Acquasparta is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Terni The Province of Terni ( it, Provincia di Terni) is the smaller of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising one-third of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Terni. The province came into being ...

(

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

). It is located on a hill above the Naia Valley and the river of the same name, facing the Monti Martani mountain range. It also sits between two hot springs, the Amerino and the Furapane.

History

The name's origin is traditionally connected to the Roman toponym of ''Aquas Partas'' ("divided waters" or "between the waters"), about which, however, no documentation exists. More probably, the name born from the presence of several different water sources in the area. During the ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

domination the area was a retreat – a spa whose mineralized hot water baths were easily accessible from Rome along the west branch of the via Flaminia. Thermal baths remain open to the public today. The city was later part of the Terre Arnolfe, and was later subjected to

Todi Todi () is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of the province of Perugia (region of Umbria) in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction. I ...

. Subsequently, in 1588, it became a fief of the Cesi family.

Main sights

Its historical center was once surrounded by medieval walls but, now mostly torn down, leaving only short stretches and a few cylindrical towers that at one time served as part of the town's defenses. Inside the old part of town, which is quiet and unprepossessing, the principal building of note is the Renaissance-style Palazzo Cesi, started in 1564 and completed in 1579 by the architect Giovanni Domenico Bianchi. The Palazzo is owned by the

University of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

and is in very poor, but improving, condition. The main portal includes some fine ashlar work and its interior features impressive carved wooden ceilings. It also possesses a capacious and delightful courtyard. Next to the Palazzo is a loggia with some remnants of Roman foundations. At once, the Palazzo's proprietor,

Federico Cesi Federico Angelo Cesi (; 26 February 1585 – 1 August 1630) was an Italian scientist, naturalist, and founder of the Accademia dei Lincei. On his father's death in 1630, he became briefly lord of Acquasparta. Biography Federico Cesi was ...

, housed the scientifically oriented Accademia dei Lincei here, attracting such teachers as

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

. Today the Cesi's palazzo a small museum with a number of ancient artefacts, including Roman stone work from nearby Carsulae. The facility is also used for meetings and traveling exhibitions. Acquasparta is home to a number of churches, including San Francesco, built in 1290, essentially Romanesque but with a

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

facade, and the Church of the Madonna of the Cross, dating to 1606. The Church of the Sacred Sacrament, incorporating a Roman Mosaic in its floor, is a very good example of 17th-century church architecture. The church of

Santa Cecilia Santa Cecilia is a municipality and town located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members ...

, built in the 16th century, contains an elegant chapel in which lies the tomb of Federico Cesi. The surrounding countryside is charming in the Umbrian way, spotted with a few small castles such as the one at Configni. Of note a short way from Acquasparta is the church of San Giovanni de Butris, which was built on the remains of a Roman bridge, and incorporates very large Roman stone blocks. Also, along the via Flaminia, going north, is the ruins of another Roman bridge, the Ponte Fonnaia.

References

External links

Official websiteBill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy

{{authority control Cities and towns in Umbria