San Fortunato della Collina

The hamlet of San Fortunato della Collina (San Fortunato on the Hill) is on a little hill along the “strada Marscianese” (Road leading to Marsciano), also named “strada della collina” (Hill road), about 6 km south west from Perugia, between the river Tevere and the stream Genna.

The first settlement for agricultural purposes was built already during the middle ages. Started as simple Villa, in 1311 it was fortified with walls by the council of Perugia; in 1380 it was seen as Castle depending from the District of Porta San Pietro. In the years following, several were the ruinous happenings: in 1416 it was sieged, ransacked and damaged by the troops of Braccio da Montone, while in 1512 it was set on fire by the army of the Duke of Urbino.

The parish church, consecrated to San Fortunato (Saint bishop of Todi) is mentioned in a document by  Federico Barbarossa already in 1163, but its foundation dates back to before the year 1000. As other several churches so called “leonine” (a group of 54 churches renovated by the Archbishop of Perugia Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci – Leone XIII) it was reconstructed and widened in the XIX Century thanks to the architectonic program of the Pope. Close to the church the high bell tower identifies the surrounding landscape.