Territory

Museum & Archaeological Sites in Umbria

Amelia
The Umbrian settlement, of which traces remain, goes back to the Middle Bronze Age. During ancient times the town was influenced by the neighboring Etruscan, Faliscan and Latin cultures.

Assisi
Already established in pre-Roman times, its town layout includes an extensive circuit of defense walls dating to the 2nd century BC. The town rises on the slopes of the hill, set on terraces supported by great blocks of travertine.

Avigliano Umbro - Foresta fossile di Dunarobba
There are about fifty large tree trunks in the fossil forest. Known in part since the 17th century, they were unearthed during excavations in 1979-80 and again in 1987.

Bettona
Bettona was an Umbrian town inhabited by the Etruscans, even though it was on the left bank of the Tiber. Its city walls, the barrel vault tomb and the architectural fragments at the CivicMuseum bear witness to its history.

Bevagna
Excavations have unearthed settlements from the 7th-6th century BC, but historical sources begin with the Roman conquest. Called Mevania by the Romans, this town was crossed by the Flaminian Way and, surrounded by fertile lands, it became an important center.

Città di Castello
The ancient Roman municipium of Tifernum Tiberinum is often mentioned by Pliny the Younger, who owned a rustic villa in the area. Recent excavations succeeded in finding the villa.

Colfiorito di Foligno
The recent excavations in the Colfiorito upland plain have made it possible to outline the settlement of this area from the 9th to the 3rd century BC. Colfiorito was important for trade and cultural exchanges between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian areas.

Tiber River
A natural boundary and an element for trade, for centuries the Tiber River marked the border between the Umbria peoples on its left bank, and the Etruscans on the right.

Foligno
Traces of the presence of humans in the Foligno area go back to the Neolithic and continue, though with a few gaps, through subsequent periods. As with other Umbrian towns, the pre-Roman settlements are to be found in the nearby hills.

Gualdo Tadino
Stone and metal artifacts and a hidden collection of objects, including two gold discs, provide evidence of man’s presence in this area during prehistoric times and the early metal ages.

Gubbio
Traces of humans from the Neolithic and early Iron Age have been found in the Gubbio area. All of the known ancient architecture in the urban area, however, is from Roman times.

Narni
For the Romans, the impenetrable nature of this area, on a rise with steep slopes overlooking the Nera River valley, made it an ideal bridgehead for penetrating into Umbrian territory.

Nocera Umbra
The settlements in this area, known to go back at least to the Bronze Age, are characteristic of the Apennine civilizations, with an agricultural-grazing and transhumant economy.

Norcia
Archaeological data show that the Norcia area was inhabited in prehistoric times. A vast necropolis found at the end of the last century provides evidence of the continuity of settlements from the Iron Age to Roman times.

Orvieto
Permanent settlements on the tuffaceous plain are documented as far back as the 9th century BC, but the bulk of the archeological data regards the 6th century.

Perugia
The materials found at the necropolises in the immediate vicinity of Perugia provide significant evidence for hypothesizing considerable economic development as early as the 6th century BC.

Spello
The necropolis at the hamlet of Borgo, inhabited since the 7th century BC, provides evidence of the existence of a settlement in the pre-Roman period. The Iulia colony was founded in the 1st century BC.

Spoleto
The remains of a Middle Bronze Age settlement have been found on the hill upon which the fortress stands. Archaeological findings from the 7th century BC give proof of the existence of an important Umbrian town on the site where the medieval city was built.

Terni
The Terni area has relinquished findings going back to the Neolithic, but its famous and impressive necropolises are the most important relics from prehistoric times. The findings thus provide evidence of a very large settlement, going from the Iron Age to the 7th century BC.

Todi
Todi’s fortunate position at the top of a high hill watching over the major waterway in central Italy, the TiberRiver, made it an important economic and strategic Umbrian town.

Trevi
Modern Trevi occupies the site of the ancient Roman town. The unbroken circuit of 1st-century BC city walls is made from small blocks of white limestone.It has three gates, but no towers.

Via Flaminia
An ancient Roman road that passed through Umbria, from Otricoli to Scheggia, the Flaminian Way was used both as a trade and a military route. It linked Rome to the Adriatic Sea, passing through the Apennines.