Narni

The story

Nestled on the last foothills of the Sabini Mountains towards the Terni basin, the village of Narni has the unique characteristic of being defended on one side by double walls and on the other by the steep slope of the Nera Valley, which is impassable and composed of many rocky spurs.

The area around the village of Narni (Narnia in Latin) was already inhabited in the Palaeolithic era, as evidenced by the findings in some of the caves in the area. Around the beginning of the first millennium, the Osco-Umbrians settled in the area, calling their settlement Nequinum.

In 300 BC, the citadel became of interest to Rome, which had it besieged by the consul Quinto Appuleio Pansa, but without success due to its inaccessible position. It took over a year to accomplish the feat, which took place in 299 BC thanks to the betrayal of two local people who allowed the Romans to enter the walls. It thus became a Roman colony and a strategic centre along the Via Flaminia. To punish the support given to the Gauls, and considering Nequinum to be a bad omen (in Latin, nequeo means ‘I cannot’ and nequitia means ‘uselessness’), the Romans changed the name of the city to the Latin Narnia, from the name of the nearby river Nar, now known as the Nera.

Along the Nera River, near the hamlet of Stifone, where the port of the Roman city once stood, the archaeological site of what appears to be a Roman shipyard has recently been identified. It became a municipium in 90 BC. In 27 BC, Emperor Augustus had the entire Via Flaminia paved, repaired the old bridges and built new ones. According to many authors, the great bridge over the Nera River below Narni was also built during this period, and in fact takes its name from it.

In 30 AD, Nerva, the last Italic among the Roman emperors, was born there. Narnia is mentioned by Tertullian in his Apologeticum, in a list of ‘false gods’ compiled in the first century, as the city was the ancient home of the god Visidianus (Narnensium Visidianus). In 96 AD, the Senate and the Roman people appointed Cocceius Nerva, a native of Narni, as emperor. Under his rule, the Romans saw the return of an era of freedom. According to Tacitus, those 16 months of reign were a period of public happiness. Among other things, he put an end to the persecution of Christians, restored the Appian Way and Valeria Way, and built the Forum and the Temple of Minerva.

A legend from Narni tells that, in medieval times, there was a griffin in the territory between Narni and Perugia, against which the two cities, at war with each other, had formed a coalition. Once killed, Perugia kept the griffin’s bones (white) as a trophy and Narni kept its skin (red). This is why the griffin of Perugia is white and that of Narni is red.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD), Narni found itself in the path of the barbarian hordes heading for Rome, and its walls were dismantled (545 AD) by Totila, king of the Goths, but according to some authors, the bishop of the city, St. Cassius, prevented its destruction. The Goths were succeeded by the Lombards, who established the great Duchy of Spoleto, which extended as far as Lazio, and the city became a border fortress between the powerful Duchy and the Roman state. Alternately lost and reconquered by the Dukes of Spoleto and belonging for a short period to the estates of Countess Matilda of Canossa, in 741 the city was assigned by the Franks to the Papal States.

Starting in the 11th century, the medieval city (which rebelled against Pope Paschal II in 1112, Frederick Barbarossa in 1167, and sided with Rome and Perugia against the empire in 1242) extended its territorial influence over San Gemini, Stroncone, Calvi, Otricoli, and Castiglione. In the 12th century, the Cathedral was built just outside the ancient city walls, which were enlarged to include the religious centre.

In the village

Medieval urban planning created an irregular layout, which gradually occupied the hill, with today’s Piazza Garibaldi as its centrepiece.
The transformations were radical: the Platea Major replaced the Roman forum, and large civil and religious buildings were constructed, such as the Palazzo del Podestà, the Palazzo dei Priori, the Cathedral of San Giovenale, and the churches of Santa Maria Impensole, San Domenico, and Sant’Agostino, decorated with works by renowned artists such as Benozzo Gozzoli, Vecchietta, Pier Matteo d’Amelia, and Spagna.

In the 14th century, Narni became part of the territories controlled by the papacy, thus losing its independence. Under the pontificate of Gregory XI, Cardinal Albornoz built an imposing fortress that dominates the town from above. With the loss of political autonomy, economic and cultural decline began, including the episode of the sack of the Lanzichenecchi (17 July 1527) and the plague that followed in their wake. The city was not destroyed, but the human losses were considerable. In the following years, the survivors began reconstruction and some illustrious citizens restored prestige to the city, including the Arca, Cardoli, Eroli, Cesi and Sacripante families. In 1664, the Municipal Library was founded.

The French Revolution and its armies completely changed the old order in Italy: in 1789, Narni became part of the first Roman Republic, which fell and was replaced by papal rule. During the revolutionary and Napoleonic period, Narni once again followed the fortunes of the Papal States, which were subsequently annexed to the French Empire. After 1814, the Restoration sought to strengthen the old structures and order of the state, but the new unrest continued; in 1831, Narni joined the short-lived revolt against Gregory XVI. In 1849, the second Roman Republic sparked hopes and illusions, and the progressive evolution of the Risorgimento, in which Narni patriots played a large part, led to the annexation of Umbria to Italy, which was formed in 1859-60. In 1856, the municipal theatre was inaugurated with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. On 23 September 1860, after the city had been occupied by Piedmontese troops on the 21st of the same month, the Rocca surrendered, thus ending papal rule over Narni to the great enthusiasm of the population.