La 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 born as the primitive residential nucleus of the city of Gualdo Tadino, soon becoming one of the most important fortresses of Umbria.
In the 16th century it was transformed into the residence of the papal legates and the interior, adapted for the purpose, was decorated with frescoes of which only small fragments remain. With the transformation 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 fortress that has watched over the plain of Gualdo Tadino for more than a thousand years, like all ancient castles, has its rich baggage of facts, 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 production of the 19th and early 20th centuries, inspired by the lustre production of the 16th century which, like Gubbio and Deruta, made Gualdo Tadino one of the most famous centers of regional ceramic production. The art gallery, established following the state acquisitions, includes works mostly coming from churches in the area and fully representative of the figurative culture on the border between Umbria and Marche. Of remarkable interest is the large polyptych by Niccolò di Liberatore called l’Alunno (1471), coming 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 in the church of San Francesco, visitable during events organized by the city museums.
Information about Civic Museum – Rocca Flea
Via della Rocca,
06023 Gualdo Tadino (Perugia)
075916078
cultura@tadino.it
https://www.tadino.it
Source: MIBACT
