Avigliano Umbro

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Terni

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Avigliano Umbro

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Veduta di Avigliano Umbro
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Veduta di Avigliano Umbro con la torre dell'orologio
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Chiesa di Sant'Egidio
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Chiesa di Sant'Egidio
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Dunarobba, Fortezza Alta
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ACQUASPARTA è ISCRITTA A:

DISCOVERING THE VILLAGE

Avigliano is a municipality in the province of Terni with about 2,400 inhabitants. An ancient inhabited center dating back to the Neolithic, it presumably takes its name from the Gens Avilia, a Roman family that was entrusted with control of the area in the 1st century BC.

The position of the town, located along the Via Amerina, was in fact strategic for trade and the dominion of Avigliano was disputed for many centuries. Following the invasion of the Lombards in Italy, the territory remained in the hands of the Roman-Byzantines, creating the so-called Byzantine Corridor, a strait between the Duchy of Spoleto and the Duchy of Tuscia, the only connection between Rome and Ravenna.
During the Middle Ages it was disputed by adjacent municipalities, remaining for a long time under the dominion of Todi.

Of the original medieval village, destroyed and rebuilt several times during the numerous conquests and revolts, very little remains: a tower, some sections of the city walls and the Porta Vecchia, which still preserves a coat of arms with an eagle, the emblem of the municipality of Todi.

From Porta Vecchia you enter the historic center, where a modern crenellated tower stands out, built in 1948 and embellished with a clock on each side, which today serves as a water tank.

The parish church of the municipality is the Church of the Santissima Trinità. Built in 1606, it was consecrated by the bishop of Todi and decorated by important artists of the area, such as Bartolomeo Barbiani da Montepulciano and Andrea Polinori from Todi. The most valuable work is a canvas by Polinori called Madonna col Rosario. In recent years, restoration work has been carried out to bring to light the frescoes and decorations of the church, covered by some interventions in the 1940s.

In front of the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Teatro Comunale was built in 1928. Strongly desired by the citizens of Avigliano, it has a facade in the Art Nouveau style typical of the 1920s. Today it presents itself as the cultural center of Avigliano, with a wide program of events, shows, concerts and conferences.
Outside the walls stands one of the oldest churches in the area, dedicated to the patron saint of the town, the Church of Sant’Egidio. Built in the 12th century, it has a gabled facade with a wooden entrance portal and external walls made of limestone. The building consists of a single nave and an apse with frescoes depicting Sant’Antonio Abate, Sant’Egidio and Sant’Anna with the Madonna as a child. Over the years, the church has undergone numerous interventions, including the construction of a modern-style bell tower, made with a metal structure.

Don’t miss the Dunarobba Fossil Forest. About a couple of kilometers from the center of Avigliano, it is a paleontological site that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discovered in a clay quarry in the 1980s, it is composed of about fifty petrified tree trunks that, thanks to histological and leaf and pollen tests, have been traced back to an extinct form of sequoia. The fossils, which are estimated to date back more than three million years, are a discovery of considerable importance for paleontology.