Monteleone di Spoleto

Monteleone was said to have been founded around the year 250 by a Tiberto degli Arroni. The settlement was later fortified by the Spoletans, who surrounded it with walls and restored its fortress. In 1527 the town was directly occupied by Spoleto, and a military garrison was installed. In the early 1540s it was incorporated into the Governorate of Norcia, Cascia, Cerreto and Monteleone, and a podestà-commissario was appointed. Between the 1540s and 1560 a succession of podestà, commissari and luogotenenti governed the community, appointed either by the pope or by the papal legate of Perugia. Between 1560 and 1565 new municipal statutes were compiled. In 1569, under Pope Pius V, the Prefettura della Montagna was established. During the Roman Republic of 1798 the town was assigned to the Canton of Cascia in the . After the fall of the Republic, the traditional magistracy of priori was reinstated and a vice governor appointed. In 1802 the town was reintegrated into the Prefettura della Montagna. From 1809 to 1814, under French rule, a maire was introduced. The town was assigned to the Canton of Cascia, within the Circondario of Spoleto in the Department of Trasimeno. Following the collapse of Napoleonic authority in 1814, a provisional regency was established, and in 1815 the offices of luogotenente and priori were restored. On 6 July 1816 the town was included in the Delegation of Spoleto. In 1833 the town became dependent on the Governor of Cascia, and the office of podestà ceased to be present locally. In 1859 the municipality had a total population of 1,662 inhabitants. Of these, 270 people lived in the countryside, while the main settlement of Monte Leone contained 915 inhabitants. The remainder lived in three hamlets, which also served as parishes: Buttine (183 inhabitants), Ruscio (348 inhabitants), and Trivio (216 inhabitants). == Geography ==

Monte Leone is situated on the banks of the Corno River. It lies about from Cascia. The surrounding landscape is largely mountainous and wooded, with abundant water and nearby springs. The climate was described as cold, with heavy snowfall in winter. The town is among the more remote settlements in Umbria and lies along a mountain road linking Norcia ( north-northeast) and Cascia ( north-northeast) with Leonessa ( south) and Rieti ( south-southwest) in Lazio. Subdivisions The municipality includes the localities of Il Colle, Monteleone di Spoleto, Rescia, Ruscio, Trivio. In 2021, 126 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. At the time, the most populous localities were Monteleone proper (245), Ruscio (83), and Trivio (73). == Economy ==

The local economy historically combined agriculture and mining. The iron mines constituted a significant economic resource in the 17th century, supplying high-quality iron for major architectural works in Rome. The mines were located in wooded areas and were considered easy to excavate and smelt. == Religion and culture ==

San Francesco The church of San Francesco was built in the 14th century over a 12th-century Benedictine oratory. Although titled to the Madonna dell'Assunta, it has been known as San Francesco since Franciscans settled there around 1280. Torre dell'Orologio Built around the 13th century, the Torre dell'Orologio is one of the three gates of the second circuit of walls. It stands at the entrance to the settlement and provides access to the church of San Francesco and to the oldest part of the historic center. From the tower there are views over the valley. Monteleone chariot Monteleone is associated with the Monteleone chariot, dated to around the middle of the 6th century BC. The artifact was found by chance in 1902 by Isidoro Vannozzi in a necropolis a few kilometers from the town at Colle del Capitano, where it had been placed in a tumulus tomb. The chariot is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of New York, which bought it in 1903 from an antiques trafficker who had smuggled it out of the country. The piece has been the subject of disputes between the museum and the municipal administration of Monteleone, which has sought its return. In Monteleone, a full-scale copy is on display. A permanent exhibition about the chariot presents the artifact, the circumstances of its discovery and removal, and objects from the funerary assemblage. Other cultural heritage Other notable buildings include additional medieval churches, the 15th-century Palazzo Bernabò, and surviving sections of the medieval walls, including a clock tower. The town also preserves historical arms, including late 16th-century crossbows and a wrought-iron cannon composed of multiple joined sections, measuring in length. ==References==