{{Infobox Italian comune | name = Montefranco | official_name = Comune di Montefranco | native_name = | image_skyline = MontefrancoPanorama6.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = Hilltop view of Montefranco, with houses rising above the surrounding countryside | image_shield = | shield_alt = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | coordinates = {{coord|type:city(1,329)_region:IT|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = | region = [[Umbria]] | province = [[Province of Terni]] (TR) | frazioni = | mayor_party = | mayor = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 10.1 | population_footnotes = <ref name="istat_pop_20250101_TR">{{cite web |title=Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2025 |url=https://demo.istat.it/data/posas/POSAS_2025_en_055_Terni.zip |publisher=Istat |access-date=15 February 2026}}</ref> | population_total = | population_as_of = 1 January 2025 | pop_density_footnotes = | population_demonym = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 375 | twin1 = | twin1_country = | saint = | day = | postal_code = 05030 | area_code = 0744 | website = | footnotes = }} '''Montefranco''' is a ''[[comune]]'' (municipality) in the [[Province of Terni]] in the [[Italy|Italian]] region [[Umbria]], located about 70 km southeast of [[Perugia]] and about 10 km northeast of [[Terni]]. As of 2021, Montefranco had a population of 1,255 inhabitants.<ref name="istat_pop_20250101_TR"/>
== Etymology == According to the 19th-century account of [[Adone Palmieri]], the commune was formerly known as Bufechia or Bufone. After resisting the arms of [[Spoleto]], it was granted exemption from certain tribute payments by the [[Dukes of Spoleto]]. In 1290 it is said to have taken the name Montefranco, a reference to the "franchigie" (franchise, in the sense of permission or privilege) it enjoyed thereafter.<ref name="palmieri_19thcent">{{cite book |last1=Palmieri |first1=Adone |title=Topografia statistica dello Stato Pontificio |date=1859 |publisher=Tipografia Forense |page=89-90 |url=https://archive.org/details/palmieri-adone-topografia-statistica-dello-stato-pontificio-part-5/page/89 |volume=5}}</ref>
== History == Montefranco was founded in 1228, when inhabitants of [[Arrone]] fled the {{ill|Valnerina|it}} to escape the rule of [[Rainald of Urslingen]], who had been ruling on behalf of [[Emperor Frederick II]]. They settled on Colle Bufone and established a new fortified community. On 7 September 1228 the new settlement formally submitted to Spoleto, and the town thereafter remained under Spoletan control for centuries.<ref name="siusa_history">{{cite web |title=Comune di Montefranco |url=https://siusa-archivi.cultura.gov.it/cgi-bin/siusa/pagina.pl?TipoPag=prodente&Chiave=46098 |website=Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche |access-date=14 February 2026 |language=it}}</ref> The settlers agreed to pay an annual tribute of 26 ''lucchesi'' for each household to Spoleto.<ref name="sansi_1879">{{cite book |last1=Sansi |first1=Achille |title=Documenti storici inediti in sussidio allo studio delle memorie umbre |date=1879 |pages=243-244 |url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb11389685?page=50,51 |volume=2}}</ref>
In 1258 statutes were granted to the community, a step toward local autonomy. Despite this, Montefranco's strategic position in the Valnerina continued to expose it to regional rivalries. In 1498 troops from Terni attacked the town, but the intervention of Spoleto led to the repulsion of the assailants. In 1522 Montefranco participated in the broader revolt of the castles of the Valnerina against Spoleto.<ref name="siusa_history"/>
During the pontificate of [[Pope Paul V]] in the early 17th century, Montefranco was detached from Spoleto's jurisdiction. This separation proved temporary, as in 1622 [[Pope Urban VIII]] reunited it to Spoleto.<ref name="siusa_history"/>
In 1798 the town was united to the Canton of Terni during the period of French-influenced [[Roman Republic (1798–1799)|Roman Republic]]. After the Restoration, in 1816 it was placed under the district government of Spoleto, but in 1817 it was transferred to the district of Terni. In 1827 it fell under the jurisdiction of a [[podestà]] based in Terni, within the Delegation of Spoleto and Rieti.<ref name="siusa_history"/>
In 1859, Montefranco had a population of 1,228 inhabitants.<ref name="palmieri_19thcent"/> In 1860, following the unification of central Italy, Montefranco became an autonomous municipality within the Kingdom of Italy.<ref name="siusa_history"/>
== Geography == Montefranco stands at approximately {{convert|9|mi}} from Terni, on a rocky height surrounded by olive groves. The [[Nera (Tiber)|River Nera]] flows less than {{convert|0.5|mi}} from the town at the foot of the mountain. The municipality of Arrone lies about {{convert|1|mi}} away.<ref name="palmieri_19thcent"/>
Montefranco borders the following municipalities: Arrone, [[Ferentillo]], [[Spoleto]], [[Terni]].
=== Subdivisions === The municipality includes the localities of Capitignano, Casa Cantoniera, Fontechiaruccia, I Monti, Montefranco, Varcone.<ref name="istat_sez_2021">{{cite web |title=Sezioni di censimento – 10-Umbria |url=https://www.istat.it/storage/cartografia/basi_territoriali/2021/R10_21.zip |access-date=16 February 2026 |website=Istat }}</ref>
In 2021, 223 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality.<ref name="istat_sez_2021"/> At the time, the most populous localities were Fontechiaruccia (483), and Montefranco proper (467).<ref name="istat_sez_2021"/>
== Economy == In the mid-19th century, the local economy was based primarily on agriculture, especially olive cultivation and oil production. Meadows were described as fertile, and grain milling and oil pressing were supported by several mills, including four oil mills and three grain mills. Some inhabitants were engaged in trade, and the town was said to include several families of comfortable means, though not of exceptional wealth.<ref name="palmieri_19thcent"/>
== Religion and Culture == The parish church, equipped with an organ, is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The principal popular feast was celebrated on 29 April in honor of Saint Peter Martyr. Another feast was held on 20 May for the co-patron Saint [[Bernardino of Siena]].<ref name="palmieri_19thcent"/>
=== Madonna del Carmine === [[File:MontefrancoMadonnaDelCarmine.JPG|thumb|Church of the Madonna del Carmine]] The church of the Madonna del Carmine features a bell tower and preserves within it 17th-century frescoes of the Umbrian school, as well as a 16th-century depiction of the Ascension.<ref name="attrattori_odu">{{cite web |title=Attrattori turistici |url=https://dati.regione.umbria.it/dataset/turismo-attrattori/resource/1ae8a517-4083-44e2-b141-0c8e613b6052 |website=Open Data Umbria |publisher=Regione Umbria|access-date=26 February 2026}} {{Source-attribution-CC BY 4.0}}</ref>
=== San Bernardino === The church of San Bernardino stands a short distance from the center of Montefranco and was built on the site of an earlier Benedictine oratory. It is dedicated to the town's patron saint, who was present in Montefranco around 1444 for preaching. Constructed in 1454 and later rebuilt, the complex includes two adjoining structures and was associated with a convent of the [[Observant Friars]]. Traces of the earlier building phase remain visible on the façade. The interior consists of a single nave with a barrel vault and contains numerous frescoes dating from the 15th to the 16th century, including works attributed to [[Orlando Merlini]].<ref name="attrattori_odu"/>
== Notable people == The town is noted as the birthplace of the jurist Marroni, described in the 19th century as one of the foremost legal writers in Italy, and of the philosopher Don Giovanni Candelari. Montefranco produced several prominent medical professionals, including Doctor Moretti, chief physician of Terni, and Doctor Bonanni, chief physician of Narni. Among ecclesiastical figures associated with the town were Don Francesco Maria Micheli, then Auditor of the [[Apostolic Dataria]], and Bernardino da Montefranco, Minister General of the [[Franciscan Order]].<ref name="palmieri_19thcent"/>
==References== <references/>
==External links== * {{official website}} * {{commonscat-inline}}
{{Province of Terni}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Cities and towns in Umbria]] [[Category:1228 establishments in Italy]]
{{Umbria-geo-stub}}