History

According to legend, King Ameroe founded Amelia in antiquity. Classical sources place its restoration in 1134 BC, making it one of Italy’s earliest Italic centers. The megalithic walls (VII–VI century BC) and polygonal fortifications (IV–III century BC) testify to this remote past.

Amelia flourished during the Roman period, achieving status as a municipality after allying with Rome. Its archaeological importance rivals only Carsulae within Umbria. The Bronze Age of Germanicus, preserved in the municipal museum, exemplifies its former grandeur—a work of exceptional and worldwide rarity.

Political fortunes shifted dramatically in the early medieval period. After the Western Empire’s collapse, Amelia passed through successive Ostrogothic, Byzantine, Lombard, and Papal hands. Between 579 and 742, the city changed control repeatedly, often violently, as Lombard dukes and popes contested the strategic Via Amerina corridor connecting Rome to Ravenna.

From the medieval period forward, Amelia aligned consistently with the Ghibelline powers of Terni and Todi against the Guelph centers of Spoleto and Narni. Beginning in the fifteenth century, popes appointed Roman mayors, a tradition commemorated annually during the Palio dei Colombi festival.