Allerona

Description

Surrounded by hills covered with beech, ilex and juniper woods, Allerona (TR) conserves architectural remains from Roman times, including a stretch of the ancient Via Cassia or Via Traiana Nova with original paving and marker stones with Latin inscriptions. The ruins of the feudal Castle of Lerona, destroyed by Charles VIII in 1495, include walls and two gates, Porta del Sole (the eastern entrance) and Porta della Luna (the western entrance). The oldest buildings can be found overlooking the central Piazza Santa Maria in the highest part of the village where the castle stood. Here the Palazzo Visconteo, originally owned by the Monaldeschi family whose jurisdiction over the village was exercised through a viscount, faces the 12^th century Church of Santa Maria della Stella whose restructuring was entrusted to the architect Paolo Zampi from Orvieto in the late 19^th century (1892-97). Built in the 1300s, the Palazzo was transformed into a noble residence in the 1400s. The nearby Church of the Madonna dell'Acqua, a small octagonal temple from the early 1700s, was built over an existing 15^th century votive chapel near a spring considered to be miraculous. Allerona possesses a wealth of natural heritage: the state-owned Selva di Meana Park offers Villa Cahen, a refined example of Art Deco architecture with an Italian garden while Parco di Villalba, an inviting wooded area with facilities that stretches over 20 hectares, is prized for both its flora and fauna.