Narni (Narnia in Latin) is an Italian town of 19 169 inhabitants in the province of Terni in Umbria. According to recent studies, the geographical center of the Italian peninsula falls within its territory.
The Augustus Bridge is a Roman bridge located near Narni Scalo
and used in ancient times to cross the gorge created by the Nera
river. At the foot of the city of Narni, along the Via Flaminia, one
arrives along the Funara road, just before the hamlet of Stifone,
near the Nera river. This, entering the gorge of the Corviano and
Santa Croce mountains, crashes on the pillars of the Roman bridge of
Augustus, which originally joined the two mountains.
Cited in
classical sources, depicted by artists and travelers, a true
masterpiece of Roman architecture, it is to be placed in relation to
the major renovations commissioned by Augustus in 27 BC, along the
route of the Flaminian consular road. Of the imposing original
structure remain two arched pylons on the bank of Mount Corviano, an
opposing section on the bank of Mount Santa Croce and the ruins of
two pylons of the central arch, which collapsed before 1055.
The original length of the bridge was to be about 160 m for a height
of 30 m, with an admirable span of the central arch of about 32 m,
while the width of the road surface was 8 m. The front, made of a
concrete core and facing of square blocks with ashlar and
alternating courses, has (at two thirds of the height of the
pillars) a projecting cornice, which is found in the internal part
of the arch. The pylons have a rectangular plan and are partly set
on the rock.
Over time, it has repeatedly been subject to
collapses and severe damage, such as those dating back to 1053-54.
It is assumed that the bridge was raised on four arches, all with a
different width ranging from 19 m of the first, 32 m of the central
arch, about 17 m of the third and 16 m of the fourth, if it existed.
According to Guattani, the stones were removed from a place called
Valle Mantea, near Civitella San Paolo, towards Fiano Romano; in
1724 it was also discovered how the stones remained firmly connected
to each other since, in addition to the lime, iron cores firmly
leaded at their ends had been used.
The Palazzo dei Priori in Narni is located in Piazza dei Priori,
where in Roman times there was the forum. It has the bell tower on
the right and, in front, the Town Hall.
The building
The
building is rich in elements: the portal, the auctioneer's loggia,
the loggia attributed to Gattapone architecturally composed of a
central pillar, two arches that form the façade and another central
octagonal pillar, which supports the arches of the vault divided by
four sailing cruises. The walls have traces of frescoes and
inscriptions. At a certain height there are iron rings which are
presumably the traces of the pillory. The upper part of the building
is from the Renaissance period. The same building, in 1618, became
the seat of the house of the Piarist Fathers, occupied by them until
1800.
The Town Hall
The Palazzo Comunale di Narni, also called Palazzo del Podestà or
del Vicario, is located on the Piazza dei Priori, in the center of
Narni, in front of the Palazzo dei Priori. It was built towards the
end of the 13th century on top of three mighty adjoining towers
which, joined together, later formed a single building.
From
some documents preserved in the municipal historical archive we
learn that:
"On August 5, 1273, when the General and Special
Council was assembled in the church of S. Severino, by authority and
mandate of Alberto da Montebono podestà and Giacomo da Massa captain
of the people, Berrettino public auctioneer was elected as mayor and
procurator to buy the houses and the tower located in the parish of
S. Saved, located in Piazza Priora, which once belonged to Sinibaldo
di Sinibaldo, a noble from Narnese, for the price of a thousand
Cortonese pounds. On the 13th the same cap, in the name of the
municipality, bought a house and a tower from Giovannuccio di
Simonzone and Giovanni Andrea at the same price and, later, on the
19th, the houses and towers, located in the same parish and
neighboring with the one already purchased, by the military knight
Tommaso di Matteo Oddone. "
The three tower-dwellings were therefore distinct from each other
and still you can see, by observing the masonry, the short space now
buffered that divided them from one another. Each of them had its
access arch of which traces remain. Many and different were the
transformation works to make the complex worthy of the Podestà's
residence. On the main floor the windows, initially mullioned
windows, are replaced with other valuable Guelph cross travertine
windows. These "crusader windows" soon became, and remain, the
hallmark of the building. It is actually a petrifaction of the
wooden frame of medieval windows. The similarity with the windows of
Palazzo Venezia in Rome and with those of the Palazzo di Giustizia
in Perugina is very evident. From Rome, in fact, the application
spreads throughout central Italy and that of Narni remains an
exemplary case.
The construction of the windows is attributed
to two different artists; some attribute it to the architect
Bernardino da Settignano, known as Rossellino, who, according to
Vasari, was in Narni in 1449 to direct the restoration work of the
fortress, by order of Nicolò V.
Others want the work to be
attributed to the Narni architect Nuccio de Risis who, for about
fifteen years, between 1455 and 1470, worked in Rome for Paul II. He
was well known in the fifteenth century, as an entrepreneur of
restorations and masonry works in Rome where he worked, as mentioned
in Martinori's Cronistoria Narnese, in the gallery of St. Peter's,
at the Vatican, at Castel Sant'Angelo and at Palazzo Venezia.
Unfortunately, however, at the moment, there are no supporting
documents to confirm either hypothesis.
Under Leo X (1513-21)
the civic magistrate settled in this palace, initially considered as
a residence reserved for the Podestà. While Gregorio Risi,
Marcantonio Area and Angelo Andreozzini-Capocaccia were chief priors
(1526), the upper frieze of the main hall of the Council was
painted with the coats of arms of Clement VII and the cardinal
archbishop of Strigonia, who, passing through Narni, in 1513, it had
been well received and treated at public expense.
From the
observation of the façade you can see the ogival doors (blocked and
suppressed to make a large single door) that gave entrance to the
Palace. One of these, to the right of the facade, walled up like the
others, deserves particular attention. Where now there is the
headquarters of the Pro-Loco, the chapel of the Most Holy Savior was
created which replaced that of San Salvatore which, probably, was
located where the century fountain now stands. XIV. Having been
suppressed the chapel, of which a fresco by Torresani remains, the
wall created to close the arch was decorated with bas-reliefs: there
is a false loggia and, immediately above, a group of significant
bas-reliefs, dating back to the 13th century, depicting various
subjects: Judith and Holofernes, fantastic animals, a probable
falcon hunt and jousting knights. This "facade within the facade"
was built in connection with the suppression of the church of San
Salvatore (located near the fountain) around 1495, reusing the
materials here.
The front of the Palace, in ancient times,
was decorated with the coats of arms of the podestà and, later, also
by those of the governors and cardinals, of which some marble
epigraphs remain today. The Renaissance entrance of the building
introduces into the beautiful atrium obtained from the
transformation of the central tower. In the inner courtyard there is
a collection of ancient Roman and medieval fragments of great
archaeological value. The Roman finds were found mainly along the
Via Flaminia, while the medieval ones probably come from the portico
of the church of S. Domenico and from the basement of the church of
S. Maria Impensole.
Here we can also find the Mensa
Ponderaria, a travertine block in which six basins have been
excavated, used as a reference unit for measuring the volume of
grains. At the center of the atrium a mighty pillar supports the
vaults of the upper floor. Going up the staircase of honor you will
notice the portal with the inscription of the Monte di Pietà.
Founded in Narni in 1400, it was one of the first in Italy to be
established: the entrance door with the inscription on the
architrave can still be seen today: Mons Pietatis. Going up you
arrive in the atrium of the council chamber, a room painted in a
beautiful cardinal red where, in addition to the city coat of arms,
the castles that belonged to the municipality before 1860 are
depicted. The ceiling is painted with fake wooden coffers.
It is known that, up to 1800, in the great hall of the Council
around the walls of the hall were painted the images of the most
illustrious Narnese, such as Cocceio Nerva emperor (who a constant
tradition wanted to come from Narni), Erasmo da Narni called
Gattamelata famous leader of the 15th century, Galeotto Marzio,
famous doctor, astronomer, scholar, accompanied by Latin epigrams
which were then abraded and canceled, some brought to light by
subsequent restorations. At the end of the council chamber was the
table with a predella depicting the Coronation of the Virgin by
Ghirlandaio, now on display in the Eroli museum. It had been
commissioned by Cardinal Berardo Eroli for the church of S. Girolamo
dei Frati Minori Franciscani and this explains the prevalence of the
figures of Franciscan saints.
On the opposite wall there is a
fresco of 1500 reproduced on canvas representing St. Francis
receiving the stigmata with the following inscription: ENIM STIGMATA
DOMINI JESUS IN CORPORE MEO PORTO MCCCCC DIE XXVIII SEPTEMBRIS
(The marks of Jesus on my body on 28 september 1500), from Spain,
which was removed from the church of S Girolamo in 1906, when the
Municipality sold the church and convent to the Count of Valbranea.
On the right side we can see a fresco depicting Galeotto Marzio with
an inscription that enhances the work.
In the sixteenth
century we find for the first time the news of an activity that will
have a very interesting development in Narni and that directly
concerns the history of the Palace: the "Upper Great Hall" was used
to set up a temporary theater, as already happened, for over a
century, in the halls of many Italian palaces. This new activity is
recorded in the Narni Reformations starting from 1572 and is
confirmed by the data that emerged from the archaeological
excavations, the stratigraphic essays and the surveys carried out on
the wall decorations. What the campaign of essays called the first
decorative phase corresponds to the situation of the upper large
room around the middle of the century. XVI. Fragments of black
plaster, of the type used for the graffiti decoration, between the
beam and beam of the roof were found: this plaster excludes the
false ceiling of the room with painted ceiling, nailed to the beams
of the trusses, certainly made when the Theater Hall was transformed
into Stable theater.
On the second floor, in the room below
the foyer of the theater, a valuable decorated coffered ceiling was
rediscovered by removing a modern false ceiling, probably from the
end of the 16th century, when that wing of the building was still
owned by the Eroli family.
The facade
The facade of the
Town Hall has undergone several changes over the years. The city of
Narni is an agglomeration enclosed by a circle of walls, the
buildings that constitute it all have the same simple typology and
of not considerable size. Even the buildings that make up the Palace
are simple buildings in themselves, which reflect the typical
medieval architectural characteristics; the grandeur is acquired
when the three tower-houses are merged thus showing a single large
complex enriched by the contribution of valuable decorative
elements. The construction method of the façade appears simple as it
follows a fairly regular trend, even if several alterations have
taken place over time: masonry elevations, arches infill, addition
of decorative elements
Decorative apparatus
There are many
changes and elements added to the facade to give the structure an
important tone and enrich it with valuable elements, thus managing
to distinguish and characterize it compared to the simple buildings
of the city.
Windows
Towards the middle of the fifteenth
century the façade of the Town Hall was embellished by the
replacement of the six windows, initially single or mullioned, with
six large cross windows. The noble floor is thus further enriched by
these valuable works.
The windows are of particular
importance if we consider how this type called "Guelph cross"
(considered the petrification of the wooden frame) introduces the
architecture of the building into Renaissance art which sees the use
of the same type of window especially in Rome in important palaces
such as Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo della Rovere, Palazzo dei Cavalieri
di Rodi, but also for example in Perugia in the Palazzo del
Capitano.
Despite the applications of this structure in other
important buildings, that of Narni remains one of the most exemplary
cases.
The Fortress of Albornoz
The Eroli Museum preserves an altarpiece by Ghirlandaio and an
Annunciation by Benozzo Gozzoli
The Giuseppe Manini Municipal
Theater
The Roman aqueduct of Formina
The source of Feronia
Roman shipyard of Stifone
The castle of San Girolamo
Narni
underground
Cardona Bridge
Religious buildings
The
cathedral, dedicated to its first bishop San Giovenale
The Abbey
of San Cassiano
- the church of Santa Maria Impensole
- the
church of San Francesco
- the church of San Domenico
- the
church of Sant'Agostino
- the church of Santa Margherita
- the
church of Santa Restituta
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ponte
The Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, in the hamlet of Schifanoia
The Speco of San Francesco
Romanesque church of Santa Pudenziana
(just outside the city)
Abbey of Sant'Angelo in Massa
Prehistory and the Umbrian Settlement (Nequinum)
Human
presence in the Narni area dates to the Paleolithic and Neolithic
periods, with artifacts like stone tools and evidence of ritual use
found in caves such as the Grotta dei Cocci on Mount Santa Croce.
Bronze and Iron Age remains, including an Italic warrior burial
(with spears and bronze plates) discovered near Miriano along the
future Via Flaminia, point to early settlements.
By the 8th–7th
centuries BC, the Osco-Umbrian (Italic) people established a
fortified oppidum called Nequinum on the steep cliff where the later
Albornoz Fortress now stands. This was likely the central hub of a
confederation of villages, an impregnable stronghold overlooking the
Nera Valley. The name Nequinum (possibly evoking “unconquerable” or,
ironically in Latin, sounding like nequam—“worthless”) reflected its
defensive importance as the last major Umbrian bastion before Roman
expansion.
Roman Conquest and the Golden Age of Narnia (299
BC–5th Century AD)
In 299 BC, after a prolonged siege (initially
led by Consul Quintus Appuleius Pansa in 300 BC and completed the
next year by Marcus Fulvius), Rome captured Nequinum. Local
treachery—a tunnel dug from a house inside the walls—sealed its
fate. The Romans renamed it Narnia after the river Nar (Nera) and
established a Latin colony to secure the region.
Narnia became
one of the 30 Latin colonies and a key node on the Via Flaminia
(built c. 220 BC). It flourished as a municipium after the Social
War (90–88 BC), assigned to the Papiria tribe. Its river port at
Stifone featured a shipyard used in the Punic Wars; cavalry from
Narnia carried news of the Roman victory at the Battle of the
Metaurus (207 BC) to Rome. In 209 BC, for refusing aid during the
Second Punic War, it was punished with heavier levies but remained
strategically vital.
Major infrastructure included:
The
Ponte d’Augusto (Augustus Bridge), a monumental structure over the
Nera with one surviving massive arch.
The Acquedotto della
Formina (built under Emperor Tiberius, 24–33 AD), a 13-km aqueduct
supplying water until the 1920s.
Narnia prospered from fertile
lands (including villas like that of Pliny the Younger’s
mother-in-law) and trade. It was the birthplace of Emperor Marcus
Cocceius Nerva (30–98 AD), the first of the Five Good Emperors.
Christianity arrived early; Saint Juvenal (appointed bishop c.
368–369 AD by Pope Damasus I) became the town’s patron saint.
Early Middle Ages: Invasions, Byzantines, and Papal Ascendancy
(5th–11th Centuries)
After the Western Roman Empire’s fall, Narni
endured barbarian invasions. Its Via Flaminia location made it a
flashpoint in the Gothic Wars (6th century): contested by Byzantines
under Belisarius and Narses against the Goths under Totila, who
plundered it. Bishop Saint Cassius helped protect the city.
In
the late 6th–8th centuries, it shifted between the Exarchate of
Ravenna, the Lombard Duchy of Spoleto, and papal control. Lombard
kings (Liutprand, Aistulf) seized it multiple times, but popes
(Zachary, Stephen II) reclaimed it with Frankish aid from Pepin and
Charlemagne. By the 8th–9th centuries, it fell under the Duchy of
Rome and papal rule; threats from Saracens persisted into the 10th
century.
A notable figure was Bishop John (from the powerful
Crescentii family), whose brother became Pope John XIII (965–972).
By the 11th century, Narni was firmly in the Papal orbit but showed
growing independence.
High and Late Middle Ages: Free
Commune, Conflicts, and Papal Fortress (12th–15th Centuries)
In
1143, Narni became a self-governing free commune (one of the
earliest in Umbria), with consuls documented and urban expansion:
the Roman forum area became Piazza dei Priori, flanked by the
Palazzo del Podestà and Palazzo dei Priori. Tower houses rose for
noble families; churches like San Giovenale (later the cathedral,
consecrated by Pope Eugene III) and San Domenico were built or
enlarged.
It expanded control over nearby towns (San Gemini,
Stroncone, Otricoli) and repeatedly rebelled or allied against popes
and emperors—e.g., against Pope Paschal II (1112), Frederick
Barbarossa (1167), and siding with Rome/Perugia against Frederick II
(1242). Conflicts with Terni over castles like Stroncone and Miranda
were frequent.
Cardinal Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz
reconquered it for the Papal States in 1354. In 1367–1378, he built
the imposing Rocca Albornoziana fortress (on earlier structures) to
dominate the town and secure the Via Flaminia corridor. Statutes
were reformed in 1371; it briefly became an Orsini fief (1373,
1409). Occupations by King Ladislaus of Naples (1403) and
condottiero Braccio da Montone followed, but it returned to firm
papal control under Pope Martin V.
Early Modern Period:
Decline After the 1527 Sack (16th–18th Centuries)
Narni’s
fortunes plummeted in 1527 during the Sack of Rome. Imperial
Landsknechts (under the Prince of Orange) besieged and sacked the
town for two weeks after resistance at Porta Pietra; Terni looted
its clock. Much of the population fled or died; the town lay largely
deserted.
Slow recovery under popes like Paul III and Pius IV
brought tax exemptions for rebuilding walls and aqueducts, but
plagues (1591) and full papal governance persisted. Limited
industrial promotion (e.g., ironworks under Clement XI) occurred,
but Narni remained a quiet papal backwater.
Contemporary Era:
From French Revolution to Modern Italy (Late 18th Century–Present)
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras brought upheaval: Narni
joined the short-lived Roman Republic (1798–1799), then the
Napoleonic Kingdom, before the 1814 Restoration returned it to the
Papal States (as part of the Spoleto-Rieti delegation).
Patriotic
ferment grew: in 1831 it joined anti-papal revolts; in 1849 it
supported the Second Roman Republic. During the Risorgimento,
Narnesi helped annex Umbria to the Kingdom of Italy in 1860;
Piedmontese troops captured the Rocca on 28 September 1860, ending
papal rule amid local enthusiasm. The Orte-Foligno railway (1866)
boosted connectivity.
Early 20th-century industrialization
(linoleum and chemical plants in the Nera Valley) transformed the
economy. Narni contributed to both World Wars (monument to WWI
fallen at Ternana Gate; WWII damage and liberation in June 1944).
Post-war, it integrated into Terni’s industrial zone while
preserving its historic core.
Restorations in the 1950s–60s
revived churches like San Francesco and the cathedral. The modern
Corsa dell’Anello (Ring Race) festival, revived in 1969,
commemorates the 1371 statutes and medieval traditions.
Location and Coordinates
Narni lies at approximately
42°31′09″N 12°30′54″E (or 42.5193°N, 12.5151°E). It sits on the left
(eastern) bank of the Nera River, roughly 12 km (7.5 mi) upstream
from the river’s confluence with the Tiber River. The town is about
14 km (9 mi) south of Terni and 82 km (51 mi) north of Rome. It
claims to be very near the geographical center of peninsular Italy
(a distinction also claimed by nearby Rieti).
The comune covers
an area of 197 km² (76 sq mi) and includes the main hilltown plus
numerous frazioni (hamlets) and dispersed rural settlements such as
Narni Scalo, Montoro, San Liberato, and others. The municipality’s
terrain spans a wide elevation range: minimum around 42 m (138 ft)
along the river valleys, average ~250 m (820 ft), and maximum up to
1,017 m (3,337 ft) on the higher ridges and hills.
Topography
and Terrain
Narni is a classic Umbrian hill town perched
dramatically on a rocky outcrop at 240 m (790 ft) above sea level.
The historic center rises about 146 m (479 ft) above the valley
floor below. The town itself sits on a narrow spur whose slopes
descend steeply toward the Nera River gorge and the surrounding
plains.
The landscape is characterized by:
Steep hills and
gorges carved by the Nera River.
Broader fertile valleys (notably
the Piano di Terni / Terni plain).
Surrounding Apennine foothills
and higher mountains that frame the views in nearly every direction.
The Via Flaminia (the ancient Roman road from Rome to Rimini)
cuts through the area; outside the town it was historically hewn
directly into the living rock, following the natural contours of the
steep terrain.
The overall topography combines dramatic vertical
relief (cliffs and gorges) with gentler rolling hills covered in
woodland and olive groves, creating a highly varied and visually
striking landscape.
Hydrology: The Nera River and Gorges
The Nera River (ancient Nar) is the dominant hydrological feature.
Narni directly overhangs a narrow, steep-sided gorge of the river,
giving the town its dramatic riverside perch. The Nera flows
turquoise-blue through the valley, fed by the fertile Valnerina
(Nera Valley) system. About 12 km downstream it joins the Tiber,
contributing to the larger Tiber basin that drains much of central
Italy.
A key natural highlight is the Gole del Nera (Nera
Gorges), a protected scenic stretch within the comune. Here, the
river winds through deep, rocky canyons flanked by steep, wooded
slopes. A disused railway line has been converted into a popular
multi-use path (trekking, biking, horseback riding) running ~5 km
along the gorge, with access for canoeing and kayaking. The gorges
host rich biodiversity, including holm oak and manna ash woodlands,
and serve as habitat for birds such as blue rock thrush and various
raptors.
Climate
Narni has a hot-summer Mediterranean
climate (Köppen Csa), typical of lower-elevation inland Umbria but
moderated by its hilltop position and surrounding mountains. The
climate is temperate overall, tending toward cool/cold in winter,
with prevailing north and south winds. Annual average temperature is
about 14.0 °C (57.2 °F), with yearly precipitation around 1,011 mm
(39.8 in).
Typical monthly patterns (approximate averages):
Winter (Dec–Feb): Cool to cold, with daytime highs 9–10 °C (48–50
°F) and nighttime lows near or below freezing (0–2 °C). Moderate
rainfall.
Spring (Mar–May): Mild and increasingly pleasant, highs
14–22 °C.
Summer (Jun–Aug): Warm to hot and relatively dry, highs
27–31 °C (81–88 °F), with July–August being the hottest and
sunniest.
Autumn (Sep–Nov): Mild to cool, with increasing
rainfall.
Precipitation is moderate and fairly evenly
distributed but peaks in autumn and spring; summers are drier. Snow
is possible in winter on the higher surrounding hills, though rare
in the town itself. The varied altitude within the comune creates
microclimates: warmer and milder in the valleys, cooler and more
continental on the higher ridges.
Vegetation, Land Use, and
Environment
The surrounding territory is notably fertile,
especially in the Nera-irrigated valleys, which support cereals,
vineyards, fruit orchards, and market gardens. The hills are
extensively covered with olive groves producing high-quality oil,
while higher slopes and ridges feature dense woodlands
(predominantly oak, including holm oak). The landscape blends
cultivated farmland, olive terraces, and natural forest, typical of
the Umbrian “green heart” of Italy.
The area is part of the
broader Umbrian Apennine ecosystem, with significant biodiversity in
the gorges and woodlands. Protected or valued natural zones include
the Gole del Nera and the San Liberato oasis. The combination of
river, gorge, hills, and mountain backdrop creates a highly scenic
and ecologically rich environment that has supported human
settlement since ancient times.
In summary, Narni’s geography is
defined by its commanding hilltop position above a dramatic river
gorge, set within a varied landscape of fertile valleys, wooded
hills, and Apennine ridges. This topography—steep relief, riverine
features, and Mediterranean climate—has profoundly influenced its
defensibility, agriculture, and aesthetic appeal, making it one of
Umbria’s most picturesque and strategically located towns.