Monte Gabbione

Monte Gabbione (as with most names of this type, it can be spelled correctly in one word or in two) is a hilltown on the infrequently traveled road from Monteleone d' Orvieto (4 km W) to S. Venanzo and Marsciano (27 and 37 km E, respectively); another small road leads N to Piegaro (8 km N). Although Monteleone has two old churches — the 17c Madonna delle Grazie and the Franciscan convent of La Scansola — the town's primary importance was as a defensive bastion at the northern edge of Orvieto's territories: a watchtower of the 12c Rocca remains, now ingloriously used as an electrical substation.

More medieval defensive works can be seen at the nearby hamlet of Poggio della Croce, where some Roman tombs have also been found.