City Walls

The walls of the Umbrian settlement at Amelia were probably begun in the 5th century BC.  They later provided the foundations for much of the medieval circuit.  In many places, three phases can be seen:

  • the irregular blocks from the original structure;

  • the regular blocks from a later (probably Roman) restoration; and

  • the small stones in the upper part of the wall that were added in the Middle Ages.

Pope Leo IV reinforced the Western stretch of the city walls in ca. 847 , probably to improve the defences against Saracen raids. 

[The most famous of the Saracen raids that were prevalent at this time was that on Rome in 846, when they landed at Ostia and sacked the basilicas of St Peter and St Paul outside the city walls.  Pope Leo IV built a new circuit of walls to bring St Peters into the fortified circuit, thereby creating the so-called Leonine City.]

Pope Leo X ordered a major restoration of the walls of in 1513.

Walking the Walls

It is possible to follow a track that follows the entire circuit of the walls.  However, the best stretches can easily be seen from Porta Romana.

There is a fine stretch of walls embedded into the buildings on either side the gate itself.



Porta Romana (17th century)

Perhaps the best preserved section is to the left (ie. in the clockwise direction), some 100 meters from this gate.  Evidence of all three phases of the construction of the walls (Umbrian, Roman and medieval) can clearly be seen here.


Three phases of construction of the city walls
This stretch is some 100 meters from Porta Romana,
walking in a clockwise direction

The oldest surviving section along Via della Valle (near the church of Sant' Angelo), which dates to the 5th or 4th century BC, lies inside the medieval circuit (see the walk).    It is some four meters thick and up to eight meters high, and is made up of huge blocks of stone that are laid without mortar.


The oldest stretch of walls in Via della Valle 

 

Porta Leone (ca. 847)

Porta Leone (ca. 847) formed part of the restoration by Pope Leo IV, and is named for him.  To reach it from Porta Romana, walk around the outside of the walls in the counter-clockwise direction. 






Read more:
There is an interesting description (in Italian) of the walls in the site of the Commune of Amelia.


Return to the walk.