Umbrian Springs, UNESCO Temple, and Rasiglia: A Nature and History Tour

The Fonti del Clitunno, a natural spring complex between Spoleto and Foligno in Umbria, is described as a poetic, uncontaminated green oasis with crystal-clear waters inhabited by swans, ducks, and butterflies. The site was considered sacred by ancient Romans, housing the oracle of the god Clitunno, and was cited by Virgil in his Georgics, later by Giosuè Carducci and Byron. The springs create a small lake about 400 meters in diameter covering nearly 10,000 square meters, surrounded by a public park with weeping willows, rushes, and moss. Nearby, less than a kilometer away, stands the Tempietto del Clitunno, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011 as a testimony of the Lombards in central Italy. The temple was built on a pre-existing sacellum along the Clitunno river using spolia from Roman buildings on surrounding hills, exemplifying intentional reuse by Lombard elites to legitimize their power. The final stop is Rasiglia, called the "Venice of Umbria," a village with mills, spinning mills, and waterways from the Capovena spring and five minor ones. Its origins date to the 12th century, with economic flourishing under the Trinci lordship two centuries later, when water exploitation led to tanneries, fulling mills, and dye works active until after World War II. Today, visitors are drawn by the water weaving through houses, reminiscent of Venice's canals.