The Rocca Flea stands on the hill of San Michele Arcangelo, near the historic center of Gualdo Tadino. Walking downhill along via della Rocca, you quickly reach Porta San Benedetto, not far from the main city square.
The rocca was originally the primitive residential core of the city of Gualdo Tadino, soon becoming one of the most important fortresses in Umbria.
In the 16th century, it was transformed into the residence of papal legates, and the interior, adapted for this purpose, was decorated with frescoes of which only small fragments remain. With its conversion into a prison in 1888, further modifications were made. Recently restored, it now houses the civic museum.
Besides hosting the museum, the rocca is also important from an architectural point of view. The ancient fortification that has watched over the Gualdo Tadino plain for over a thousand years, like all ancient castles, carries a rich legacy of events, characters, and episodes not always known to the public, situated between history and legend.
The exhibition path is divided into three sections. The archaeological section displays artifacts documenting the settlement of the Gualdo area from prehistory to the early Middle Ages. The ceramics section illustrates the vast 19th and 20th-century production, inspired by the 16th-century lusterware that, like Gubbio and Deruta, made Gualdo Tadino one of the most famous regional ceramic production centers. The art gallery, established following state property reassignments, includes mostly works from local churches fully representative of the figurative culture on the border between Umbria and Marche. Of particular interest is the large polyptych by Niccolò di Liberatore called L’Alunno (1471), from San Francesco, and the 15th-century paintings by Matteo da Gualdo, founder of the local school active until the mid-16th century. Frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo are also found in the church of San Francesco, which can be visited during events organized by the city museums.
Information on Civic Museum – Rocca Flea
Via della Rocca,
06023 Gualdo Tadino (Perugia)
075916078
cultura@tadino.it
https://www.tadino.it
Source: MIBACT
