Narni Walk

The walk begins in Piazza Garibaldi, which is thronged with buses, cafés and people.  The fountain at the centre of the piazza, which was rebuilt after the sack of Narni in 1527, stands next to the medieval cistern that was built on a Roman cistern (1st century AD) fed by the Acquedotto della Formina.  Both the cistern amd the acqueduct can be visited by prior arrangement with Narni Sotterranea. 

The left wall of the Duomo dominates the north side of the piazza.  Subsidence has led to the exposure of its foundations, and a flight of steps had to be built to provide access to the side door.  The arch on the right was opened under Palazzo Vescovile in 1832 to provide better vehicular access to Piazza Cavour.  However, it is more interesting to turn right a little way along the main road and enter this piazza by taking the first left [Vicola Belvedere?] through Porta Superior.  This medieval arch, which is also known as Arco Romano, re-used Roman masonry and might have been an ante-porte to the Roman city.  Turn left into Piazza Cavour.

In 1936, a number of rectangular graves (8th century BC ) were found cut into the rock under this piazza.  The people buried here were the remote ancestors of the inhabitants of a fortified settlement that the Romans called Nequinium, a settlement that  they conquered in 299 BC.  This necropolis was probably just outside its walls.

The main entrance to the Duomo (San Giovenale) is in front of you, and ex-Palazzo Vescovile (17th century), which houses the Pinacoteca on its 1st floor, is on the left. 

The Roman City

Leave Piazza Cavour along Via Garibaldi.  The building in the piazza on the corner with Via Garibaldi contains the remains of part of the wall (ca. 299 BC) that the Romans built around their new colony of Narnia.  Another short section in direct line with it was discovered in the right aisle of the Duomo in 1953.  In Roman times, Via Flaminia probably entered the city at this point and continued through along what is now Via Garibaldi, which was then the Cardo Maximus. 

Take the first left and walk along Via del Campanile, past the campanile of the Duomo.  It comprises a sandstone base (12th century) from the original church and a brick  upper part (15th century).  Continue to San Francesco.  The huge Palazzo Eroli (14th century, remodelled in the 17th century) next to it once had an internal door into the family chapel in the church.

Take the first turn on the right, Vicola del Comune, past the side of Palazzo Comunale on the right, into the Piazza dei Priori.  This was the Roman forum and the medieval Platea Maior.  The civic fountain is at the end of the piazza on the left, and the buildings opposite you are (from left to right): the Loggia dei Priori; the Torre Civica; and Palazzo Sacripante (13th century), which has medieval reliefs on its facade.

Fontana di Piazza dei Priori (13th century) This fountain must have been an important civic commission, perhaps inspired by the Fontana Maggiore, Perugia (1274).  It was fed by the Acquedotto della Formina.  The bronze basin, which was forged from a church bell, is inscribed with the date 1303.

Palazzo dei Priori and Torre Civica (14th century) The Comune bought some houses here in 1273, presumably in order to build a public palace.  The present palace is attributed to Matteo Gattapone.  The presence of the Orsini arms above the central pilaster suggests that it was commissioned in 1373-7, when the Orsini held Narni for the papacy.  The two huge vaults belong to the 14th century building, along with the portal to the right and Loggetta del Banditore (illustrated below).  The upper storey was added in the 15th century.  The iron rings [where ??] were used as a public pillory. The building was used as a school from 1618 until the 19th century.

Leave Piazza dei Priori along Via Mazzini, to Santa Maria Impensole on the right.  having visited the church, walk down [name??], to the right of it.   The entrance to the  lower church is on the  left,  just before the  1st turn on the left.  If you briefly take that turn, you can see the hanging apse  of  the upper church, immediately on the left.   If the  entrance to the lower church is locked, you can  arrange to see it  by contacting  Narni Sotterranea.

Return to Via Mazzini and continue to Palazzo Scotti, at number 7 on the left.

Palazzo Scotti (16th century) The palace, which incorporates a much older tower, was built for Cardinal Giovanni Bernardo Scotti (died 1568).   (The Conti Scotti owned Castello di San Vito outside Narni). If you walk into the inner courtyard and look back, you will see the handsome double loggia. The interior is decorated with frescos by the Zuccari (1581).

The three towers known as the Torre dei Marzi (14th century) are at number 14 - 23 on the right.  The inscription "Ludovicus Martius" is on the portal of the central tower.  This was the birthplace in 1427 of the humanist Galeotto Marzio. 

The next turn on the left leads to the Giardino di San Bernardo, which was the site of a Cistercian monastery that was demolished in the 19th century.  The remains of the campanile of the church of San Bernardo can be seen on the left.  To view the other side, turn left before entering the gardens and then 1st right.

Return to the Giardino di San Bernardo.  The office of Narni Sotterranea is on the right, on the site of the ex-convent of San Domenico.  This is the entrance to the subterranean church of  Sant' Angelo and the rooms used in the 16th century by the Inquisition, all of which are under San Domenico.  You also see the interior of this church during your visit.  Its interesting facade is slightly further along Via Mazzini, in Piazza XIII Giugno, which is named in honour of the liberation of Narni from the Fascists on 13th June, 1944.   Continue along Via Mazzini to Santa Restituta, which is on the left. 

The junction of Via Mazzini and Piazza Galeotto Marzia was probably the site of the Roman gate by which Via Flaminia entered Narni from the north.  Via Marcellina on the right follows the line of the Roman wall while Via della Mura across the piazza follows the medieval circuit.  Take the first of these, and then continue along Via Gattamelata, still following the line of the Roman walls.  Via Gattamelata is named for the condottieri, Erasmo di Narni, called Gattamelata (died 1443), whose nickname derived from the name of his mother, Melania Gattelli da Todi.  The house in which he was born is at number 113 on the right.

Some way further on, you pass the house in which the Blessed Lucy of Narni was born, which is number 16 on the left.  Shortly after, fork left into Via del Asilo, passing Sant' Agostino on the left.

The road swings right as Via Caterina Franceschi Ferrucci, still following the line of the Roman walls.  This road, which is named for the 19th century humanist, leads back  to Via Garibaldi.  Turn left and through Piazza Cavour into Piazza Garibaldi, where the walk round the site of the Roman city ends.

The Medieval Extension

Leave Piazza Garibaldi by Via del Monte, a long stepped street that leads up towards the Rocca.  Continue along Via Ferronia, which follows a large loop.  As you approach the Rocca, the Sorgente di Feronia is on the right.  Continue to the Rocca.

Sorgente di Feronia The conduit (4th or 3rd cntury BC) that carries water from an underground stream to the present fountain is all that survives of what must have been a cult site dedicated to the Sabine goddess Feronia, the protectress of waters and woods. The earliest surviving documentary reference to the site dates to 1100, when a certain Beraldo di Rolando gave what was described as “maccla mortua quae vocatur Ferone” (the place of the dead woman known as Ferone) to the Abbazia di Farfa.  This suggests a surviving memory to the ancient dedication. The outer structure seems to have been built in the 13th century and was restored in 1582.  An inscription on the left wall records the rebuilding of the fountain itself in 1609.

Retrace your steps along Via Ferronia and Via del Monte.  Just before the end of the latter, turn right along Via Nerva to Santa Margherita.   The road is named for Emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva (96 - 8 AD), who was probably born in Narni.

Santa Margherita (1602) [The church was closed during my visit in May 2006, so the following needs to be checked] Inscriptions : dated 1602 (in the vaults of the presbytery); and 1604 (on the water stoup); mention Angelo Cesi, Bishop of Todi and record that the most important families of Narni built this church and the adjoining Benedictine nunnery. The convent seems to have been reserved, at least initially, for noble women.  It was suppressed in the 19th century, when the few remaining nuns moved to Santa Restituta. The bipartite facade of the church is extremely unusual. An inscription [on a marble plaque that is now outside the church] records that the otherwise unknown  Aurelio Amigazzi di Bergamo commissioned the decoration of the church in 1606 in return for Masses to be said for his soul. Important frescoes on the walls depict four scenes of the martyrdom of St Margaret of Antioch (died 303).  They are variously attributed to the Zuccari and to Antonio Circognani, il Pomarancio.

Continue along the road as it swings to the left to join Via Roma opposite the War Memorial.  Turn right to Porta Ternana. 

Porta Ternana (1486) Pope Sixtus IV commissioned this gate as part of a project to strengthen the defences of Narni (see the Rocca).  It is also known as Porta della Arvolte [meaning ??].

Contiue along Via Roma and take the 1st turning on the left, through the park to the Convento di San Girolamo. 

Return along Via Roma to Piazza Garibaldi, where the walk ends.