Morra

Morra is a small Umbrian village, half way between Cortona and Città di Castello, where in ancient times the Roman legions used to stop to rest along their travels through the Empire. Morra is famous for the Oratory of St Crescentino, which is dedicated to the Holy Roman soldier, who discovered his Christian faith, then was sentenced to be beheaded by the Etruscan prefect of the time.

Two inscriptions on the facade indicate that, in 1420, it was built a small oratory, and that in 1507 it was rebuilt and enlarged. On the facade, there is a beautiful wrought door, with the 17th-century two small windows, and the disproportionate window, which stops the pediment.

The interior is simple, rectangular-shaped, covered with trusses and ending with a finely carved stone niche. Many frescoes inside are by the painter Luca Signorelli of Cortona, who going in Citta di Castello, stayed in Morra. There is a drawing of the "Flagellation" of Christ in the Uffizi in Florence, and one at the Louvre in Paris.

The residents of Morra celebrate St Crescentino in the month of June every year, and the local Brotherhood of Blessed Sacrament makes an evocative procession that winds through the streets of the village. In October, there is the festival of chestnuts.