Ospedaletto

Its origins date back to prehistoric times but the settlement was created in Medieval time. On the route of the ancient Etruscan road, which connected Perugia to Orvieto, in the Middle Ages a building was built for the shelter and refreshment of pilgrims and travelers, which gave its name to an agglomeration of a few houses: Villa Ospitale Pelgie. Subsequently, Ospedaletto remained for a long time an appendix of Palazzo Bovarino, seat of San Lorenzo parish and located 2 km away. With the beginning of the 19th century, due to the progressive decline of Palazzo Bovarino, Ospedaletto began to take the place of the ancient possession of the counts Bovarini and Bovaccini. For centuries, the resident population was devoted to raising animals, especially cattle and pigs, cutting the woods and farming the few lands that allowed it to be cultivated. After the Second World War, Ospedaletto gained more importance thanks to the opportunities offered by the highway 317. Despite this, the exodus from the countryside of the 50s and 60s was very significant and caused a sharp decrease in the population. In addition to the natural beauty of Monte Peglia and the remains of the Plesistocene Breccia Ossifera, the small Medieval church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, whose first plant dates back to the 14th century, is worth mentioning. Of particular value is the fresco contained in it of the Enthroned Madonna with saints, attributable to the eighteenth century.