We woke up to a very cloudy day after thunderstorms overnight. We expected to spend the day inside, but by 9 AM the clouds lifted, so we took off for Amelia, about 38 km to the west and south of us. We passed through the hill town of Alviano and stopped to get a closer look at the Castello, built in 995 as a military fortress and reconstructed in 1490. It has a commanding position over the Tiber River Valley. Today, it houses a municipal court, a museum, and a tiny chapel from its earliest days. The chapel was exquisite!
We continued on toward Amelia and came to the hill town of Lugnano in Terverino. We walked through one of the old city gates, then found our way to the Chiesa Santa Maria Assunta, built in 1240, with a very detailed interior and exterior and a small crypt under the pulpit. The whole town of Lugnano was spiffy and we saw one of our favorite Italian trucks, a Piaggio, parked in a narrow street.
We arrived in Amelia, another hill town and our destination, and were so impressed! The base of the walls surrounding Amelia are Etruscan and fitted together like a puzzle. Amelia was founded around 1130 BC, and was home to the Etruscans, then the Romans, the Lombards, and the Byzantines, becoming a key city on the Byzantine Way, which connected Rome to Ravenna. Amelia’s Duomo was built in 872 and totally rebuilt in Baroque style after a fire in 1629. It is one of the most ornate sanctuaries we have seen. The adjacent tower was built in 1050. We also visited the Chiesa de San Francisco and its cloisters, started in 1287. We walked about the old city, mostly free of tourists. We enjoyed a conversation with a woman in a cafe, who seemed amazed a couple from Arizona would be visiting Amelia. They don’t see many Americans.
On our way back, we visited one more hill town, Montecchio. It is a small town, with new owners and spiffed. A man we passed invited us to his home. He retired to Montecchio from Rome and renovated the interior of their house, attached to others. He did a beautiful job. Their home was tastefully done, with beamed ceilings, a big fireplace in the kitchen, and nice views over the countryside from their bedroom. What a day! My only regret is not being able to take photos of the hill towns from afar. Driving down the road, with a glimpse here or there, but no good spot to pull over was a frustration. These towns are magnificent from a mile or more away, hanging on the sides of hills and cliffs.
