Historical notices
It's one of the youngest Communes of Italy. Although it was born in 1975, Avigliano Umbro has a very old and intense history. A history testified mostly by archives, and a bit less by its town centre, because it has been destroyed and pillaged. Avigliano in medieval age and over the centuries, has been an important border castle, longed for by Todi which succeeded in 1220 in snatching it from the lords of Baschi. A domination not so much liked by Avigliano, which in fact rebelled. In 1237 Todi regained the castle and even razed it to the ground. Too hard a punishment: it made the Pope Gregory The Ninth intervene. He sent a severe Warning against Todi. Destruction and death were also brought in 1366 by the mercenary troops of John Hawkwood, still remembered in the popular tradition as Giovanni Acuto, then in the service of cardinal Albornoz. In 1419 the castle was fortified again, but in 1500 it was ravaged by the Chiaravalles during the siege of Acquasparta.
Cultural sights
Not much has been saved out of the reiterated sacks and destructions which history reserved for Avigliano. South of the town centre the Porta Vecchia with the arms with the Todi eagle is worth seeing. The Teatro Comunale is a tiny one, but this feature and its Art Nouveau style makes it charming. The Parish Church of the SS. Trinità (1617) has a Virgin of the Rosary ascribed to Andrea Polinori (17th cent.). But the showpiece of Avigliano is the countryside. It's very precious, environmentally speaking, rich in castles and Romanesque churches, as the one of Sant'Egidio, not far from the town centre and the one of Sant'Angelo, located within the cemetery and embellished by many frescoes of good value. By Dunarobba, three kilometres from Avigliano is the Fortezza and the noteworthy Romanesque country church of Santa Vittorina (11th cent.).
Five kilometros from Avigliano is the Fortress of Sismano, overhanging a little hamlet and a good part of the surrounding hills. It's the property of the princes Corsini. The fortress has always played an important part in the Middle Age wars. In 1324, right here, at Sismano, the troops from Todi had a bloody encounter with those from Perugia, Narni, Spoleto and Florence.
Because of its strategic importance in 1340 the castle was further fortified. Besides the castle, the Parish Church dedicated to Sant'Andrea Corsini is worth seeing. It contains two precious works of art of the 17th cent. ascribed to Polinori (a portrait of S. Andrea Corsini) and Palmiro Alvi (Virgin of the Rosary).
Curiosities
In medieval age the size and the importance of the dwellings wasn't valued by the census of the population - actually there wasn't any registry office - but by counting the fires, because there was a tax on every fireplace. From the "Ordinamenti di Todi", the town ruling over the territory of Avigliano, it's possible to know that Sismano had 62 fires, Avigliano 76, but the most powerful of all was Civitella Moglie Mala with 97 fires.
Probably just because of its power this castle was destroyed. You can still see its remains not far from the stream Arnata.
