Narni

Narni stands above a narrow gorge of the Nera, commanding the Via Flaminia between Rome and the north. The Roman colony of Narnia took its name from the river. Its position made the town a fortified point on the road through Umbria, while bridges carried travellers across the valley below.

Cardinal Albornoz took Narni in 1353 and built a fortress there in 1367 as he restored papal authority. Its statutes were renewed in 1371. The city later passed through the hands of several lords before receiving a papal governor in 1431. Its stone medieval bridge had been restored carefully in 1473. In 1527 returning imperial soldiers besieged and heavily plundered Narni. Recovery was slow, despite papal tax relief intended to encourage rebuilding and attract new inhabitants.