Norcia
To be visited
Localita: Norcia
The municipality of Norcia (about 600 m a.s.l.) extends over the plateau of Santa Scolastica, a luxuriant and vast area of tectonic origin which contained a lake in the Pliocene and Quaternary. The lake dried up due to telluric movements which ope-ned a passage to the south-west, today corresponding to the Biselli Gorges.
The plateau is surrounded by a predominantly hilly area enclosed between the Val-nerina, a narrow and sinuous valley of fluvial origin carved out by the Nera river, and the chain of the Sibillini Mountains, which form an amphitheater of incompa-rable beauty with peaks that reach and exceed 2,000 meters high. The whole area is rich in karst phenomena that generate a landscape of considerable morphological variety, characterized by an alternation of bare rocks and areas covered by a more or less deep layer of fertile agricultural soil.
The agricultural areas, known by the name of Marcite, have a constantly high level of humidity resulting from an irrigation system that has been in place for centuries, originally created by Benedictine monks. The waters that descend in abundance from the surrounding mountains are regulated by locks and canals, allowing them to flood the soil in a discontinuous and controlled way so as to keep up the humidity level during the summer and prevent the ground from freezing during the winter. This system allows the land to be cultivated throughout the year, providing abun-dant hay harvest.
The craft activities that are still practiced in Norcia today are based on ancient tradi-tions handed down from generation to generation and provided the main source of livelihood for the population, with agriculture and sheperding in first place. Also no-ticeable are cheese and ricotta production, black truffle collection, the cultivation of the famous lentils of Castelluccio, workshops for wool and wood processing and la-boratories for ceramics and antique furniture restoration.
Over the centuries, another activity linked to animals has also developed in Norcia: it is the so-called "norcineria". The name "norcini", attributed in the past and still today to those who process pork meat, is proof of a tradition handed down from fa-ther to son, refined so much over the centuries as to have contributed to the birth of the famous Surgical School of Norcia and Preci. Subsequently, blacksmith work, also practiced in the area, proved of vital importance as it allowed the precision in-struments needed in the Surgical School to be available as early as the 1500s.
Thanks to its geographical conformation, the municipality of Norcia offers the pos-sibility of practicing numerous sports in all seasons of the year, allowing visitors to discover new and unusual places and perspectives. Its many paths can be enjoyed through trekking, Nordic walking, hikes and excursions on foot, horseback or with donkeys and mules.
The Piana di Castelluccio is a perfect and renowed place to do hang gliding and pa-ragliding; in winter time enthusiasts gather in the snowy plain to go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Downhill ski lovers can go to the Forca Canapine ski area, the only winter sports center in Umbria, equipped with ski lifts, cross-country trails and a ski school. For water sports enthusiasts, the rivers lend themselves to sport fishing, kayaking and rafting, especially along the Corno river.
Furthermore, for some years the old Norcia-Spoleto railway, decommissioned in the 1960s, has been transformed into a nature trail that can be used both on foot and by mountain bike; walking or biking along it you cross one of the most beautiful areas of Umbria, unique for the integrity of the territory and the luxuriance of the surrounding vegetation.
Norcia is rich in a conspicuous artistic heritage which unfortunately, due to the sei-smic events that have affected the area over the centuries, has suffered profound injuries and destructions which have almost completely erased the testimonies da-ting back to the pre-Roman era.
It is important to remember the Basilica of San Benedetto whose original construc-tion, with the splendid Gothic facade with rose window and the friezes of the four evangelists, dates back to the 12th century. Tradition has it that the church was built on the remains of the saint's birthplace, but more probably a Roman basilica, fallen in ruins over time, once stood in its place. The Basilica collapsed almost entirely, with the exception of the facade, apse and transept, in the earthquake of October 30th 2016.
The Piana di Castelluccio, about 20 km long, is a place not to be missed: here in la-te spring numerous species of wild flowers blossom in the organically cultivated fields of lentils and spelt, carpeting the plain with a thousand colors and offering one of the most beautiful shows ever.
The prized and renowned winter black truffle is one of the main resources of the area; it is collected in the woods and celebrated every year with the traditional "Ne-ro Norcia" festival which takes place in February.
