Fratticiola Selvatica ligt op een heuvel op 670m boven de zeespiegel. 

Het had ooit de naam “Fratta”, later werd dit “Fratticiola Cordicesca” (naam van Lombardische oorsprong). Pas later werd Fratticiola Selvatica genoemd.

The term Fratticiola is derived from “thicket”,  impenetrable area of brambles and weeds, the term “Selvatica”, wild indicates that the land surrounded by forests was difficult to reach. As you can see, the location of Fratticiola, with beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding area, is fantastic.

Nice detail: the locals claim that "Selvatica" rather refers to the local coal burners and woodcutters. They went to sell their wares in the valley and then hung out at the bar, which sometimes led to skirmishes. Even now we still get strange looks when we tell people from the area that we live in this pleasant village: "Among those savages?"...

The small village is characterized by a very special climate: winter is quite cold and buffeted by the north wind; summer, on the other hand, is characterized by a dry and pleasant climate (especially at sunset).
In the past, the main activity was coal making: the people took advantage of the area's resources and started producing large amounts of coal

Today, this activity is celebrated annually, known as the “Festival of Spaghetti Carbonai” (Festival of Spaghetti of the Coal Burners).  

The very ancient origins of the village are confirmed by the descriptions recorded in the land registry of 1383 and numerous pages in the annals of Perugia and date back to the sixth century BC. A bronze buckle, now preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Perugia, reaffirms this.
In the Middle Ages it became a fortified castle:  four towers, the walls, the well and cistern, have survived the centuries.
 
Because the site is located on the border with the powerful Gubbio, the castle was occupied by them and the municipality of Perugia, provided it with a strong defense to secure the area.
 
During the war between the Papacy and Perugia (1405 – 1406), the castle was destroyed, but restored several times in the following centuries and Perugia allowed the repopulation of the village, thanks to the various tax exemptions given to the people living there were going to live.

The parish of San Pietro

The church of San Pietro dates from before the fourteenth century and is the work of an unknown architect. It was once located just outside the walls of Fratticiola Castle, but later the walls were expanded and it was located inside. Over the centuries, the building has undergone structural changes, thanks to the presence of the Knights of Malta, who fascinated the church. The church has a vaulted nave and is decorated with two paintings, one of which depicts the resurrection of Christ.

There is also a statue and a fresco of the Blessed Virgin from 1610. On the left side of the rectory you will see the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

On the right side of the facade you will see the bell tower. The shield above the door testifies to the presence of the Knights of Malta.

The origins of the building are very old. What is certain is that St. Peter was a member of the church of San Fiorenzo in Perugia and recognized as a matrix of the abbey church of San Salvatore of Monte Acuto. It was in 1580 that the Church, in the virtue 'of a bull of Gregory XIII, came under the rule of the Commandery, namely Precettoria of St. Justin the religion of Malta. St. Peter remained under the control of the order in which restorations read for three centuries. The Knights of Malta promised to pay for the maintenance of the church and therefore had the right to choose its pastor. Since 1927 the parish became independent and since the appointment of the parish priest it fell to the Archbishop of Perugia.

Chiesa Madonna delle Grazie

The church, built by an unknown architect, dates back to before the fourteenth century, as mentioned in “Liber edificiorum” of the Monastery of San Pietro – Perugia. It was built outside the walls of the Castle of Fratticiola and due to its poor condition it underwent  renovations in 1332, in 1774 and between 1960 and 1965. The last restoration gave the church its current appearance. The L-shaped plan is due to the meeting of two small naves covered with barrel vaults.

La “RASSEGNA DEL MULO E DEL CAVALLO DA SOMA”

Together with the preparation of the “cooking of the coals”, the donkey market is one of the most important events of the annual village festival. These events and the celebration itself have made a name for Fratticiola Selvatica, in Umbria, but also far beyond its borders.

The historical importance of this village festival is not just something from the past, but an annual reminder of the difficult conditions in which the inhabitants lived, and of real mountain life.

Today, many “Fraticiolese” still live by chopping wood, processing it or even burning coal.

"Il Mulo", THE MULE: "questo sconosciuto" (This stranger)

A mule (also, albeit less commonly, called a mule) is a cross between a horse mare (Equus caballus) and  donkey stallion (Equus asinus).

Mules are suitable as "beast of burden" because they combine the good qualities of horse and donkey. They combine the gentle, safe step, tenacity and intelligence of the donkey with the strength and perseverance of the horse; Moreover, they have lower demands on food than a horse. In general, mules have proportionally more power than a horse of the same weight. However, they are proverbial stubborn.

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LA SAGRA DELLO SPAGHETTO DEI CARBONAI

De redenen waarom werd besloten om dit festival te organiseren, begin in de jaren ’70, worden gevonden tussen de geschiedenis en tradities van de laatste "Fratticiolesi". Fratticiola is een land opgericht door houtskool, omdat de geografische kenmerken en daarom zijn flora geschikt voor het werk van de houtskool waren. Zelfs vóór de geboorte van het festival in Fratticiola was altijd, voor het feest van de patroonheiligen Peter en Paul op 29 juni, organiseerde een dag van feest, waar proloco voorbereid en gratis verspreid onder alle bezoekers spaghetti carbonara. We herinneren ons nog de mooie slogans bedacht voor de gelegenheid (uiteraard hebben die meer effect in het Italiaans, of beter in het "Fratticiolees"): “ Per chi vol magnè n'o spaghetto c'è” (Voor wie wil eten is er spaghetti), “ Per la vita troppo cara uno spaghetto alla carbonara ” (is het leven te duur? dan is er altijd spaghetti carbonara), “ La ProLoco con rispetto offre a tutti uno spaghetto” (De proloco offreert met respect aan iedereen een spaghetti) .Er Vergeet niet dat de belangrijkste momenten van het festival zijn de herziening van de muilezel en de verpakking paard, de Palio del Carbonaio (Een heuse ezel-koers!) en in de afgelopen jaren een mooie fototentoonstelling in het centrum van het land en de picturale en fotografische wedstrijden om de schoonheid van artistiek verbeteren ons land.