Cannara (Umbria)

Cannara is a town and comune on the Topino River in the floodplain of central Umbria, in the province of Perugia. The main monuments consist in a number of small churches, among which the most important is probably the Church of the Buona Morte (also known as the Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis), which may be associated with the foundation of the Third Order by St. Francis of Assisi. In the territory of the comune, a shrine at Pian d'Arca commemorates the Miracle of the Birds of the same St. Francis; and the little hilltop town of Collemancio has two old churches and a ruined Roman settlement identified by some with Urbinum Hortense. Cannara's main annual celebration is a Sagra in honor of the onion: the Festa della Cipolla. The week-long festival, featuring onion-based dining al fresco, draws over 10,000 visitors and is one of the best of the Umbrian sagre.