Holiday apartment in Bastardo: mining history and Roman traces

Bastardo between mining history and Roman traces

When choosing a holiday apartment in Bastardo, different historical layers come together: mining history, Roman traces, and local traditions. These themes offer different ways to shape your holiday – from culture and remembrance to a more active perspective. This allows you to discover Bastardo according to your own interests.

Festivals and local traditions

One established date is the Fiera di San Francesco, held every year on the first Sunday in October in the center of Bastardo. The Pro Loco di Bastardo organizes cultural, leisure, and social events to involve the community and promote local traditions. If you would like to plan your trip around such an occasion, the calendar provides a clear cultural focus. Outside this date, you can choose the history of the town as a theme in its own right for your holiday days.

Santa Barbara and the memory of the miners

The church of Santa Barbara is dedicated to the patron saint of miners and was built by miners in the 1930s. Inside the church there is a memorial plaque made in 1937, as well as a plaque listing the miners who died in accidents or from work-related illnesses. In addition, the church was reopened for worship once a year on December 4 on the occasion of commemorating the victims of the mines. Santa Barbara thus represents the connection between faith, work, and remembrance.

Roman evidence around Bastardo

Roman traces are spread across several locations. At the settlement of Toccioli, an ancient Roman villa is being excavated near the ancient route of the Flaminia Vetus, which climbs from Bastardo toward Montecchio. During the excavation of the Villa di Rufione, 18 rooms were uncovered, including two thermal rooms. The Roman bridge Ponte del Diavolo is also located in the settlement of Cavallara, near Bastardo. In the wider regional area, the Via Flaminia Vetus was used in the Middle Ages by pilgrims and travelers as an alternative to the Via Flaminia Nova, which passed through Spoleto. For families with children of different ages, this theme offers various ways to engage with history.

Transport routes and mining history

Bastardo’s industrial history can also be traced through former transport routes. A 17-kilometer cableway for transporting the ore extracted from the Bastardo mines was not completed until after the Second World War and remained in operation until 1955. The Bastardo mines were closed in 1955. A mining railway transported the lignite extracted from the Fontivecchie and Acquarossa mines along the Puglia Valley to Bastardo. The cableway and mining railway thus represent the different routes once used to transport ore and lignite.

Gravel route and active days out

Stage 3 of the “Mount Martani Tour (Gravel) Complete” continues uphill to Giano dell'Umbria and then reaches a fork in the road where there is a shelter and a scenic rest area. For travelers looking for cycling and landscape experiences alongside culture, this section of the route offers a distinct focus. When choosing your holiday apartment in Bastardo, you can therefore consider whether historical discoveries or an active daily rhythm should take priority.

Discover more places

Other places to include in your travel plans are Binami, Massa Martana, San Sisto, Norcia, Sant'Anastasio, Trevi, Pietralunga, and Pian di San Martino.

For the overview of the wider area: Perugia.