The oldest town in Umbria
On a hill between the valleys of the Tiber and the Nera, in southern Umbria, Amelia is considered one of the oldest towns in Italy: according to the Roman writer Cato, quoted by Pliny, it was founded in 1134 BC, more than three centuries before Rome, by the ancient Umbrian people. Its most impressive testimony is its walls: the town is still surrounded by a ring of polygonal walls, about 700 metres long and up to eight metres high, built with huge irregular blocks of limestone, perfectly fitted together without mortar, so massive that in the past they were called "cyclopean", as if built by giants. Their dating is debated, but they are among the most impressive megalithic walls in Italy.
You enter the town through the Porta Romana, and the historic centre, climbing up the hill, preserves medieval houses, Renaissance palaces, such as the Palazzo Farrattini by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, and at the top the Cathedral, with a twelve-sided tower. Under the town, the large Roman cisterns, ten connected chambers that collected rainwater, can be visited. The Archaeological Museum preserves one of the most important finds of Roman art: the bronze statue of Germanicus, the nephew of Emperor Tiberius, over two metres high, found by chance in 1963 during construction work, depicting the general in armour decorated with mythological scenes. Amelia is also known for its "fichi di Amelia", dried figs stuffed with almonds and covered with chocolate or cocoa, a speciality that has existed for centuries, and for the Palio dei Colombi in August.
Tip: walk around the outside of the walls to admire their size; buy the fichi di Amelia in the local shops.
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