Bevagna, a whole different movie!

Calling a tiny village like Bevagna “umbrian Cinecittà Studios” may sound strange but the list of movies, TV movies and fictions that have been shot there is really long and it’s going to get even longer. Only in the last two years the Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s troupe (the author of Basic Instinct, to make myself clear) have been wondering around the narrow streets of this wonderful Medieval village. He set his “Blessed Virgin” in Bevagna, the movie is going to be released in Italy at the end of 2019 with the name “Benedetta” starring Charlotte Rampling and Lambert Wilson as the protagonists; and the very young cast of the TV movie “Sara and Marti” broadcasted by Disney Channel has just moved to Bevagna for the shooting of the second series; recently the 8 episodes from the TV fiction “The Name of the Rose” broadcasted on Rai 1 last spring were partially set in Bevagna, starring John Turturro and Rupert Everett. But the role of movie set is not new for Bevagna since some important movies were shot there like “Musica in Piazza” (Music in the Square) (1936), “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” (1972) and “Don Matteo 6” (Father Matthew) (2007).

Stone jewels

Bevagna is the perfect place to shoot a movie set in the Middle Ages, its historical centre is perfectly kept and it offers views of rare beauty if you fancy strolling around its paved narrow streets and admiring the beautiful stone palaces, the chiselled doorways, the beautiful churches, the craft workshops and the massive walls. Piazza Silvestri is the core of the village, it’s one of the most beautiful Medieval squares of the region overlooked by three churches, San Silvestro, an unfinished Roman jewel dating back to 1195, the church of San Michele, featuring a huge clock-tower and some beautiful frescoes dating back to the 17 th century and the church of San Domenico and Giacomo built in 1291 where you can see a cycle of paintings belonging to Giotto’s school, the Gothic Palazzo Consoli, decorated with elegant mullioned windows and a staircase that leads to the Torti Theatre dating back to the 19 th century.

Ancient echoes

Bevagna will first charm you in the distance: the view of the village surrounded by the ancient walls is breathless and a stroll around them is unmissable! You can enter the village through its bridge over the river Clitunno where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the ancient public wash house. Witnesses from the past will lead you even farther and go back to the ancient Roman origin of Mevania: along the cobbled streets you’ll bump into the findings of a Roman temple dating back to the 2nd century A.D.,the findings of a theatre and the old baths that still keep their ancient mosaic floors with the drawings of sea animals like the crested newts, the dolphins and the sea horses. Then, skipping a century, more or less, the church and the monastery of Santa Margherita deserve a visit: you can see wonderful frescoes dating back to the 16th century and the impressive Scala Santa, so called because if you go up the stairs you’ll get the same mercies of the same-named staircase of the Eternal City.

The “Gaite”: back to Middle Ages

You can hear the echoes of the Middle Ages not only in the buildings: on the last ten days of June, the most mysterious historical age is back with the Market of Gaite whose name is related to the separation of Bevagna into four districts that were called “gaite” in the Middle Ages. It’s an amazing festival that aims at reproducing in a very detailed way the life of Bevagna between 1250 and 1350 so the narrow streets of the historical centre are filled with people wearing costumes and showing the ancient trades at the sound of music and the happiness of jugglers; the palaces and the shops re-create the atmospheres and the Medieval “set” while the inns and the restaurants offer the typical tastes from Umbria. The four districts during Winter compete at trying to offer a real picture of the importance the inhabitants used to have in the Middle Ages and they compete in four contests related to four main sectors of the Medieval life: the market, the archery, the ancient trades and, no need to say, the food.

Food and wine: Sagrantino and truffles

We can’t help mentioning the rich food and wine offer from Bevagna which is praised for some top wine labels: actually the village is on the road of Sagrantino of Montefalco, the lively red Docg wine which can match the traditional tastes, the truffles, the porcini mushrooms, the green asparagus, the snails that can be cooked in different ways and they are special when they are stewed. Bacchus is also the protagonist of gnocchi (a type of pasta) with Sagrantino and the typical sweets that must be accompanied with the Vinsanto. If we don’t want to leave this “liquid” environment we must mention the famous oil from Umbria that is used to season the grilled meat, mainly the boar and the lamb or the croutons made of liver. Finally, if you’re looking for some ancient tastes, consider that the recipe of gnocchi is lost in the mists of time and the legend goes that it directly comes from the kitchen of the nunnery of the Benedictine Nuns of Santa Maria del Monte.