Territories of excellence:
A Journey through art, nature and spirituality
Territories of Excellence: A Journey through Art, Nature and Spirituality is a project created to promote the artistic, cultural and natural heritage of the Terni and Narni areas and the Lower Valnerina through an authentic and engaging narrative showcasing the region’s finest treasures.
The initiative features themed itineraries that connect landscape, history, art and traditions, offering new ways to discover and promote an area rich in identity, evocative beauty and cultural heritage.
The first stage of the project focuses on two main themes: “Landscape as Artistic Inspiration” and “Art and Spirituality in Franciscan Sites.”
The “Landscape as Artistic Inspiration” itinerary explores the natural landscape as a source of creative inspiration, from Romanticism to the present day. With contributions from Franco Passalacqua, creator of the project The Plein-Air Painters in the Enchanted Valley, the journey reveals a remarkable open-air museum extending from Lake Piediluco to Marmore Falls and the Bridge of Augustus—places that have fascinated artists, travellers and painters from across Europe for centuries.
The “Art and Spirituality in Franciscan Sites” itinerary explores the relationship between sacred art and Christian spirituality in the places associated with Saint Francis’s journeys.
Guided by Roberto Nini—founder of Narni Sotterranea and an expert on the local area—visitors are taken on an immersive journey through Franciscan sites such as San Cassiano, Santa Pudenziana and the Hermitage of Sant’Urbano, also known as the Sacred Cave of Saint Francis in Narni. Here, artistic heritage becomes a means of reflection, remembrance and spiritual growth.
Explore the content by clicking on the videos. You can listen to expert accounts and insights and watch reels dedicated to the most evocative places in the Terni and Narni areas and the Lower Valnerina.
The beginning of the journey
The key figures
Ponte d'Augusto
Lago di Piediluco
Cascata delle Marmore
All the sacred sites
Convento del Sacro Speco di San Francesco
Convento del Sacro Speco di San Francesco
Convento del Sacro Speco di San Francesco
Santa Pudenziana
Santa Pudenziana
Abbazia di San Cassiano
Discover the landscapes that inspired the plein-air painters
Cascata delle Marmore
It is located in the Valnerina, near the city of Terni, within the magnificent Marmore Falls Nature Park.
Ponte di Augusto in Narni
The remains of an imposing feat of Roman engineering from the Augustan age, which once spanned the Nera Gorge near ancient Narnia. Its ruins have been celebrated for centuries by travellers on the Grand Tour.
Lago di Piediluco
Piediluco is a picturesque village whose name means “at the foot of the sacred grove.” Its medieval layout remains intact, with low, colourful houses nestled along the narrow strip of land between the lake and the mountain.
Il Museo del Paesaggio nella “valle incantata”
An itinerary through the Terni Valley featuring five viewpoints where visitors can admire works by the plein-air painters—18th- and 19th-century European artists regarded as forerunners of Impressionism—alongside the landscapes that inspired them. The viewpoints include Marmore Falls and the Bridge of Augustus in Narni.