Art and culture
History and territory
Alviano is a small, typically Umbrian medieval village, located on a hill in the Valle del Tevere not far from the Amerino hills, surrounded by gullies, which form extensive fan-shaped systems of great charm. The village, surrounded by defensive walls, still has its clear medieval urban imprint, characterized by a compact shape with a rather dense but regular road network, which has remained almost totally unchanged despite the reconstruction of various building complexes.
It owes its name to the Alviano family, of which it became a fief during the 10th century, and under whose rule it became an important economic and military centre. The first documented settlement of the current urban nucleus dates back to 996, when Count Offredo, who came to Italy in the wake of Emperor Otto III, built the Castle of Alviano. The family that took the name of the fiefdom, one of the most powerful in the area, descended from the Count. During the struggles between the Papacy and the Empire, the Church, aware of the strategic function of the castle, granted the territory of Alviano the quality of "Status".
This center of Amerino reached the peak of its notoriety and splendor at the time of Bartolomeo d'Alviano, whose name between the 15th and 16th centuries was famous throughout Europe both for his war exploits, as a captain of fortune, both for his relationships with the most powerful families of the time. It is to Bartolomeo that we owe the reconstruction and expansion of the ancient fortified castle, devastated by the raids of the Amerini and Chiaravalle in 1492. With the expansion works it will become a fortress and Renaissance noble residence, still showing today the characteristics of a defensive bulwark and residential building. In 1654 the fortress was purchased for 265 thousand scudi by Donna Olimpia Maidalchini-Pamphili, sister-in-law of Innocent, remained in the popular imagination due to the legends linked to its licentious customs.
The Castle, with a large courtyard and a chapel with 17th century frescoes, houses the museum which illustrates the history of the municipality, the Alvianese peasant civilization and dedicates a section to the Umbrian captains of fortune where Bartolomeo clearly stands out.
Alviano is one of the municipalities that are part of the Tiber River Park, which extends for approximately 50km reaching the Naturalistic Oasis, approximately 900 hectares, of great importance for the conservation of nature and the territory.
News
2024, November 12
A new pictorial cycle has been discovered inside the castle of Bartolomeo di Alviano and Donna Olimpia Pamphilj. The municipal administration made the announcement, referring to the discovery of the restorer Simone Deturres, who the Municipality has given the task of working on the frescoes, which could tell something new about the palace that belonged to the captain of fortune. Following surveys completed last December, new figures have emerged that shed further light on the pictorial works contained in the precious building of Alviano, whose frescoes have been among the major tourist attractions for years for those who come to visit the castle.
“Following maintenance work on the current library, we saw traces of what we thought was a fresco appear on a wall,” reports Mayor Giovanni Ciardo. “Given the value and expressive power of the other frescoes in the other rooms of the Castle,” he explains, “we thought it was right to go and investigate.” Consequently, the task was given to the cultural heritage restorer Simone Deturres who says: "I thought I would discover little more than a coat of arms above a fireplace and instead there is a pictorial cycle, all to be recovered. I carried out nineteen surveys which confirmed the presence of an extensive pictorial apparatus, similar to that of the other rooms of the Castle".
Deturres speaks of "a rather serious situation due to the effect of many concomitant factors. I can assure you however that under the plaster there is at least 60 percent of what were the original frescoes that can be recovered". The restorer adds: "we cannot yet know for what reasons they were covered, perhaps because they were damaged or because they depicted something embarrassing. Only by uncovering the scrolls and the entire fresco, as in the other rooms, will we understand more". The Castle currently has three frescoed rooms: the Unicorn Room, the Star Room and the Phoenix Room. In these frescoes, whose dating varies between 1518-1519 and 1537, symbols, Roman myths, and family crests intimately linked to the figure of Bartolomeo d’Alviano are intertwined.
Nadia Bagnarini, an art historian who edited a recent publication entitled “The castle of Alviano and its iconographic apparatus. The triumph of the Liviani dynasty”, states: “at first glance, the newly discovered frescoes are certainly part of a very complex cycle and require immediate restoration to preserve them, for the purpose of protection, enjoyment and enhancement. The figure of the bearded character (presumably a Triton), which resurfaced in one of the tests carried out, is very interesting, notable for its brushstrokes and anatomical rendering. Even more captivating is the refined image of the Nereid behind him, riding his tail. I have doubts about the painter's hand being the same as the one who painted the frescoes in the other rooms, but nothing can be ruled out, while we wait for the restoration to reveal the rest".The surveys are now complete.
Deturres' report calls for an in-depth restoration to recover the entire painted surface and hypothesizes a new passage connecting the rooms that has not yet been explored. "We are curious to discover what those plasters hide - continues Mayor Ciardo - the frescoes in the other rooms are the heart of the guided tours in the Castle and are very successful". The complex of frescoes in the Castle has also inspired a Mexican illustrator who has created a pictorial path called "Path of the Unicorn", near the village of Alviano. "Now we have to get to the bottom of it and discover what other stories are hidden behind those plasters, hoping that humidity, time, the hand of man, have not done too much damage.
Maybe we could discover other beautiful rooms like the Sala della Stella” the Mayor recalls. “This room – he adds – recalls the hope of a father, Bartolomeo di Alviano, to see “his star renewed”, his history, his greatness. “Of course, we are only at the beginning. A significant commitment is needed, both in terms of time and money. But now that we have begun to see so much beauty – Ciardo concludes – we will try all the ways to give this town one more reason to rediscover itself and be discovered”.
