Archaeology Umbria

Archaeology. Discovering buried treasures

In Assisi, a passageway underneath Piazza del Comune makes it possible to visit the ancient Roman Forum, with the original fl ooring and the remains
of impressive inscriptions. Above, Piazza del Comune is dominated by the façade of the Temple of Minerva (1st c. B.C.), with six fl uted columns
and Corinthian capitals; the interior was extensively modifi ed to make room for the 17th-century Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
The territory of Orvieto, at the foot of the cliff, is dotted with Etruscan necropolises of the 6th century B.C. The two most important areas are
Cannicella and Crocifi sso del Tufo, which takes its name from a cross engraved in a chapel chiselled from the rock. About seventy small tombs
can be seen. In the countryside, a number of tombs of nobility have been brought to light, including the famous ones of Settecamini: the
tombs Golini I and Golini II, or Tomba delle Due Bighe, both with pictorial elements, unfortunately ruined and then removed (currently on display in
Palazzo Papale). In town you can see the ruins of an Etruscan temple.
Gubbio preserves a large theatre from the 1st century B.C. (the arches of the fi rst tier and some of the second are still visible), as well as the mausoleum of Pomponius Grecinus, a section of walls, and several Roman dwellings, or domus. The Museo Civico in Palazzo dei Consoli conserves the Eugubine Tables, dating to the 2nd-1st c. B.C., the main testimonial of the ancient Umbrian language.
The town of Amelia has an interesting Roman cistern (1st-2nd c. A.D.) formed by ten subterranean chambers, and ancient pre-Roman walls (6th c. B.C.) 800 metres long, erected with massive polygonal blocks of stone, a rare and extraordinary testimonial. One of the main features of the Museo Archeologico is the precious statue of Germanicus, found in fragments and reassembled with a long and painstaking restoration. Narni is the site of imposing remains of the Bridge of Augustus over the Nera river, the Formina aqueduct of the 1st century B.C. and still in use in 1924, a number of cisterns, sections of wall, and nearby the Fonte Feronia (4th-3rd c. B.C.). At Corciano extends the Etruscan necropolis of Strozzacaproni and in the territory of Montecchio, the necropolis of Vallone San Lorenzo (6th and 4th c. B.C.).
Bevagna conserves a Roman temple, which later became the Church of the Madonna della Neve, some remains of the Roman theatre and baths (2nd c. A.D.), with fl oor decorated with black and white mosaics. The wall of Spello (Augustan age), with monumental gates, is one of the best preserved in Italy; outside the town is a sacred area where two walls of the sanctuary and a few vestiges of the amphitheatre and the theatre can still be seen. Spoleto abounds in Roman remains, often incorporated by the houses: the walls, the theatre, the forum (with paving stones, the Arco di Druso, and the temple of Sant'Ansano), a beautiful domus, and the remains of the amphitheatre. The most fascinating archaeological remains in Todi are the Nicchioni, large decorative niches built into an imposing support structure of the hill on which the historic town centre stands. Terni features a beautiful Roman amphitheatre, quite large and well preserved, now used for events and performances. In Castel Rubello-Porano you can visit the frescoed Etruscan tomb of the Hescanas. At Avigliano Umbro you will be speechless as you wander through the petrifi ed forest, composed of fi fty amazing petrifi ed trees dating back two million years. Along the ancient Via Flaminia, not far from San Gemini, are the ruins of Carsulae, a Roman city of the 3rd century B.C.
The archaeological site is one of the most important and "choreographic" of the region, and is situated on a marvellous natural backdrop. The tour
winds through the site following the remains of the Roman road, which in the urban centre is paved and fl anked by sidewalks.
Near the Arco di Traiano (or Arco di San Damiano), an access point to the city, are two monumental tombs. Inside the walls, you proceed along the ruins of the vast forum (40 by 60 metres), with the bases of two small twin temples and the basilica with apse and three naves, then reach the Church of San Damiano, built over a Roman edifi ce. Off the road, you fi nd the excavations of the amphitheatre and the theatre made of bricks, where you can distinguish the cavea, the fi rst two tiers of seats, and the foundations of the stage.
Another fascinating archaeological site is Ocriculum (below the present Otricoli), a Roman city built near a bend in the Tiber. Amidst the greenery
you can admire imposing ruins, like the large structure that was the base of a building which no longer exists.
Also of interest are the remains of the theatre, the amphitheatre, and baths (2nd c. A.D.), which yielded the polychromatic mosaic now on display in the Sala Rotonda of the Vatican Museum. The segment of Via Flaminia brought to light is lovely: six metres wide and twenty-fi ve metres long, it is covered with leucite paving stones. Outside the town, various sepulchral monuments have been found, including a niche tomb from the Imperial age, a massive tower tomb, and a round mausoleum; also nearby are a public fountain and nymphaeum (1st c. B.C.-1st c. A.D.).
There is also a subterranean Umbria: just switch your point of view and descend into the bowels of the earth to discover other archaeological treasures. "Orvieto Underground", for example, is a city below the city, a labyrinth of tunnels, rooms, stairways, and cavities dug into the rock of the cliff over the course of more than 2500 years. The guided tour enables you to immerse yourself in echoes of the Etruscan era (when Orvieto was known as Velzna), the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. "Narni Underground", too, promises excitement and unique perspectives, with a leap back in time and in the memory of the city.