Terni
Terni is an ancient town of Italy, capital of Terni province in southern Umbria, in the plain of the Nera river. It is 104 km (65 mi) N of Rome, 36 km (23 mi) NW of Rieti, and 29 km (18 mi) S of Spoleto.
The city lies on the rail line from Rome to Ancona, and is the point of departure for the branch line to Rieti and L'Aquila. It is the seat of a university, and is one of the most important industrial towns of Umbria.
The city was probably founded in the 7th century BC by the Sabini. In the 3rd century BC it was conquered by the Romans and soon become an important municipium lying on the Via Flaminia. The Roman name was Interamna, meaning "in between two rivers". During the Roman Empire the city was enriched with several buildings, including aqueducts, walls, amphitheaters, temples and bridges.
After the Lombard conquest (755) Terni lost any role of prominence, reducing to a secondary town in the Duchy of Spoleto. In 1174 it was again destroyed by Frederick Barbarossa's general, Archbishop Christian of Mainz. In the following century Terni was one of the favourite seat of St. Francis' prayings.
In the 14th century Terni issued a constitution of its own and from 1353 the walls were enlarged, and new channels were opened. As well as much of the Italian communes of the Late Middle Ages, it was slain by inner disputes between Guelphs and Ghibellines, and later between the two parties of Nobili and Banderari. Later it become part of the Papal States. In 1580 an ironwork, the Ferriera, was introduced to work the iron ore mined in Monteleone di Spoleto, starting the traditional industrial connotation of the city. In the 17th century, however, Terni declined further due to plagues and famines.