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 (

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 re ...

). 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 letter ...

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 The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

. 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 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, housed the scientifically oriented

Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...

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 was ...

. 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 e ...

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, 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 San Giovanni de Butris is a Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic stone church located outside of the town of Acquasparta, on the former via Flaminia, in the Province of Terni, region of Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note ...

, which was built on the remains of a Roman bridge, and incorporates very large Roman stone blocks. Also, along the

, 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