Acquapendente Village in Viterbo province

Acquapendente Village: is a small town in province of Viterbo, where we can find: Shops, Pharmacy, Hospital, Banks, Post-Office, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Tennis Courts, Skating rinks, theatre, cinema

In ACQUAPENDENTE village all shops are closed on Thursday in the afternoon and on Sunday all day.

In the Summer the shops are open from 9 o’clock to 13 o’clock in the morning and from 5 o’clock to 8 o’clock in the afternoon.

FOR MORE INFOS: tel +39 338 7271044
Acquapendente Village: www.comuneacquapendente.it tel: +39 0763 - 73091
Natural Park Riserve Monte Rufeno: tel +39 0763 733642

www.museodelfiore.it
Museo Civico Diocesano: tel: +39 0763 - 73091
Associazione PROLOCO (for tourist infos): www.prolocoacquapendente.it
Pro Loco Acquapendente - Via Rugarella n. 10 - 01021 Acquapendente,  Viterbo
Tel/fax: +39 0763 734334 - Cell. +39 339 7677510

Acquapendente Village is set on the farthest Northern limit of Latium, close to the boundaries with Tuscany and Umbria; it wards, from its 465 yards on sea level, the middle valley of Paglia river and it is entirely crossed by the modern layout of the Cassia road, once overlapping the old Via Francigena. Acquapendente’s origin don’t seem to be distant in time, even Etruscan and Roman remains can be found all around its territory. In the 12th century it was occupied by Friedrich the Red bearded but in 1166 the people rebelled against the imperial rule and has the legend that they succeeded in freeing themselves by the agency of the Madonna who spurred them by a miraculous blooming of a dried cherry tree. That miracle is still remembered every May during the feast of the Madonna del Fiore (Madonna of the Flower n.d.t.) with the parade of the Pugnaloni (large pictures made of petals and leaves, representing religious or allegorical subjects).

The Pugnaloni of Acquapendente:
These wonderful mosaics, made up solely of flower petals and leaves, represent the most peculiar folkloristic event of “the Madonna del Fiore” celebration, which takes place every year in Acquapendente on the third Sunday of May. To find the root of this tradition one must look centuries to the 1066, when our village was set free from the tyrannical governor of Federico Ist Barbarossa. According to legend, the revolt was due to an extraordinary event: two peasants who where working in their field, suddenly saw withered cherry tree miraculously blooming. This was taken as a divine signal: the Madonna would protect them, and thus the population could rise against the tyrant, driving him away and destroying his castle. In order to remember the liberation that was longed-for, the community decided to celebrate this every year towards the middle of May. Nowadays, more than eight centuries later, the tradition is still carried on in honour of the Madonna del Fiore and the old theme of freedom is portrayed in different ways on the Pugnaloni. The Pugnaloni evolved over centuries from the initial “pungoli”, which were ancient farm tools that peasants used to adorn with flowers and carry in procession, following the statue of the Madonna del Fiore. Nowadays they are large boards, which are first drawn and then covered with flower petals, leaves(oak, bay, magnolia, cane, elm…) and other vegetable extracts, all of them skilfully stuck in order to reproduce every single shading of the drawing. As regards fresh materials, those that through experience proved to be longer-lasting are mainly chosen, and light glues are used. As a result, amazing effects are reached through only using colours that nature supplies. Each Pugnalone, followed by the group of people who worked on it, is then taken to the main square, where a vibrant crowd awaits the final response, waving with coloured flags: who is the winner? All year round, the Pugnaloni are kept inside the S. Sepolcro’ s Basilica.