HISTORICAL NOTES

The origine of the name Costacciaro, Collis Stacciarii, for some people came from the name of an ancient owner of the castle: Stacciarius; therefore the family of the founders, from eugubina origine, were probably the Stacciari present in Gubbio. The construction of the ancient "Via Flaminia", beside temples and sanctuaries, also favored the rising of numerous villages that, after the fall of the Roman Empire, became less and less safe because of the frequent barbaric invasions This was the main stimulus for the construction of fortifications like Costacciaro, placed on the top of a hill that succeded to escape from the raids of the Germanic populations. In the course of XIII century the Municipality of Gubbio began a program of defense of its immense territory, constructing new castles and widening those existing, comprised Costacciaro that was characterized from a defensive structure with town‑walls building and from an articulated system of towers and doors, still in part existing today. For six centuries the castle was an integrating part of the Eugubino Committee; in the 1384 it was submitted spontaneousey to the Lordship of Urbino of which it represented, along the "Via Flaminia", the door of access and extreme bastion to its territory. Costacciaro became in a short wide a military outpost of importance, that in 1434 it was equipped of the "mantellina", a machinery for the preparation of stone spheres used for defense of the castle. With the decline the Lordship of Urbino, Costacciaro entered in the sphere of the influence of the Papal State. Dates back to this period the birth the of important "zecchiera" of the Papal State (ironworks) along the Scirca stream, fundamental protagonist of the economy of the territory until the XVIII century. At Costacciaro were born illustrious personalities in the field of the literature: Ludovico Carbone (XVI century) studious of legal matters and the Bishop of Aqui Mons. Bonaventura Pio Fauni (XVI century), commonley called "the Costacciaro", illustrious theologian who took part in Council of Trento. Today Costacciaro is a village of about 1.300 residents; nestled in the Monte Cucco Regional Park, is the ideal place for practicing environmentally - friendly sports activities such as speleology, hang‑gliding, cross‑country skiing and trekking along quiet pathways Monte Cucco, a protected reserve since 1995, is the park of underground springs, of caves (amongst the most important in Europe), of pure water of pristine beech woods. Wolves, eagles, hawks, wild boars and hares inhabit the Park.