Umbria · Perugia
Montone
A walled medieval hill town above the upper Tiber, birthplace of the condottiero Braccio Fortebracci.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 42 min from Perugia
- Population
- 1,580
Known for
BRACCIO FORTEBRACCI
The condottiero made Count of Montone in 1414 by Antipope John XXIII, who briefly ruled Perugia and shaped fifteenth-century Italian war.
FILM FESTIVAL
Umbria Film Festival held in the borgo every July since 1997, co-founded with Terry Gilliam and running independent cinema for nearly thirty years.
DONAZIONE DELLA SPINA
A relic-thorn from Christ's crown given to Montone by Carlo Fortebracci after Venetian naval service, processed twice a year in costume.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J9°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S25°
- O20°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Montone sits on a ridge above the upper Tiber valley, thirty kilometers north of Perugia. The walled centro storico is small enough to circuit in fifteen minutes and steep enough that the route is the climb. The town is the cradle of the Fortebracci, the condottieri family whose most famous member, Braccio da Montone, was made Count of Montone in 1414 by Antipope John XXIII.
The Rocca di Braccio at the top of the hill and the Rocca d'Aries six kilometers out are both Fortebracci works. The Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco, built around 1300 where the family had its houses, holds the Pinacoteca with a Bartolomeo Caporali altarpiece. The Donazione della Spina, a relic-thorn from Christ's crown given to the town by Carlo Fortebracci after the Venetians thanked him for naval service against the Turks, is processed twice a year, on Easter Monday and during the August week after Ferragosto. Since 1997 the Umbria Film Festival has run here every July, founded with Terry Gilliam.
The Sunday letter
Montone is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Montone comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Montone in our articles
The 6 best small towns that eat well in the province of Perugia6 towns, Montone among them.
The best towns worth staying overnight in the province of Perugia6 towns, Montone among them.
The best towns worth staying overnight that eat well within 90 minutes of Perugia6 towns, Montone among them.
The best hidden towns with a serious restaurant in the province of Perugia7 towns, Montone among them.
How to get there
From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2 hours by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 2h 25m away.
By car from the centre of Perugia 42 minutes, Florence 2 hours or Siena 2 hours.
Coming by train into Perugia? Montone is about 45 minutes away by road.
What to see
Chiesa di San Francesco
Gothic church of around 1300 with a fourteenth-century convent, picture gallery and cloister, on the hill where the Fortebracci had their houses.
Rocca di Braccio
Fortress at the top of the borgo rebuilt under Oddo III Fortebracci in the late fourteenth century, now a panoramic ramparts walk.
Rocca d'Aries
Castle six kilometers from the centro storico, the first Fortebracci stronghold according to tradition, restored and reopened to visit.
Museo Comunale di San Francesco
Museum in the former Franciscan convent with a Caporali altarpiece, Della Robbia ceramics and the Donazione della Spina reliquary.
Piazza Fortebraccio
Small main square between the Palazzo Comunale and the Collegiata, framed by stone buildings from the medieval and Renaissance centuries.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Montone fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Tipico Osteria dei SensiRistorante
Tipico Osteria dei Sensi carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, plus a Slow Food snail.
Locanda del Capitano & Tipico Osteria dei SensiRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100), at Locanda del Capitano & Tipico Osteria dei Sensi.
Tipica Osteria dei SensiRistorante
A Slow Food snail, at Tipica Osteria dei Sensi.
Torre di MoravolaHotel
Torre di Moravola has a La Liste score of 92 to its name.
Living here
- Population 1,580
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 0 min drive
- Regional capital Perugia, 42 min drive
Common questions
- What is Montone known for?
- Montone is a walled medieval hill town at 482 meters above the upper Tiber, birthplace of the condottiero Braccio Fortebracci.
- Where is Montone?
- Montone is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Montone?
- Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2 hours by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Montone?
- About 42 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Montone?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Montone?
- Monte Castello di Vibio, Fossato di Vico and Montefiore dell'Aso.
- How many people live in Montone?
- 1,580 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 482 m
- Population: 1,580
- Surface area: 51.1 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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