Toscolano - fraz. di Avigliano Umbro

Toscolano is a small medieval village of only 66 inhabitants, packed with history and charm. It has a splendid circular shape and it is surrounded by fortified walls dating back to 1200 with viewpoints and terraces overlooking a panorama that allows the eye to see as far as the peaks of the Sibillini Mountains. The Middle Ages echo in every step, from the small squares to the alleys, which have remained almost completely intact through the centuries. On the only access road, the visitor is greeted by the tiny Chapel of the Santissima Annunziata (Most Holy Annunciation) with important frescoes and a mysterious octagonal cross of knightly origin. Inside the walls is the Church of Sant'Apollinare with important paintings as well as a 19th-century organ and relics dating back to the Knights Templar. Toscolano was the birthplace of Fra Faostino, an illustrious diplomat and traveller who maintained relations between the Papacy and the Sultanate of Constantinople in the 17th century, and to whom we owe the valuable account ‘Itinerario di Terra Santa’ (Itinerary of the Holy Land). The area is now home to the Centro Europeo di Toscolano, a music school founded by Mogol, the famous lyricist.
A stop on the ‘Cammino dei Borghi Silenti’ (Way of the Silent Villages) and recognised as the ‘Borgo Medievale del Viaggiator Cortese’ (Medieval Village of the Courteous Traveller), this location is an architectural treasure trove and it is part of that somewhat hidden Umbria, capable of giving visitors the pleasure of discovery.