Allerona

Allerona, a town of ancient origins, lies on a hill 425 m. above sea level. The first settlements in the area date back to the Etruscans. The presence of the Roman civilization is documented by traces of the old Via Cassia, or Via Traiana Nova. In the Middle Ages it was an important stronghold of the City of Orvieto, subject to the Monaldeschi and Filippeschi families.The remains of the feudal castle include the old walls and the two city gates known as “del Sole” (of the sun) and “della Luna” (of the moon) as well as the layout of the town. Allerona is easy to reach from the A1 toll highway via the Fabro exits for those coming from the north, and from Orvieto, for those coming from the south. Or via the Statale Cassia passing through Acquapendente or S. Casciano dei Bagni. Park of Villalba This well-equipped public park covers over 20 hectares. It borders with the Nature Reserve of Monte Rufeno and is part of the vast state-owned forest of Selva di Meana which is characterized by various types of oak trees. There are however also a significant number of maples, ash, beech and chestnut trees. Of note among the bushes is the rare fraxinella and numerous wild orchids of which over thirty species have been counted in the park. Selva di Meana The Protected Nature Area of Selva di Meana borders with Lazio and covers around 3,000 hectares. This hilly territory is characterized by deciduous oak woods. The turkey oak is most common but in the more humid shady areas there are also yoke-elms, sessile oaks, chestnut and a few beech trees; on the sunnier slopes the percentage of downy oaks and flowering ash increases. The fauna are important and highly interesting. The Wine of Allerona Mostly vineyards and olive groves characterize the area around Allerona. “Orvieto Classico” and “Rosso Orvietano DOC” as well as wines of great character falling under the IGT Allerona are produced. The “Pugnaloni” Of pagan origins, this festival was once propitiatory in nature and was then grafted onto Christian traditions (it is celebrated on the feast of Saint Isidoro). The “Pugnalone” was once a pole around three meters high with an oval cage around it. After the war, it changed into a festival with allegorical floats of scenes of rural life on which small poplar trees decorated with multicolored ribbons were set.