It almost looks like Belvedere Fogliense tries shily to hide. Protected from the rest of the world, it lies on top of one of the hills surrounding Tavullia. Soon after reaching there, one is surprised by its deafening silence. All is quiet in this terrace-hamlet dominating the valley of the Foglia river and capable of offering the show of a breath-taking panorama of hills marked by the industrious activities of men. But one should not think it is a closed place. On the contrary, its citizens are champions of hospitality, also because of a lasting cultural tradition; musicians, actors and craftsmen, charmed by the magic atmosphere of this hamlet, made it their residence. This, for instance, is where still are based the house and the workshop of the famous Bartolucci woodworkers. And it is along its streets that the “Festa dell’Estate” (Summer Celebration) comes to life, to make the hamlet turn into a crowded charming village which surprises visitors. Belvedere Fogliense is a place with many stories to tell. It is funny, for example, to discover the reason why until 1922 its name was “Montelevecchie” (Mountain of old ladies). Such a peculiar denomination is said to be due to the habit, during the Malatesta rule, of sending here the aging court ladies to offer them a peaceful old age but also to exlploit them as wise guardians in this important border area.
A story melting with legend concerns St. Donato’s, lying by the few remainders of the ancient medieval fortress, which was the original nucleus of the castle. In the XIV century the church was the refuge of Blessed Ugolino delle Camminate, a hermit belonging to the Malatesta family. Many centuries later, some swore that the echo of a strange knocking came from the walls of the church; frightened and surprised, people dug the wall and found the bones of the Blessed Ugolino, now resting inside the holy shrine. Some say he himself sculptured the wooden statue, also kept into the church, representing the Madonna on the throne with the Child.
Belvedere Fogliense