Holiday apartment in Castel Ritaldi: Castle, Wine and Trails

Castel Ritaldi combines a townscape shaped by its medieval heritage with a hilly landscape and regional culinary culture. The town lies on the hill of Scigliano at the foot of the Monti Martani. The area around Castel Ritaldi is characterised by forests, gentle hills, olive groves and vineyards.

Holiday apartment in Castel Ritaldi between castle and sacred art

The historic centre of Castel Ritaldi is surrounded by the walls of a 13th-century castle. The Castello di Castel Ritaldi itself dates from 1360 and has towers and walls. The Chiesa di Santa Marina, built between the 14th and 15th centuries, houses the Madonna del Soccorso, attributed to Lattanzio di Nicolò di Liberatore, who was also known as l’Alunno. The church also contains a fresco by Tiberio d’Assisi.

Further art-historical highlights can be found in the Chiesa di San Nicola, which contains frescoes attributed to Spagna and Melanzio. In the vicinity of Castel Ritaldi, the Pieve di San Gregorio in Nido has a façade made of alternating horizontal layers of white and red stone. In the Santuario Madonna Bruna, a large fresco of the Madonna della Bruna adorns the main altar; it is attributed to Tiberio di Diotallevi. The sanctuary’s apse frescoes were created by Pier Matteo Piergili.

Storytelling traditions also form part of the town’s character. A local legend surrounding the Castello di Castel Ritaldi tells of the ghost of Count Leonello Ritaldi. Since 1984, the Palio del Fantasma has been held as a summer event featuring medieval costumes, historical re-enactments, competitions between the town districts and themed performances.

Hiking, horse riding and cycling in the hilly landscape

The network of trails around Castel Ritaldi is suitable for hiking, horse riding and cycling.

For context on longer cycling tours, the Ciclovia Assisi-Spoleto-Marmore offers routes with different characteristics: the first 23 kilometres between Assisi and Bevagna run mostly along quiet minor roads, while the subsequent section to Spoleto follows a cycle path separated from motor traffic. The Anello del Trebbiano – Medio is 75 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of plus or minus 1,400 metres.

Olive oil, Sagrantino and Trebbiano Spoletino

Castel Ritaldi lies within the protected designation of origin area for DOP Colli Martani olive oil. The area is also part of the Sagrantino DOCG growing region. Trebbiano Spoletino is cultivated on the gentle slopes and small plains of Castel Ritaldi. This wine can be tasted along the Strada del Sagrantino; the grape variety is cultivated almost exclusively in the extensive area between Spoleto, Foligno and Montefalco.

Oleificio Colle del Marchese describes its olive oil production as processing hand-picked olives by cold pressing.

Events and fairy tales in Castel Ritaldi

At Paese delle Fiabe, events, games, music and tastings take place on the third weekend of September. The municipality of Castel Ritaldi also organises the literary competition for unpublished fairy tales, “Mario Tabarrini - Castel Ritaldi Paese delle Fiabe”. The Biblioteca comunale “Corrado Spaziani” in Castel Ritaldi has received the “Umbria Culture for Family” distinction.

For further travel planning, you can also discover Marsciano, Ferretto, Tuoro Sul Trasimeno, Montefalco, Crocemarroggia, Parlesca, Tordibetto and Monte Del Lago.

For the higher-level travel overview: Perugia.