HISTORY
of CERRETO
CERRETO
DI SPOLETO
Cerreto is located on the hill of St. Sebastian, 558 m above the sea-level,
at the point where the Valnerina becomes a narrow pass among high mountains.
From here it overlooks two valleys, the Vigi and the Nera, with their chasms
and evergreen trees. The Roman domination of the territory that includes
the municipality of Cerreto starts in 290 b.C. with the arrival of the
legions lead by Consul Mario Curio Dentato. This is proved by a carving
on a rock found in Triponzo (about 80 b.C.) and by some Roman graves discovered
in 1890. Towards the end of the Roman Empire Christians become more numerous
in these valleys. In the V century, the great St. Benedict from Norcia
comes down from the Nera Valley and the first Benedictine monasteries are
built.
During the High Middle Ages, in the longobard period, the territory around
the town of Spoleto is divided into districts called “castaldi” or “gastaldi”:
they are rural areas whose juridical, economic and military administration
is in the hands of the servants of the longobard sovereign. Between the
IX and X century, the Saracens invade the dukedom of Spoleto, thus obliging
the liege lords to build fortresses and castles. The first historical news
date back to the XII century, when the inhabitants of Cerreto surrendered
to Spoleto.
The hegemony of the Church had its effect on Cerreto in 1225, when the
inhabitants of the town were forced to play allegiance to Cardinal Colonna,
governor of the dukedom of Spoleto. Conflicts arose between the inhabitants
of Cerreto and the municipality of Spoleto when the former tried to achieve
political and administrative autonomy from the latter. Brother Elia,
minister of the Friars Minor of St. Francis, was appointed to settle
these conflicts,
helped by Brothers Michael and Thomas, but throughout the centuries the
inhabitants of Cerreto kept on fighting for their independence from the
municipalities of Spoleto and Norcia and the dukedom of Camerino which
tried to subjugate them. In 1442 Cerreto and Ponte plaid allegiance to
Francesco Sforza duke of Milan in order to shake off the yoke of Spoleto,
but thanks to a cityzen of Spoleto, called Niccolò
Piccinini, Cerreto was returned to the Church. After a short period of
domination by the municipality of Norcia, Cerreto fell again under the
jurisdiction of Spoleto. The long fight between Spoleto and Norcia split
the inhabitants of Cerreto into two factions, supporting one or the other
municipality, and it was only in 1446 that Spoleto triumphed. After this
victory, the town wall was restored, Rocchetta was subtracted to Norcia
and the local administration was reorganized.
In 1523 there were violent uprisings when Pietrone da Vallo, a bandit who
was feared in the whole area and was an enemy of the municipality of Spoleto,
murdered the papal governor.
In the second half of the XVI century, Cerreto was again under the jurisdiction
of the Church, until 1569, when it was definitely annexed to the municipality
of Norcia. As late as the XIX century, under the French domination, Cerreto
was restored to the municipality of Spoleto. It became autonomous under the
Kingdom of Italy.
