| Description: |
The village lies on a hill overlooking the stream named Cesolone. The name of the village is a combination of the Lombard term Serra with the Latin personal name Petronius, and seems to attest to its early medieval origins, as shown in some written records of the time. The site, which retains evidences of the cultures that inhabited the area even before the Roman times, was owned in the XI century by the Benedictine Farfa Abbey; before entering the spheres of influence of the town of Camerino, to which it continued to be bound even after the end of the dinasty Da Varano, the village became a self-governing commune in the XIII century. The ruins of its city walls and two entrances to the village are what remains of that period. Borgiano, Borgianello, Castel S. Venanzo and Villa d’Aria are all hamlets of great historical interest. The hamlet called ‘Caccamo’, on the other hand, next to the lake called ´di Borgiano´, is a well-known trading centre as well as a tourist resort renowned for its accommodation and rowing facilities.
The town is also home of production of a celebrated naturally sparkling red wine called ´Vernaccia di Serrapetrona´, produced from a local grapevine and fermented through three stages. Its sweet version is very popular among the young, is best served as a dessert wine, preferably with local home-made cakes, while in its drier secco version it is best enjoyed with sliced cured pork meats and with strong-flavoured cheese. In recognition of its quality, the Vernaccia of Serrapetrona has recently been awarded the significant title ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita’ (DOCG).
Text by Fabio Santilli
Translation by Gianfranco Martorano |