Surrounded by a natural environment and beautiful landscapes, this small hamlet was once very prestigious.
«Castrum Ithiulorum», as the 13th and 14th century documents state, was probably named after the family who owned it in the Early Middle Ages.
Its position has always placed it on the line of defence of Narni and Terni, therefore it has often shared their lot during attacks or invasions.
In the 12th century, Itieli, like many other castles, pledged alliance with Narni, but after that its position was not constant, sometimes with the Municipality, sometimes with the Pope. However, as can be seen from the Statutes, it was always under the rule of Narni. Even if much of it has been damaged and is now in ruins, or altered by later transformations, the original defence structure can still be seen, with its boundary walls, towers and fortifications, which can be dated back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The main tower stood at the top of the inhabited part.
The walls ran around the outside, interspersed with square or semi-circular towers. Some stretches of the boundary walls remain with crenelations and small towers partially demolished. The entrance door is lower down defended by a circular tower.
The “ Aimuccis” Tower, as Itieli imhabitants like to call it in honour of one of the oldest and most important families who lived in the castle, is placed at the entry of the castle building-boundary. It has been restored during the summer in 2012, for completing the restoration works that, in 2008, rebuilt the entrance door arc of the same boundary. It was rebuilt by using the original bricks and stones, because for several years it has remained took down.The tower had a quadrangular plan in origin. It has been changed till to obtain the actual shape: like the two different loopholes show.The tower was built during the destination of Itieli castle to a military purpose, as it has been written in the “Statuti Narnesi”. It became a “castrum” and it had a mere military functions. Inside the tower you can see the original stone floor, but it was in part replaced by one made in “cotto”., perhaps to make simpler its cleaning.The tower was used for a long period as animals shelter and then like a dump. Finally the tower has found again its importance and dignity and it will be used as the place on an histarical archives to collect news, photo, pictures and articles about the castle.
The Madonna of “ Snowing Weather”, has remembered the 5th August of every year. It is just a very little chapel placed on the right side of the road from Narni to Itieli, just where is the notice of the village. This little chapel is what remains of a pre-existent church built around the middle of the XVII century, the same period during which Itieli was enriched by a series of artistic works thanks to the Jubilee in 1650. The church was built in honour to the Madonna of Snowing Weather and it has stood there for a lot of years: a lot of people in the country remember it very well, the are some photos. It had bells and holy furniture. It was knocked down around the middle of the Seventies to permit the realization and enlargement of the road from Narni to Itieli which came from the Flaminia road. To remember the church are a stone spur on the left and the apse side where you can see a valuable “ fresco”. We have a series of photos which give the testimony of the social meaning of the monument around the Sixties and the Seventies. Near to the church there were a fountain used like a washing-house and a a very ancient well. This was just at the middle of the road! They were both knocked down. It was a pity!!!
Saint Nicholas church is the main church of Itieli castle and ii dedicated to Saint Nicholas from Bari. Its origins belong to the late Middle Ages, when the castle has been built like an outpost along the defensive Byzantine-Longobard borderline. The church has one aisle and a closed presbytery whith a semicircular apsis. Its treasure is in the wonderful and important paints placed inside.The oldest paints are in the outer side and they belong to the XIV century. When Confraternities were constituted the church was enriched by a series of building works that reached their best expression in 1600, during the Jubilee.The church was extended thanks to Agapito Cipiccia, who wanted to be represented in the paint above the first altar on the left and whose name is mentioned on the tablet placed on the trabeation above the first chapel.Owing to the enlargement the high altar has been moved inside a chapel which has been decorated by very exquisite workmanship paintings. Among the most important works there is the paint by Calisto Calisti (a sixteenth century painter from Bagnaia). The work was restored at the end of the Eighties by the Festival of the Two Worlds of Spoleto Foundation and then it was showed during an art-exhibition in Spoleto about the sixteenth century painters. Another interesting work is that in the second altar on the left: there are Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Anthony from Padua and Saint Nonnoso, from Soratte mountain. It is very strange to see him represented in a paint out of the area of his origins. From more informations you can vist the Terni, Narni e Amelia diocese site.
Curiosity
This is a little mortar whose origin we don’t know. It has been taken to Itieli around the Thirties by Don Gelindo Ceroni, a priest and a humanist, fond of the history of the castles along the Umbrian-Sabine line. The mortar have never changed its place even if it has never shot a blow.The astute Don Gelindo has decided to place it here, on the side of the hill looking to the Holy Speco, for a merely figurative and scenographic purpose. It looks like it is ready to shoot to everybody is coming to assail the castle. It can be interesting to remember that the mortar was taken to Itieli by a very singular removal agency: two men from Itieli and their two mules.
What you can see is the exact rebuilding of an old medieval catapult. It has been realized during practice courses by the students of the School for furniture-joiner and tool-machine operators in Narni Professional Formation Center.Catapult was a siege-machine which used an arm to throw a bullet to a long distance. Its name comes from Greek language: “ kata pelta” that is “cross the shield”, referring to the fact that a bullet threw by this siege-machine could easily cross a military shield. The catapult were assembled by the warriors in the same place where the siege was, because it was very simple to find there enough wood to make them. Now the expression is used for every kind machine which can throw an object, but is referred more specifically to the medieval siege-machine.
