Parrano
Hi everyone! Today I will talk about a common Italian town called Parrano, located in the province of Terni, in Umbria.
Physical geography
The toponym Parrano has Roman origins and probably derives from the Latin surname Parra, which means hoopoe or owl, followed by the suffix -anus used to indicate possession. The town has about 485 inhabitants and is located on a hill over 500 meters high, northwest of Terni, southwest of Perugia and 50 kilometers north of Orvieto. It can be reached from the latter city, after a stretch of highway, with the provincial road 52 that climbs up to the village from which the Chiani river valley dominates.
History
According to many found artifacts, it appears that the Parrano area was already inhabited during the Upper Paleolithic era. In addition, Etruscan and Roman origin tombs have been found in the area, suggesting that the Romans used to inhabit the territory. The castle that stands on top of the hill was first mentioned in a document in 1118, through which the bishop of Orvieto, Guglielmo, invested Bernardo di Bulgarello with the title of Count with feudal privileges on Parrano. The town of Parrano was then disputed between the families of the Counts of Marsciano and the Baglioni with the repeated interference of the Papacy until 1816, the year of the abolition of feudalism.
Monuments and places of interest
The village
The village, of elongated shape, stretches along two roads that depart from a central square and cross a network of alleys that give the village a typically medieval appearance. The castle, which has been restored, is now used as the town hall, while the church of San Giovanni Battista, located in the main square, dates back to the twelfth century and is in Romanesque-Gothic style. Other interesting buildings are the church of Madonna delle Grazie, built during the seventeenth century, and the chapel of San Martino, dating back to the nineteenth century.
The Devil's Dens
Behind the village winds a labyrinth of karst cavities, the Devil's Dens, where thermal waters flow that gush into a basin at a temperature of about 28 degrees. In these gorges artifacts have been found dating back to the Bronze Age. The Minor Den, the Upper Toad Den and the Beech Den, or Great Grotto, are the most explored cavities. In the meanders of the gorge, hut bottoms, ceramics, terracotta pots, necklaces and fragments of animal bones were discovered.
Curiosities
The town of Parrano was used for some shots of the film "The Legend of 1900" by Giuseppe Tornatore.
Conclusions
As you have seen, Parrano is a village immersed in nature and rich in history. If you feel like taking a trip out of town, I recommend you to visit it! I hope to have made you discover something interesting about this enchanting place. See you next time!
