Castiglione in Teverina, the City of Wine, lies among the woods on a hill overlooking the Tiber Valley, along the Alta Tuscia Wine Route.
Castiglione in Teverina – Facebook @ComuneCiT
This small Etruscan village became populated only after the destruction of Paterno by the Monaldeschi Family in 1351, which caused the inhabitants to take refuge here. In the Middle Age, Castiglione Teverina was a fiefdom of the Monaldeschi della Cervara and the Savelli Families and, in the 16th century, it was acquired by the Farnese and incorporated into the Duchy of Castro. The historic centre, developed around the 13th-century Rocca Monaldeschi, hosts the 1630 Collegiate Church of SS. Filippo e Giacomo, whose Renaissance-style façade features two levels, each one divided into three sections by pilasters. The village celebrates its patron saints Filippo e Giacomo on May 3.
The Wine Festival in Castiglione in Teverina
Castiglione in Teverina, a member of the “National City of Wine Association”, is home to the MUVIS (Museum of Wine and Agri-food Sciences), the largest wine museum in Europe. This 2,000 square metres exhibition space, located within the historic cellars of the Counts Vaselli, is divided into four underground levels carved into the tuff rock. On the top floor, known as “The Cathedral,” ancient wine barrels with a diameter of three metres are displayed, while several installations, videos, stories, images, and tools immerse visitors in the world of winemaking and the history of the village.
The Wine Festival – photo by the Municipality of Castiglione in Teverina
In August, the MUVIS hosts the forty-year-old Colli del Tevere Wine Festival, the largest wine festival in Central Italy. The five-day event is dedicated to the discovery of local wineries and the tastings of different wines, such as Colli Etruschi from Viterbo, Tuscia DOC, and Orvieto DOC, accompanied by local specialities and under the guidance of expert sommeliers. The festival is also enliven by street, music and dance performances.
Castiglione in Teverina at night – photo courtesy of the Municipality of Castiglione in Teverina
Autumn products, such as olive oil, mushrooms, and wine, are celebrated between October and November at the Festa di San Martino, while the Feast of the Madonna della Neve takes place on August 5 at the 16th-century rural church dedicated to her.