A part of San Venanzo
The houses exist in a prehistoric area, full of history. In old times it was one of the main crossing points from Perugia to Orvieto even before the Etruscan people (who lived around 700 BC) and it was known as the ancient Orvietana route.
It is an archeological site where a number of handmade ceramic ruins have been found. One example is the “Buccheri” a particular light black ceramic that was produced in this region thousands of years ago.
There are stunning views from the hill of Civitella which overlooks the lower Tevere valley at a height of approximately 415 meters. This allows people to admire the picturesque nearby towns of Assisi, Perugia, Deruda, Todi, and Subasio Mountain.
WHERE WE ARE LOCATED
The Case Nucci Property is set on a hill only 5 kilometers from Highway E45. It cuts through the Region and allows easy access to the main regional town of Perugia in just 20 minutes, Rome in 1.5 hours, and Florence in 2 hours.
DISCOVER UMBRIA
Visitors to the area are able to taste the excellent wine the region has to offer, olive oil and a lot of typical homemade foods such as cured meats like “ La Sella di San Venanzo”.
The other main industries of this beautiful touristic area are traditional craftsmanship, agriculture and a thriving regional food business. During warmer months be sure to check the local website Umbria Eventi for the dates and locations of the Sagra’s (Food Festivals) in nearby towns. The festivals enable tourists to sample the local foods from the region and dance the night away to traditional music.
Visit San Venanzo
ABOUT THE SMALL CHURCH
The church of Santa Maria dell’Oliveto, also known as Santa Maria di Cicciano was named after Palazzo Nucci and has been since the 12th century under the control of the monastry of Saint Peter of Perugia.
In 1787, the monastry left the properties to the Nucci family with the obligation to maintain them. In exchange, the Nucci brothers would take full control of the monastry and the nearby church. The church is situated in a spectacular location, perched high on a hill overlooking the valley of the Tevere River.
Until the first decade of this century, the small population of Civitella Dei Conti used to go in procession to the little church “Madonna dei Bagni”, about 20 km away from the hill. This was a recurrent tradition, happening every second Sunday after Easter, but the long distance and the inclement weather prevented people from making this journey.
The weather in years to follow proved to be difficult for the area of Civitella Dei Conti. Multiple hailstorms were felt in the area, which resulted in damaged crops. Many people believed that this continual bad weather was a sign from God, directing them to restart the old tradition. And so they did, but with a compromise: the procession was now moved from the far away sanctuary to the church of Santa Maria dell’Oliveto, property of the Nucci family, now dedicated to the “Madonna dei Bagni”. So, from the 1936, every fortnight after Easter, the residents of Civitella Dei Conti kept that tradition alive and celebrate this festivity.
ABOUT THE LAKE
The tobacco crops being farmed on the Land owned by the Nucci’s required a large amount of water during the mid 1900’s. In 1960 Cesare Nucci thought that the best way to overcome this irrigation problem was to build a lake. This proved to be an incredible and difficult task during the times in which it was built, due to the sheer size and physical constraints.
Once it was built, a number of fresh water fish were put in there to breed. These included carp, tench, and pike. In modern day times you can admire lush vegetation whilst circumnavigating the lake with canoes during the warmer months.
