Casacastalda

Most likely of Umbrian origins, Casacastalda is identifiable with the ancient town of “Casmentillana” (1000 BC) and mentioned by Pliny the Elder among the three hundred cities in Umbria.
The Castle of Casacastalda was probably erected by the Lombard Emero Castaldo around 763 AD, from which the current name of the town and the Castaldi family.
In the following centuries, continuous shifts in power brought Casacastalda under Perugia, the Papal States and the Duke of Orvieto, all strongholds that were very much interested in the strategic location of the town.
In 1815, the Castle of Casacastalda joined the territory of Valfabbrica.
The Castle, rebuilt in 1433 by the Perugini over the previous ruins, still has the three original access doors (Perugina door or Door of the Sun; Door of the Lily or Gualdese and Eugubine Door) leading to the well-preserved medieval village with its buildings and narrow alleys.
In the ancient village is also the Church of the Assumption, built in the tenth century and totally rebuilt in 1883. Inside, you can admire a wonderful triptych by Matteo da Gualdo as well as an apse decorated by the painter Alessandro Bianchini.
A large public garden with facilities connects the historical center to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Olmo, whose construction began in 1486 in the place where the Holy Virgin Mary appeared.
In the early years of the sixteenth century, the original building was extended and assumed the current single-nave layout with exquisite wooden trusses and frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo and the Perugia and Umbrian schools.
Nearby you can also visit the Castle of Frecco and the Church of St. Anne.