Bettona

The name Bettona is traditionally derived from the ancient Vettona. According to a legendary account, the city was founded by Tirio Vetonio, an Umbrian, though this origin is considered without historical foundation. == History ==

Antiquity Bettona originated as a settlement in the 8th–7th century BC. It was conquered by the Romans in the 4th century BC and became a municipium. Vettona was mentioned by Pliny among the Umbrian cities and recorded in the Itinerarium Peutingerianum along the route from Amelia to Perugia via Todi. It is also referenced by the Ravennate geographer. In antiquity its territory included that of present-day Collazzone (ancient Urvinum Hortense). Vettona belonged to the Clustumina tribe, while Urvinum was assigned to the Stellatina. Middle Ages The town declined in the early Middle Ages during the barbarian invasions and suffered damage in 548 at the hands of Totila. It subsequently came under Byzantine control, before later becoming part of the Duchy of Spoleto under Lombard rule. By the late 12th century Bettona had developed into a self-governing municipality. In 1198 it came under Papal authority while remaining within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Assisi. This led to prolonged conflict with Assisi lasting about thirty years, culminating in Bettona's forced submission in 1223. During this period it allied with Foligno and the Emperor against Assisi and Perugia. In 1352 Bettona was besieged by Perugia, captured, and burned. The city was demolished, and its stone was reused in the construction of the Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia. Reconstruction was ordered in 1367 by Cardinal Albornoz, and the town was rebuilt with smaller but stronger fortifications. From 1389 to 1425 Bettona was under the rule of the Trinci family of Foligno. In 1425 it was granted to the Baglioni family, a change that met with local resistance and led to its conquest in 1439 by Malatesta Baglioni. Modern era In 1648 Bettona passed under direct Papal rule, which continued until Italian unification. In 1827 it became a podesteria under the Delegation of Perugia. This system remained in place until unification. In 1860 a plebiscite was held, in which the population voted overwhelmingly to join the Kingdom of italy. In the mid-19th century Bettona had a population of 2,650 inhabitants. Of these, about 650 lived within the town and 2,000 in the surrounding countryside. == Geography ==

Bettona is situated on a hill which slopes northward toward Perugia and opens into a cultivated plain. At the foot of the hill flow the rivers Topino and Chiascio. Other waterways in the territory include the Ose, which flows into the Topino, the Cagnola, which joins the Chiascio, and the Sambro and Fosso Maggiore. Subdivisions The municipality includes the localities of Bettona, Cerreto, Colle, I Barbini, La Palazzetta, Malandruge, Passaggio, Prigionieri, Taglioni, Torte. In 2021, 1,909 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. At the time, most of the population lived in Passaggio (1,133), and Bettona proper (551). == Economy ==

In the 19th century the territory produced grain, wine, oil, wood, charcoal and acorns, with olive oil noted for its quality and exported in particular. Livestock breeding included pigs, and sericulture was practiced. Local crafts included the production of baskets and other woven goods. The area also contained a quarry of veined white alabaster, as well as deposits of limestone and pozzolana. == Religion ==

Sant'Antonio The church of Sant’Antonio contains several works of art. In a chapel to the left of the entrance there was a tempera painting of Saint Anthony Abbot bearing the signature of Perugino, later transferred to the municipal picture gallery. Opposite is a tempera panel depicting the Virgin with angels in adoration, Saint Manno and Saint Jerome, attributed to Perugino. At the high altar is an oil painting of the Virgin with various saints attributed to Dono Doni (1510). The church also preserves a 16th-century terracotta statue of Saint Anthony of Padua. Other religious buildings In the oratory of Sant'Andrea is a series of paintings from the school of Giotto, dated 1394, which show the Passion of Christ. The paintings were rediscovered during a 1980s restoration. A beautiful carved wooden ceiling and baroque altar also are features of the church. Located about one-third of a mile from the town, the convent of San Onofrio was inhabited by Capuchins. The church preserves fragments of 15th-century frescoes. Outside Porta Sant'Antonio stands the convent of the Observant Franciscans, with a small library and a church containing paintings attributed to Pietro Perugino and Dono Doni, as well as a glazed terracotta statue of Saint Anthony. == Culture ==

Fortifications The town preserves a circuit of walls originating in the Etruscan period. The currently visible walls largely result from a reconstruction carried out by Cardinal Albornoz after the destruction of Bettona in 1352. The rebuilt walls partially follow the line of the earlier Etruscan fortifications, fragments of which survive, often incorporated into the medieval structure. The tomb is reached by a small dromos with side walls made of regular courses matching the inner facing, along with two steps that are largely original. Just before the entrance threshold there is a drainage hole; a second opening appears in the first slab of the floor. Both channeled water into an underground collection chamber near the entrance. The entrance has a full arch with a high, curved lintel of irregular shape. At the time of discovery, the tomb had already been looted and the contents disturbed. The surviving grave goods, including small urns, jewelry, bronze objects, and glass vessels, indicate use between the mid-3rd century BC and the 1st century BC. Other secular buildings On the main square stand the former government residence, the municipal palace, and archival buildings preserving documents dating back to the 14th century. Other cultural heritage The Pinacoteca Comunale in the Palazzetto del Podestà (1371) has a painting by Perugino, the Madonna of Mercy, as well as other works by Jacopo Siculo, Dono Doni, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, and Della Robbia. In the 19th century town possessed a theatre and a philharmonic society. == Notable people ==

Bettona is associated by tradition with the poet Propertius. Other notable figures include Gentile da Bettona, bishop in the 13th century; Francesco Beninsegna, active in the early 14th century; Niccolò Ferragatti, bishop of Foligno; Francesco Alducci, a 15th-century military figure; Niccolò Olivi, bishop of Assisi; Clemente Cellini; and later scholars and writers such as Stefano Tofi and Giuseppe Bianconi. Among the principal families recorded in the 19th century were the Bianconi, Barocchi, Censi, Preziotti and Pennacchi. == References ==