A tour to discover Marsciano and its villages - Cerqueto, Sant’Elena, Papiano, Castello delle Forme and San Valentino della Collina.
At the northwestern tip of Marsciano's territory runs "Strada della Collina," a main road connecting Perugia and Orvieto, passing into Marsciano and San Venanzo with its many charming villages. This is a route that offers incredible cultural, artistic and natural resources to the traveller.
The first village we encounter is Cerqueto, a place rich in history and art. Entering the village, dating back to the 12th century, we realize that the original nucleus has remained almost intact, with its circular layout and brick dwellings with ancient arches. Not to be missed is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, in existence since 1163 in which it is possible to admire frescoes by Perugino and Tiberio d'Assisi.
A short distance from Cerqueto, we recognize a complex on which a tower stands out: this is the village of Sant'Elena, toward which we head the avenue that connects it to the hill road. Its structure has remained exactly that of a small fortified village, of which the tower with the access arch represents the constituent features. Inside, the village shows typical features of the fifteenth-century period, as evidenced by several brick buildings with characteristic arches. The large building that occupies a part of the small village and is well structured is Palazzo Sereni, where there is ancient furniture of the noble Sansoni family from the 16th century.