The typical Umbrian castle stands on a hill close to the SS75 Bis road to Siena, 13 kms away from Perugia. The picturesque village, enclosed by the town walls (which are almost 1 km long) still keeps many historical and artistic testimonies, clear sign of a once very active community. Walking along the walls ensures a perfect view of the surrounding landscape, dominated by the towering verdant Monte Malbe, stretching from Todi and Monte Amiata to Lake Trasimeno, Monte Tezio and Monte Acuto.

Since there‘s no written record we are unable to accurately pinpoint the origins of Corciano, although academics from Perugia, including Marco Ciatti, trace the original name to Ciano Razzeano, son of Giano founder of Perugia. According to the chivalric legend “il conto di Corciano e di Perugia” written by an unkown artist in the 14th century, the village was born due to the rivalry between Coragino, founder and lord of Corciano, and Ulisse, founder and lord of Perugia. Following the events that led to the destruction of Troy, Ulisse went to Italy, crossed the Tiber river and settled in Colle Landone where he finally founded Perugia. Some nobles from Troy joined him and Coragino was among them. One day, while he was talking about his city, Ulisse claimed he built it just for him and his family, and no other. The proud Coragino, after realizing he was not welcome, gathered his people and decided to move elsewhere. They crossed the Montagna Alta and found a hill, ripe with game and vegetation, and began to believe that they just discovered “el più bello luocho del mondo” (the most beautiful place in the world). Popular tradition states instead that the name Corciano simply means “Cuore di Giano” (Heart of Giano).

It is, however, likely that the term Corciano has roman predial origins, probably from the name Curtius or its latin stem Coricius or Corisius. In 1136, the “Castrum de Corciano com tota curte eius” was mentioned by Pope Innocent II among the possessions of the bishop of Perugia. In 1211 St.Francis, back from the Isola Maggiore on Lake Trasimeno where he spent the period of Lent, stopped by Corciano. According to tradition, the foundations of the Church of Saint Francis were built in 1223 outside the oldest town walls, to remember the breather of the Saint. In 1242 Salvo the bishop gave up the Selva of Monte Balbe to the Municipality and its Mayor Buiamonte di Barile, starting from the castle walls till Chiugiana and Capocavallo (now small hamlets in the Corciano territory), keeping half of the usufruct. In 1282 Corciano was a thriving community: the Heart Tax census listed some 202 houses. In 1334 a papal bull of Pope John XXII authorized the construction of the monastery of Saint Augustine, but the presence of the Augustinian dates back to the early 14th century. The castle was sacked and looted in 1364 by the “Compagnia Bianca”at the service of the pontifical legate of Egidio Albornoz.

The soldier of fortune Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone invaded Corciano in 1416, the town defended itself valiantly, nevertheless it eventually fell and opened its gates to the enemy. In 1472, the General Council of Corciano accepted the request of an Augustinian preacher, who asked for a “Gonfalone” (a processional standard) pro devotione universitatis communis predicti.Later the same year Benedetto Bonfigli, a renowned artist from Umbria, completed it: at the center of the canvas, kept inside the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, is the Mater Misericordiae with a cape, held by two angels, protecting the people of Corciano from the arrows shot by the Eternal. The town, as seen from the hill, now home of the former monastery of Saint Augustine, was depicted at her feet. It’s as if Corciano didn’t change since then, still being urbanistically well organized, with its narrow buildings enclosed in double town walls and boasted by two mighty towers and an imposing arch, no longer extant, which was built with huge stone blocks, possibly the only vestige of its Etruscan origins. In 1482 they started building the fortified tower of Porta Santa Maria to boost the defenses of the castle, which was then completed in 1488 thanks to the contribution of Perugia, which gave 30 florins to help with the construction. The 9th of november 1860 Corciano, with the Plebiscite of the Province of Perugia, joined the Kingdom of Italy. The Corciano territory also includes some of the forests around Monte Malbe, with the main hiking trails of the municipality, and the industrial area of Tavernelle, which started developing in the early 70s in the plains right beside the SS 75 Bis road.