Gazetteer of Italy • Norcia

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Norcia

A town in Italy,
near the eastern borders of southern Umbria.
As the Roman town of Nursia
it was a rather important center in late republican and imperial times.

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Administrative:	Comune of Perugia province (274.3 km2), with 24 frazioni: Agriano, Aliena, Ancarano, Biselli, Campi, Casali di Serravalle, Castelluccio, Cortigno, Forsivo, Frascaro, Legogne, Nottoria, Occricchio, Ospedaletto, Pescia, Pié di Colle, Piediripa, Popoli, San Marco, San Pellegrino, Sant' Andrea, Savelli, Serravalle, Valcaldara.
Population:	4800 for the comune (source: DeAgostini Guide to Umbria, from Italian census of 1991) The town itself appears to have about 1000 inhabitants within the walls, another 1000 without. This is a very sparsely populated mountain area of Umbria.
Coördinates:	42°47.8′ N, 13°5.6′ E Ptolemy puts Nursia at 42°50′ N and 36°45′ E of his base meridian in the Canary Islands.
Altitude:	604 meters above sea level.
Principal Sights:	Two major churches, S. Benedetto and S. Agostino. Many smaller churches; as well as evidence of the Roman period, inscriptions of which can be seen in the oddest places. The Castellina or fortress includes a small museum with a good collection of medieval wooden sculpture. Finally, the town is famous for its truffles, sausages and hams, and is an excellent base for mountain excursions. Norcia is not within reasonable walking distance of anywhere. The nearest towns are Cascia and Spoleto; the plain of Castelluccio, about 30 km away by a good road, offers magnificent scenery, hang-gliding and horseback riding as its principal attractions. Norcia is also near the Regional Park of the Monti Sibillini.
Access:	Norcia is 21 km NE of Cascia, 47 km E of Spoleto, 50 km W of Acquasanta Terme (in the Marche), 100 km SE of Perugia, and 161 km N of Rome (via Rieti in the Lazio). The town has no train service but several buses a day leave from the train station of Spoleto, and a special bus service links it to Cascia.
Map References:	An adequate 1/9 000 map can be found in the TCI Guide to Umbria. 1/25 000: Istituto Geografico Militare (IGM) military staff maps: 132 III NE