Narni, Medieval hilltop town in Umbria, Italy.
Narni is a commune in the province of Terni in Italy and spreads across a steep limestone ridge at 240 meters (787 feet) elevation. The town offers views over the Nera River gorge and the Terni valley.
The settlement was originally called Nequinum and became a Roman municipality in 299 BC when the Romans renamed it Narnia after the nearby Nar River. Over the centuries it grew into a fortified medieval center.
The Romanesque Cathedral holds masterworks by Renaissance artists including Rossellino, while the Church of San Francesco displays regional frescoes from the 13th century. Both buildings offer insight into Umbria's religious art tradition.
Visitors can explore the underground city through guided tours, discovering a network of tunnels and chambers that local children found in 1979. The old town's narrow lanes run steeply uphill and require comfortable shoes.
The name of this Italian town inspired C. S. Lewis to create his fantasy world of Narnia, though he never visited the place himself. Lewis came across the ancient Roman name Narnia while reading a Latin atlas.
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