Scoppio (Italia)

Scoppio is an uninhabited frazione of the comune of Acquasparta (TR), at about 640 m above sea level.

The remains of the village lie along provincial road 418 linking Acquasparta to Spoleto, in the Martani mountains, about 15 km from the main town. According to the comune, only 8 people live in the houses around the old village.

The name comes from the Latin scopulus (crag), because of its commanding position over the plain below. Around the year 1000 it became part of the Terre Arnolfe and shared their fate.

In 1750 there were still 25 families, but the village was abandoned around 1950 after damage from a series of earthquakes. Its ghostly look and striking, isolated position on a rocky spur above the Matassa ditch make it a popular stop on the hiking routes of the Martani mountains. Near the village there is also a now abandoned mountain hut where you could once stay the night.

Scoppio is one of the locations of Wim Wenders' documentary "Pope Francis: A Man of His Word", shown on 13 May 2018 as a special screening at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Oeil d'Or for best documentary.

The Romanesque church of Sant'Angelo (15th century) has fine frescoes, including a "Madonna and Child with two angels" attributed to the Spoleto painter Piermatteo Piergili. The bell gable dates from 1525.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · translated from Italian