Tenaglie
An Introduction to Tenaglie
Hello friends! Today I want to talk to you about Tenaglie, a small hamlet in the municipality of Montecchio, in the province of Terni. The village has only 93 inhabitants and is located 370 meters above sea level. Before the creation of the province of Terni, it was part of the Municipality of Baschi. But now, let me tell you a bit of history about this charming village!
The History of Tenaglie
It seems that the toponym Tenaglie derives from ''Gens Tenilia'', a family that moved with the Roman Colony that was founded during the Roman Civilization. In the Middle Ages, Tenaglie was called "Castrum Tenaglia" and also "Castro Tenallia". According to history, the medieval village was built around the 12th-13th century, on the basis of an existing Roman villa, of which some mosaic floors were found a few years ago. Today, a fragment of the mosaic is deposited at the parish church of Saints Giovanni Battista and Nicolò. In 1999, General Vittoriano Giachini, as Honorary Commissioner for the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage of Umbria, photographed the mosaic, and the photo was deposited at the 17th century Palazzo Ancajani. Tenaglie was governed by Baschi until the end of the 16th century, then by Ancajani until 1896, the year of the death of Baron Decio Ancajani. After him, the estate of Tenaglie with the castle changed hands several times. At the death of Baron Decio, there were 24 heirs who contested his enormous patrimony, assigned to each heir in the early 20th century. The baron never married, so the entire estate of Tenaglie with the castle went to Francesca Gregori, Mother Superior in Palermo, who later gave it to her sister, Countess Eleonora Gregori, in exchange for the Valserana estate and other properties. Countess Eleonora Gregori went to live in Tenaglie with her husband, Dr. Lorenzo Bagnolesi (surgeon in Campiglia Marittima, who had joined Garibaldi's troops as a young man), following the death of her two daughters Ada and Vera, and the separation from her husband. The estate with the castle was then inherited by their daughter Giuseppina Bagnolesi, married to Pericle Morichetti, a wealthy timber merchant and owner of a small palace in Orvieto. Count Gregorio Giannuzzi di Anagni of the Ancajani Barons (Anagni, 3 August 1844 - Tenaglie, 18 March 1919), buried in the Tenaglie cemetery, is part of the vast group of heirs of the Baron. The Morichetti, Anna Rosa and Lamberto, lived in the castle until 1958. In 1956, a series of unfortunate events, including a major frost that compromised the harvest of the estate's plantations, forced the Bagnolesi-Morichetti family, the last descendants of the Ancajani Barons, to move to Rome with their children Lamberto and Anna Rosa (the eldest son Lorenzo, an army officer, had died in Albania during the Second World War) after selling the property to Count Francesco Marini Dettina, who held it until 1980. It was then bought by Walter Pacini, a steel entrepreneur from Viterbo of Tuscan origin, who resold only the castle in 1986, while the territory of the estate was subsequently sold to several private individuals.
Conclusion
Tenaglie has a long and interesting history, and together with its natural beauty, makes it a perfect destination for those seeking a bit of peace and tranquility. If you ever have the opportunity to visit this small village, don't miss it. You will surely fall in love with its timeless beauty!
