Corciano is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Perugia The Province of Perugia ( it, Provincia di Perugia) is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The province covered ...

in the Italian region

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, located about 8 km west of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 17,008 and an area of 63.7 km².All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat. Corciano borders the ''comuni'' of

Magione Magione () is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 15 km west of Perugia. Magione borders the following municipalities: Castiglione del Lago, Corciano, Panicale, Passignano su ...

and

History

The earliest traces of human presence (some fragments of flint tools on blades and fragments of vases turned into dough) date back to Neolithic times. The discovery of two cinerari vessels (preserved in the Museum of the Palazzo Municipale) indicate the presence of humans in the period between the ninth and eighth centuries BC Between the third and first centuries BC formed several settlements (usually small) dedicated mainly to agricultural and artisanal. The immediate neighborhood was populated by

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roug ...

, whose presence was dramatically signaled by the discovery in 1812 of bronze panels from a parade chariot, at Castel San Mariano di Corciano. Under Roman rule it became a district of Roman agricultural villas. A mythical founder Coragino, companion of Ulysses, is a medieval invention recounted in the fourteenth-century ''Conto di Corciano e di Perugia''.Essential historical details are drawn fro
I Borghi i più belli d'Italia
and from Italian Wikipedia. With the unsettled conditions of

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English h ...

, the inhabitants withdrew to the defensible hilltop site that controlled the valley that communicated between

Lake Trasimeno Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; it, Lago Trasimeno ; la, Trasumennus; ett, Tarśmina), also referred to as Trasimene ( ) or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. T ...

and the upper Tiber valley. Its curving concentric street system is testimony to the three encircling walls that protected the community. Like virtually all early walled villages, the Corcianesi were under the control of the bishop, in this case the bishop of Perugia, whose rights to the ''castrum de Corciano'' were confirmed by

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

in 1136; Corciano appears in a list of ''castelli'' belonging to Perugia, 1258. A visit by

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

is commemorated, after his canonisation, in a church dedicated to him, which retains traces of its fourteenth and fifteenth-century frescoes. The tower of the ''

'', built in the thirteenth century, rises from the highest point. The triple walls and strategic site of Corciano made it a desirable stronghold in the constant warfare of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: in 1364 the little town was sacked by the ''Compania Bianca'' in the service of Cardinal Albornoz; in 1416 the

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Euro ...

Braccio Fortebraccio of Montone laid siege to Corciano, which resisted successfully but capitulated to him when he returned for a second attempt. As Perugia extended its control, the seat of power shifted to the Palazzo of the

Capitano del Popolo Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ...

, representative of Perugia. The present Palazzo Municipale is the former seat of the signori of Corciano, the dukes of the noble family of Perugia, the Della Corgna, who constructed it in the sixteenth century as their rule over the formerly free commune was consolidated. Corciano remained part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

until the plebiscite of 1860 joined it to the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

Demographic evolution

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Corcianesi of Note

* Sara Bellachioma (Corciano, 1982), famous Italian Psychologist. * Nicola Danzetta (Corciano, 1820 – Perugia, 1895), patriot and politician. * Luigi Rotelli (Corciano, 1833 –

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, 1891), cardinal of the Catholic Church. * Artemio Giovagnoni (

, 1922 – Corciano, 2007), sculptor, medallion maker, playwright, writer and poet. * Franco Venanti (Perugia, 1930), painter, founder, together with his brother Luciano of the "Agosto corcianese" Festival. * Carlo Brugnami (Corciano, 1938), cyclist. * Erminia Emprin (

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, 1952), politician. Resident in this comune. * Antonio Ferrari, known as Dj Ralf (Bastia Umbra, 1957), disc jockey, principally House music. Resident in this comune. * Filippo Protani (Perugia, 1969), violin maker. Resident in this comune.

History

Demographic evolution

Corcianesi of Note

References

Further reading

External links