“Thus it was that for a long time I thought this village where I had not been born was the whole world. Now that I have really seen the world and know that it is made up of a whole lot of little villages, I am not sure that I was far wrong when I was a boy”
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(The Moon and The Bonfires by Cesare Pavese)
BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY !
THE BORGO DIFFUSO PROJECT
The Borgo Diffuso Project aims to create a new tourism model, promoted and supported by the community, where each accommodation service is organized in order to develop local economy. It is similar to the “Albergo Diffuso”. So we are trying to recover the abandoned or not always used houses during the year, turning them into accommodation activities.
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The difference, compared to the Albergo Diffuso, is that it is not a single manager to benefit from the activity profits. All incomes are distributed among the owners of the accommodation services and among the members of the community, actively working in the management and maintenance of the houses. This aims to stop depopulation and to support local commercial activities, relying on the resources of the beautiful territory surrounding the village of San Michele in Teverina.
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The Borgo diffuso is therefore a project of sustainable tourism development, related to natural beauties, wine and food gastronomy products, and the territory, aiming to reduce the continuing depopulation of theseareas that is leading to the disappearance of the San Michele community.
THE HISTORY OF SAN MICHELE
The history of San Michele is deeply linked to the events of his Castle. The presumed foundation of the town occurred in 1164 by Pietro da Mugnano, from whom derives the original name of the fief: Castel di Piero. Initially under the jurisdiction of the city of Viterbo, in 1257 the Orvieto took possession of San Michele, a domain that they maintained for about 200 years until in 1421 it became part of the territories of Viterbo. The town was for a long time disputed between the two cities due to the importance of its strategic position.
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The castle of San Michele and the surrounding lands were for about 600 years owned by the Baglioni family, linked to the famous Baglioni of Perugia. In 1522 the medieval fortress was destroyed by the will of Pope Hadrian VI, who after a long siege by the papal troops, born to quell the struggles within the Baglioni family, He ordered the demolition to punish the infidelity of the family to the state of the Church. The castle then became part of the papal possessions and to Hadrian VI succeeded Clement VII, who recognized the property of the estates to Catherine de Medici.
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In 1536 the Baglioni family returned to own the castle, and from 1569 Count Alberto Baglioni ordered the reconstruction. In those years was built the beautiful outdoor terrace overlooking the Badlands Valley, desired by the Countess Virginia Baglioni. Still today it is possible to read the name of the Countess, engraved in the stone frames of two niches positioned along the external perimeter of the terrace.
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It dates back to 1789 the foundation of the Municipality of San Michele by some citizens who occupied the town hall, which remained so until 1927 when it became the hamlet of Civitella d'Agliano.