Alviano

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Alviano
Comune di Alviano
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View of Alviano
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Alviano
Location of Alviano in Italy
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Alviano
Alviano (Umbria)
Coordinates: 42°35′16″N12°17′44″E / 42.5879°N 12.295587°E / 42.5879; 12.295587
Country Italy
Region Umbria
Province Terni (TR)
Frazioni Alviano Scalo [1]
Government
  MayorGiovanni Ciardo (since 2019) [2]
Area
[3]
  Total
23.81 km2 (9.19 sq mi)
Elevation
251 m (823 ft)
Population
 (1 January 2025) [4]
  Total
1,330
  Density55.9/km2 (145/sq mi)
Demonym Alvianesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
05020
Dialing code 0744
Patron saintAssumption of Mary
Saint day14 August
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Alviano is a town and comune in the province of Terni, Umbria, central Italy.

Contents

Etymology

Medieval documents record the name Albianum. The toponym is likely derived from an estate belonging to the Albia gens. [5]

History

In 996 Count Offredo, who had arrived from Germany with Otto III, built the fortress and founded the Alviano  [ it ] lineage. During the 11th and 12th centuries the Alviano family extended its control across the Tiber Valley, Umbria and the Marches under papal allegiance. In the High Middle Ages Alviano became the largest and most powerful lordship in southwestern Umbria. [5]

In the 13th century the family aligned with Guelph Orvieto and became its vassals. In the later Middle Ages Alviano remained a papal fief within the Patrimony of Saint Peter, centered on Viterbo. [5]

After the death of Livio  [ it ], son of Bartolomeo, lordship passed to several noble families. Throughout these changes a communal structure persisted: a local council and elected priors retained limited self-government under dual authority. The inhabitants held common rights to sow and harvest crops, graze livestock, gather acorns and cut wood. [5]

In 1464 Pope Paul II annexed Alviano to the dominion of the Church, taking it from the rebel count Everso di Anguillara, who had seized it by force. Pope Paul III later incorporated Alviano into the Duchy of Castro, which he had created in favor of Pier Luigi Farnese. [6]

On 6 July 1816 Alviano was classified as a baronial place in the Delegation of Spoleto. The following year it was listed as subordinate to the community of Guardea, and by 1833 it formed a community under the governor of Amelia. [5]

In 1895 Alviano had a population of 888 inhabitants. [6]

Geography

Alviano is situated on a hill at an elevation of 257 metres (843 ft), about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the left bank of the Tiber. [6] It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) from Guardea and 2 miles (3.2 km) from Lugnano. [7]

The climate is described as mild. The nearest stream is called the Filuca, and nearby rises the wooded height of Civitella, described as a very high mountain within a chain of other mountains. [7]

Subdivisions

The municipality includes the localities of Acquasanta, Alviano, Campo della Fiera, Feluca, Paolicchie, Stazione di Alviano. [8]

In 2021, 420 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. [8] At the time, most of the population lived in Alviano proper (367), Stazione di Alviano (336), Paolicchie (177). [8]

Religion and culture

The parish church of San Giovanni contains a 14-stop organ and a fresco noted as being of some merit. The principal feast is that of the Assumption of the Virgin, celebrated on 15 August. [7]

Among its churches is Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo. [9]

Notable people

The noble family of Alviano, traditionally considered the founders and early lords of the settlement, played a central role in the history of the town and produced a line of marquises and military leaders, most notably Bartolomeo d'Alviano, [6] military commander and victor at the Battle of Marignano in 1515 alongside Francis I of France. [7]

References

  1. "COMUNE DI ALVIANO STATUTO" (PDF). dait.interno.gov.it. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. "Anagrafe degli Amministratori Locali e Regionali". amministratori.interno.gov.it. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2025". Istat. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Comune di Alviano". Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Strafforello, Gustavo (1895). La patria; geografia dell'Italia. Provincia di Perugia. Unione Tipografico-Editrice. p. 326.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Palmieri, Adone (1858). Topografia statistica dello Stato Pontificio. Vol. 5. Tipografia Forense. p. 103-104.
  8. 1 2 3 "Sezioni di censimento – 10-Umbria". Istat. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  9. "Alviano". www.umbriatourism.it. Retrieved 20 May 2024.