Amelia is a city of 10,813 people (2001 census)in the southest part of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Terni. It is approximately 93 km from Perugia and Montreal skyline at night For alternate meanings see city (disambiguation) A city is an urban area that is differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... Umbria is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third-longest river in Italy (disputed — see talk page) at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that... Terni (It. ... Perugia (population 150,000) is the capital city in the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Perugia. ...

The city is approximately 93 kilometers from Perugia (E45 to Terni, then west to Narni. It is 8 kilometers north of Narni (west on E45 approx. 1 km then north to Amelia on SS205) and approx 15.2 kilometers from Orte (on the SP8). Perugia is about 93km to the north Take the E45 to Terni, west to Narni, then take the SS205 north). It is about the same distance from Rome. (Take the A1 to Orte, then the SP8 to Amelia). Perugia (population 150,000) is the capital city in the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Perugia. ... Terni, (Latin: Interamna Nahars) an ancient town of Italy, capital of Terni province in southern Umbria, 42°33N, 12°39E, at 130 meters (427 ft) above sea-level in the plain of the Nera river. ... Bridge of Narni over the Nera River, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, 1826. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,823,807 almost 4,000,000 1...

Early History

Sitting on a hill in the south western corner of Umbria, and overlooking the Tiber River to the east and the Nera River to the west, some say Amelia is the oldest city in Umbria. According to writings of Cato the Elder, a Roman Historian of the 2nd Century BC, the first settlements appeared on the site as long ago as 1134 BC. Umbria is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third longest river in Italy (disputed — see talk page) at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through the Campagna and Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in... Marcus Porcius Cato (Latin: M·PORCIVS·M·F·CATO) (234 BC - 149 BC), Roman statesman, surnamed The Censor, Sapiens, Priscus, or Major (the Elder), to distinguish him from Cato the Younger (his great-grandson), was born at Tusculum. ...

Amelia was purportedly founded by a legendary Umbri king, King Ameroe, who gave the city the name Ameria. The city was later occupied by the Etruscans, and later still by the Romans, who gave it the status of a "Municipium", maybe as early as 338 BC, but certainly by the middle of the 1st Century BC. During the so called "Latin War", during which Rome conquered much of central Italy, Amelia was strategically located on the Via Amerinia, connecting it to Todi, Perugia, Chiusi and Nepi. The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... Todi Todi, town and comune (township) of the Province of Perugia (Umbria) in Italy. ... Perugia (population 150,000) is the capital city in the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Perugia. ... Chiusi (Etruscan Clevsin) is a town and comune in Siena province, Tuscany. ...

During the barbarian invasions, the city was besieged and badly damaged by the Goths, but was rebuilt by the time the Longobards descended from the north and asserted control over most of what is now Umbria. The Longobards, in turn, were forced out by the Byzantines, and thereafter, throughout the Middle Ages, and up to the time of Italian unification in 1860, Amelia stayed more or less under the domination of the Roman Catholic Church within the Papal States. The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Scandinavia that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered around its capital in Constantinople. ... The Roman Catholic Church, (also known as the Catholic Church), is the Christian Church led by the Bishop of Rome (Pope), currently Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) was one of the major historical states of Italy before the boot-shaped peninsula was unified under the Piedmontese crown of Savoy (later a republic). ...

During the period the Longobards remained in control of the Via Flaminia, Amelia was an important stop on a vital alternative route, the so-called Byzantine Way, which connected Rome to the exarchate in Ravenna. The Via Flaminia was a Roman road leading from Rome to Ariminum (Rimini), and was the most important route to the north. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ...

In the Middle Ages, Amelia went through the political convulsions common to other Umbrian cities: struggles that saw it emerge as an independent-minded comune (the Age of the Comunes), then as a city under the control of a succession of powerful families, sometimes ecclesiastical (the Age of the Signori), and subject to internecine warfare between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th century and 13th century. ... The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in Italy during the 12th century and 13th century. ...

Monuments and Buildings

One of the singular "monuments" of Amelia are its walls, parts of which may date to Amelia's earliest days. Large segments of the wall are known for the polygonal-shaped stones of which they are constructed — most likely an Etruscan work. But, the walls were further fortified and enlarged during Roman times and at various times during the Middle Ages. The walls run about 720 meters and are about 3.5 meters thick, and have four main gates: the very imposing Porta Romana to the south, main access to the town, Posterola to the north, Porta Leone to the east and Porta della Valle to the west. See: Etruscan civilization Etruscan language Etruscan alphabet Etruscan mythology See also: Tyrrhenian, Lemnian, Pelasgian. ...

The Romans left other traces of their occupation, including a complex of ten underground "cisterns", built in the 1st Century AD, which collected thermal waters to feed a luxurious Roman Bath. There are also snatches of Roman roads within the city, some of them only recently uncovered. One part sits in the midst of a local restaurant, so you can dine hearing the echoing footsteps of the Amerini from the Roman period. Roman emperors, nobles and other notables used "cool" and quiet Amelia as a getaway spa. This may account for the presence of the large bronze statue of Germanicus, (now housed in the Archaeological Museum in Perugia) which was unearthed near the town in 1963. Bust of Germanicus in the Louvre Germanicus Julius Caesar Claudianus, possibly Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus before adoption (15 BC–AD October 10, 19) was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the early Roman Empire. ...

Today, old Amelia inside the walls, which is most accessible through the Porta Romana, is a well preserved medieval city with much to see and admire. The upper part also offers a stunning view of the Tiber Valley. The "center" of the city is the Piazza del Duomo where you will find the Cathedral and the 30 meter high Torre Civica — or Civic Tower. Nearby, the Archaeological Museum and the Pinoteca Comunale — picture gallery — housed in the old Boccarini college.

There are a number of medieval churches, including the dominating Chiesa San Francesco, started in 1287, in Piazza Vera, adjacent to which is a cloister and a convent, which was added in the 14th century, and renovated with some Renaissance influences in the 16th. The church is capped with an impressive dome that dates to the 11th century, and was modified in the 17th century. There is also a campanile — or bell tower — in this complex. Inside you will find sculptures by Agostino di Duccio, and some Baroque stylings from the 17th and 18th century. By region Italian Renaissance Spanish Renaissance Northern Renaissance French Renaissance German Renaissance English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ...

The church of Sant' Agostino, in via Cavour, built in the 13th Century, has a facade that is a good example of Romanesque architecture with a Gothic overlay. The Marotti pipe organ was only installed in 1841. The church of San Pancrazio features a main door that is a decorative tour-de-force. Of note also is the church of the Madonna delle Cinque Fonti. The now deconsecrated church, San Giovanni Decollato, also called the Ospedaletto, can be viewed outside. Interior of the Saint-Saturnin church St-Sernin basilica, Toulouse, 1080 – 1120: elevation of the east end Romanesque sculpture, cloister of St. ... Besides its original meaning, of or relating to the Goths (Gothos, Getas), a Germanic tribe and thus the Gothic language and the Gothic alphabet, the word Gothic has been used to refer to distinctly different things: From a Renaissance perspective (originally Italian, gotico, with connotations of rough, barbarous), it conveyed...

Along via Posterola, you will find San Magno, the Benedictine Monastery for cloistered nuns. Inside its little church is a perfectly restored and utterly unique (none other exists) double keyboard organ from 1680.

Among the non-religious buildings there are palaces built during the 14th and 15th century by the overlords of the city: Palazzo Farrattini and Palazzo Petrignani. Also, keep an eye open for the Teatro Operino, an interesting opera house built in the 17th century.

Festivals and Events

The main festival of Amelia is the Palio dei columbi, which stretches over 2 weeks in late July and early August. The central event of this palio is a contest during which riders on horseback representing the city's five medieval neighborhoods (contrade) compete against one another in a game of quintain. The winner fires a bolt from a crossbow, hits the target and releases a caged pigeon. Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a comune against each other. ...

Around Amelia

The surrounding area, hillsides and ilex covered hillsides, is one that deserves further exploration. The Convent of Santissima Annunziata, founded by St. Francis' Friars Minor, has a planetarium. The Cistercians established a convent at Foce, the Sanctuary of the Virgin. At Porchiano del Monte, the medieval walls feature a number of guard towers, and a beautiful little Romanesque church, San Simeone. The Church of St. Timothy, also Romanesque, has 14th and 15th Century frescoes. At Fornole, step inside another Romanesque church, St. Sylvester, with an interesting fresco cycle showing the saint freeing the town from the bewitching grasp of a dragon. Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ...

Near the town is the Lago Vecchio — the old lake — formed by a dam on a small river, the Rio Grande. You can rent a row boat and toodle around in the shade of alder, poplar and willow trees, looking for sometimes surprised ducks and herons. There is a small park called La Cavallerizza, hosting a horse racing track, with a walking — or jogging — path around the track.

Of interest

MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO: 05022 Amelia (TR) — Tel: (+39) 0744 978120 — Fax: (+39) 0744 978120 PINACOTECA COMUNALE: Via del Duomo, 05022 Amelia (TR) — Tel: (+39) 0744 981441

COMUNITA INCONTRO: In 1963, Don Pierino Gelmini established a drug rehab center at the old Silla mill, by the "witches' ditch" — the Fosso delle Streghe. "Comunità Incontro" centers have spread to five continents.

ORGAN SOCIETY: Amelia, where over 7 ancient and old organs can be found, is the home of the Accademia dell'arte organaria e organistica umbra which is devoted to organs and organ playing.

External links

• Amelia.It
• Amelia Sotterranea (Underground Amelia)
• ItalianVisits.com