Photos

Rio Secco - Trevi (PG)
The Villa of Rio Secco, formerly known as Rivo Secco, is a building currently owned by the Mountain Community of the Martani, Serano and Subasio Mountains (in liquidation). Over time, this institution has carried out important restoration works that have avoided the general and complete decay of the structure.
In the past Rio Secco was a villa of some importance, for a period of self-standing balia, in other periods it was dependent on Pettino or Coste.
In 1432 twenty families lived inside.
It took its name from the ditch that flowed under the villa.
It bordered with Pettino, Cammoro and Coste and had a very poor, wild, mountainous and wooded area with a few arable acres, including the Rio Secco plain, probably formerly known as Piano de 'Pozzi.
The only resource came from grazing, which was miserable as it lacked living water sources.
Rio Secco, with all the dependent houses, was bought by the Valenti family. The abbot Alexandro, in fact, intended to make it a castle and built "[...] with the decay of the other buildings, the very large house for use as a castle, making (that) it declared itself a county for himself and his successors [...] It was about the year 1535.
To reach the villa you cross a magnificent beech forest. The coat of arms of the Valenti is frescoed on the door.
Inside the castle, built by Abbot Alexandro himself, is the church of Santa Maria della Neve. This was built to replace the Romanesque church of San Pietro which, having remained outside the walls, had gone into progressive ruin. The simple facade is dominated by a bell gable with a single arch placed centrally. In the tiny interior, on the altar wall, framed by a fake architecture, there is a fresco of the Madoonna and Child. On the sides, in two circles, unrecognizable figures.
Near the villa in Rio Secco a beautiful walnut grows, registered with the Green Patriarchs project of the mountain community of the Martani, Serano and Subasio Mountains.

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