Massa Martana

Massa Martana
Comune
Comune di Massa Martana
Massa Martana

Location of Massa Martana in Italy

Coordinates: 42°47′N 12°31′E / 42.783°N 12.517°E / 42.783; 12.517Coordinates: 42°47′N 12°31′E / 42.783°N 12.517°E / 42.783; 12.517
Country Italy
Region Umbria
Province / Metropolitan city Perugia (PG)
Frazioni Castel Rinaldi, Colpetrazzo, Mezzanelli, Viepri, Montignano, Villa San Faustino
Area
  Total 78.11 km2 (30.16 sq mi)
Elevation 351 m (1,152 ft)
Population (2007)
  Total 3,839
  Density 49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Massetani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 06056
Dialing code 075
Patron saint Saint Felix
Saint day 31 October
Website Official website

Massa Martana (near the well attested ancient site of the Vicus Martis Tudertium on the Via Flaminia) is an ancient Italian town and comune in the Monti Martani mountain range in the province of Perugia (Umbria). It is 10 km N of Acquasparta, 18 km N of San Gemini and 32 km N of Narni; 14 km S of Bastardo and 27 km S of Bevagna. As of the 2003 census, the town had 3558 inhabitants.

It is one of the classic walled towns of central Italy, and in its main gate can be seen several ancient inscriptions, including a Roman one of some interest. The modern town has spread northwards along the road.

Territory

The territory of the commune includes three well-preserved Romanesque churches, each built in part of Roman stone in the abbeys of S. Fidenzio, of Santa Maria in Pantano and of San Faustino. The medieval abbey church of Santa Maria in Viepri was erected in the 12th century. The modern shrine at Colvalenza (6 km southwest) now draws pilgrims.

Other churches include:

Earthquake of 1997

The buildings of the walled town suffered major damage in an earthquake on May 12, 1997, a precursor of the 1997 earthquake which damaged much of Umbria, including the Basilica and city of Assisi. The Commune celebrated the completion of restoration works and the reopening of the old town in August 2006, ten years after the earthquake.

Culture

Massa Martana town has an annual ice-cream festival ("sagra del gelato") in early August each year. Similar food festivals are celebrated in summer months in a number of surrounding villages and hamlets within the commune, including Colpetrazzo and Villa San Faustino.

(The text of this article is partly based on the article in Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy, by permission.)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.