Narni () is an ancient hilltown and (municipality) of Umbria, in central Italy. At an altitude of , it overhangs a narrow gorge of the River Nera in the province of Terni. It is very close to the geographical centre of Italy. There is a stone on the exact spot with a sign in multiple languages.
Etymology
Narni, ancient Narnia (Greek: Ναρνία), derived its name from the nearby river Nera (or Nar). Before the Roman conquest it appears to have been called Nequinum.
In the 19th century, the scholar Adone Palmieri attributed the ancient name Nequinum to the Latin nequitia, referring to the supposed ferocity of its early inhabitants.
In the Republican period Narni appears as a flourishing municipium and one of the principal centers of Umbria, its prosperity attributed to its position on the Via Flaminia and to the fertility of the surrounding countryside, especially the . It belonged to the Papiria tribe. Its commanding position over the Via Flaminia also gave it importance during the wars of Belisarius and Narses against the Goths.
Saint Cassius, who also held the episcopate of Terni, was a distinguished bishop; during his time Totila devastated and plundered Narni. He was regarded as a man of great intellect and deep religiosity, and was adopted as advocate and patron of the city.
During the late 9th to early 10th century, Narni was, along with much of central Italy, threatened by the Saracens.
In 958 Narni formed a Lombard gastaldate.
The Via Flaminia passes through the city and, outside it, is cut into the living rock. The road was formerly very steep but has been made more gradual in more recent times.
In 2021, 3,921 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. Carbon electrodes of all types were manufactured at Narni by the Società Italiana dei Forni Elettrici, a subsidiary of Siemens Planiawerke, with an annual capacity of approximately 10–12,000 tons.
The interior has Baroque features. The vault is decorated with stuccoes, the central and largest of which represents Saint Margaret. On the walls are scenes from the saint’s life, including her capture, flagellation, trial with boiling oil, and decapitation, attributed to the Zuccari, possibly Federico. Around the side altars are other frescoes with images of saints, while the small apse is decorated with grotesque ornament. by which the Via Flaminia crossed the Nera. One arch of the bridge still stands.
The bridge of Augustus carries the Via Flaminia toward the hill on which the city stands. It was renowned in antiquity and regarded as a source of pride and admiration in the region.
The underground passage runs along an almost straight path and begins in a cave, where water collects from two cracks in the rock. Two vertical shafts, set perpendicular to the passage and lined with masonry, provided air flow and access for maintenance.
Notable people
Narni is the birthplace of the emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva. Other figures include Bartolomeo, born in 1377, a military and political leader; Giovanni de Floribus, senator in 1433; Egidio Angelo Arca, senator in 1507; Lodovico Arca, who restored part of the Capitoline palace in 1591; Galeotto da Narni, orator and philosopher.