Borgo di Pale e antiche cartiere

Why it matters

The village of Pale, below Foligno, developed around the Menotre river and a paper-making industry documented from the thirteenth century. Water power, mill buildings and nearby churches preserve traces of an industrial and religious landscape. The historical quality of paper produced in the area was noted in 1590 by Vatican librarian Angelo Rocca.

What to notice

The remains of mills stand alongside churches and buildings associated with the village's industrial past. The castle dates to 1442 and was built on the site of an earlier Trinci fortress. Above the settlement, the rock-hewn Hermitage of Santa Maria Giacobbe forms part of the wider landscape of the Menotre valley.

Context and history

Pale appears in documents from 970, including a record of the church of Santa Lucia. The abbots of Sassovivo held land in the area during the Middle Ages, and the Trinci family later controlled its mills. The Menotre provided the water power used in paper production. Twelve mills were recorded between Pale and Belfiore in 1850; industrial decline eventually brought production to an end.