Walk 1 - Norcia

Norcia la Vetusta (meaning “the ancient”) has old origins, it was initially inhabited by the Sabini then by the Romans. It still bears rthe signs of those times: despite numerous earthquakes, within the city walls it has retained a regular grid and a peculiar heart like shape.
Getting lost in the streets, admiring a building or a church, a garden or a fountain, is a pleasure. Capolaterra, a part of the city once inhabited by peasants and shepards, has kept its pictoresque aspect. In teh surrounding countryside, dotted with small villages each one deserving a separate visit, you will find several observation points overlooking the valley of Santa Scolastica, like a carpet greeting you to the mountains. Its geological origins are similar to that of Pian Grande di Castelluccio,but the roman walls have left a peculiar geometric grid on its surface. Cereals and pasturelan are the main cultivations, while in the lower parts you can still visit the Marcite irrigated wetlands.

The marcite – are evergreen fields, with an irrigation system built by the Benedectine priests through a web of small canals, catching the waters of the Torbidone and Salicone, with a unique feature of constant water temperature.

These water sources used to power several mills, and you can still see the canals running towrds them.