Located in the southeastern part of Umbria, Ferentillo is a small medieval village surrounded by the lush Valnerina valley in the province of Terni. It lies along a gorge flanked by two fortresses and divided by the Nera River, which splits the settlement into two districts: Precetto and Matterella.
A history spanning millennia, from prehistoric evidence to ancient lordships
The origins of the village stretch back to the centuries. Some prehistoric rock carvings found in the natural caves of Precetto, Lu Strittu, Mesa Rosa, Gabbio, and Umbriano testify to the presence of human settlements as early as the 2nd millennium BC.
In Roman times, numerous temples were built, and the Nera River was made navigable to transport timber to the shipyard at Stifone, near Narni. Due to its strategic location, Ferentillo became a key stop along the transhumance and trade routes connecting the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic areas.
Between the 6th and 9th centuries, under Lombard rule, the Duke Faroaldo II of Spoleto decided to build his most important monastery, the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, expanding the church founded by the hermits Giovanni and Lazzaro. He chose to retire here for prayer, becoming a monk and arranging for his burial in a valuable Roman sarcophagus. After him, other dukes chose to be buried in the abbey, which became a true mausoleum. To defend it, an extensive system of watchtowers was built, comprising over forty fortresses and castles, earning the region the title “Valley of Castles”.
In 774, with the defeat of the Lombard king Desiderius by Charlemagne, Ferentillo was annexed to the Frankish Kingdom and later donated to the Pope, laying the foundation for the Papal States. In 1303, Pope Boniface VIII removed jurisdiction over these lands from the Benedictine monks—who were “guilty” of sheltering heretics fleeing from Ferento in the 13th century—and instead granted control to the Lateran Chapter. The name Ferentillo derives from “Ferentum-illi”, meaning “those from Ferento”.
At the end of the 15th century, the village flourished under Giovanbattista Cybo, who became Pope Innocent VIII. During his papacy, Giovanbattista appointed his sonFranceschetto as the first lord of Ferentillo, who later married Maddalena de’ Medici, daughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent and sister of future Pope Leo X. In 1515, his son Lorenzo, by marrying Ricciarda Malaspina, merged the territory of Ferentillo with the Principality of Massa, Carrara, and Piombino.
Thanks to the patronage of this illustrious family, Ferentillo gained importance not only culturally but also commercially and politically, becoming a free and sovereign principality, independent from both ecclesiastical and Spoleto rule. The famous “Via della Lana” (Wool Road), a trade route connecting Abruzzo’s pastures and flocks to the wool markets of Florence, passed through here.
The Cybo rule lasted until 1730, when Alderano Cybo sold the fiefdom to Duke Nicolò Benedetti of Spoleto, who later passed it to the Montevecchio family of Fano, who ruled it until 1847. That year, Pius IX granted Ferentillo to the French nobleman Louis Désiré de Montholon, with the grand title of Prince of Umbriano and Precetto. In 1860, with the unification of Italy, Ferentillo became a municipality.
Among breathtaking landscapes, fortresses, Lombard heritage, Romanesque churches, and mysterious mummies
The village is divided by the Nera River into two districts, Matterella and Precetto, dominated by two fortresses built to defend the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle.
The fortress of Precetto, a typical hillside castle, has a triangular shape with a square watchtower at the top. Matterella, on the other hand, features a square keep with cylindrical bastions.
In Matterella, the Church of Santa Maria is worth visiting. Characterised by a high spire bell tower in Romanesque style with twin lancet windows, it was built in the 13th century and expanded in the 15th century into a three-nave structure. It houses some frescoes from the Umbrian and Byzantine schools.
In the village of Precetto, the Church of Santo Stefano was built in the 16th century over an earlier church, which is now used as a crypt cemetery. In this Romanesque crypt, the Mummy Museum is housed, where some naturally mummified bodies found in 1805 are displayed. These were discovered after a Napoleonic edict forbade burials within the city walls and ordered exhumation. Some of these bodies were found perfectly preserved.
Along the Valnerina state road, which links Ferentillo to Cascia, deep within dense forest lies a true gem: the Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, considered the most significant relic of the Duchy of Spoleto and one of the finest examples of early medieval artistic sites in central Italy. Inside, it houses a votive stele, sculptural and architectural fragments from the Roman period, several sarcophagi, a beautiful and rare Lombard altar, and medieval fresco remnants. Adjacent to the church is a magnificent 12th-century cloister with two levels.
In the green valleys around Ferentillo
Near the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle stands the Castle of Umbriano, a picturesque abandoned village immersed in the lush woods. It features an imposing square tower, fortified bastions, and a pointed Gothic gate. The fortification dates back to 890 AD and was built to defend the abbey from Saracen invasions. Due to its strategic importance, the castle was further fortified in the 1400s and 1570.
The surrounding area, part of the Nera River Park, is a top destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering fantastic and thrilling rafting descents down the Nera River, and the famous Ferentillo rock face, providing exciting challenges for free climbers.
