Campane di Ripa (PG)

Ripa Castle sits atop a hill (314 meters above sea level) between the Tiber and Chiascio rivers. Geographically, it is located on the eastern edge of Perugia; its panorama dominates Assisi and the entire Foligno plain, as well as the Perugian acropolis and Mount Tezio. Its origins date back to the nearby Umbrian-Etruscan-Roman city of Arna, in the 4th century BC. The name likely derives from the Latin "ripa," meaning "shore," as it once overlooked Lake Umber, now dried up. The bell tower of the church of SS. Maria ed Emiliano rises over the remains of an ancient tower from the city walls; It houses a concert of four bells (three-quarters motorized), of which the three largest (G, A, B) were cast by the Magni foundry of Lucca in 1895 (no. 980), while the smallest was added in 1952, made by the Mazzola foundry. This concert is almost identical in pitch and caster to that of the nearby Sant'Egidio church (   • Campane di Sant'Egidio (PG)  ), the only difference being a semitone between the respective largest bells. A small chime located in a sail on the church's roof is also attributable to the Magni foundry. "A circle of houses close together as if to protect themselves from time. The proud and solitary bell tower holds every secret of the remote walls. The last toll surprises the shadow of the night; a note known in youth and then forgotten comes back to life among the narrow streets of that ancient village. Orion in the winter sky watches over you, O Ripa."