This
little town, standing in a bowl high up in the Apennines, has
a very interesting history. St Benedict, the founder of western
monasticism, was born here. The locals have always prided themselves
on their blunt speaking. Perhaps owing to their down to earth
qualities, they were famed for their medical skill; Norcia is
the origin of the word nurse (the town is named Nursia in Latin).
It was also the home of many castrati who were much sought after
for the purity of their singing.
There are a number of fine palaces
and churches off the pretty Piazza San Benedetto, with a statue
of the rugged Saint in the centre. The crypt beneath the Basilica
of San Benedetto, with its Roman opus reticulatum (diamond patterned
brickwork) still visible, was the birthplace of St Benedict and
his sister St Scholastica in about 480.
Getting
there
About 60 kms east of Spoleto on no.77
high up into the Apennines
Contact
No tourist office yet, for maps and info please visit
the offices of Vigili Urbani under the palace's arches
in Piazza San Benedetto
