a strong agricultural and pastoral tradition, but they also preserve historical-artistic beauties that are not to be missed, such as the many delightful small Romanesque churches dotting the area.
Located a short distance from the village of Montebibico, almost in the middle of the chestnut groves, you will find the cemetery church of Sant'Angelo, of Benedictine origin, which was restored in the 1970s after a long period of abandon.
In the tiny village of Catinelli stands the Church of the Purification of Mary, or Madonna di Candelora, located on top of a rocky spur overlooking the houses below, offering a truly evocative view to travellers and hikers who venture into this enchanting corner of Umbria.
Further south, almost on the border with the province of Terni, is the village of Strettura, known for its traditional wood-fired bread, and the village of Valle San Martino, which in May organises the characteristic historical re-enactment of the Madonna della Rosa to commemorate the passage of Queen Christina of Sweden.
