San Mamiliano Castle was built between the 8th and 9th centuries as a defensive system of the St. Peter in Valley abbey. Legend has it that it was the only castle which managed to resist the Saracen bands who sacked the Valnerina in the 9th century. It was a castle of the Templar Knights, as can be deduced by the cross carved on the architrave of the church of St. Biagio and was used as a resting place on the way from Spoleto to Leonessa. Currently it is one of the best preserved castles in Umbria, with its walls, towers and narrow streets leading to the highest point where the church of St. Biagio is located, built on the remains of the circular tower and watchtower. Inside the church it is possible to admire the majestic altarpiece by the painter Jacopo Siculo, who was firstly one of Raphael’s pupils and then "Lo Spagna’s”.
