Pieve del Vescovo
The castle Pieve del Vescovo, so-called because for centuries it has been owned by the Archbishop of Perugia's mensa, rises on a green hill that dominates the Caina Valley, a kilometre from the town of Corciano.
Setting: rural Dating: 16th Century The castle Pieve del Vescovo, so-called because for centuries it has been owned by the Archbishop of Perugia's mensa, rises on a green hill that dominates the Caina Valley, a kilometre from the town of Corciano. The fortified building with an imposing and solid structure, has a quadrangular plan with internal courtyard and four corner towers. Arranged on three levels, in around 1570, it was transformed into a luxurious residence following the designs of architect Gaelazzo Alessi, losing its strictly defensive features.
The late Renaissance layout, for which splendid hanging gardens and a fishpond were also designed, refines the building. Inside there are large rooms frescoed by Taddeo Zuccari, a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, dungeons and stables. The first historical information about the site dates back to 1206, when a papal bull by Innocence III put the pieve di S. Giovanni (Parish Church of St. John) under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Perugia; which in 1394, was occupied by aristocrats who had fled Perugia and in 1396, it was fortified with defensive walls and high towers by Biordo Michelotti who celebrated his lavish wedding to an Orsini princess in the castle. Between 1560 and 1570, the fortified building was transformed into a residence, designed by the architect Galeazzo Alessi, at the wishes of Cardinal Fulvio 1 Della Corgna. In the second half of the Nineteenth century it was the residence of the Archbishop of Perugia, Gioacchino Pecci (later Pope Leo XIII). In the Nineteenth century it was badly damaged, whilst during the last world war it was home to a military garrison. The castle was then abandoned, in a state of almost total degradation until 1999, when the Scuola Edile di Perugia began restoration work. Since May 2005, the castle has been home to the Museo Diocesano Diffuso di Pieve del Vescovo.