A Day Trip From Rome to Narni, the Center of Italy

At Latitude 42.516667 and Longitude 12.516667, Narni claims to be the center of Italy. 

The small Umbrian town piles on itself, climbing a hillside overlooking a valley.

The town’s location as the geographic center of Italy is approximate. Another town is fighting for the title.

But Narni has an even better claim to fame – it is the namesake of Narnia, the town in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia).

It is unlikely that Lewis ever visited Narni.

He simply enjoyed the name, and the location at the map. Adding an extra “a” to the end of the name and he had himself a mythical world.

There’s no secret door to Narni, but the the town is an easy drive for a quick day trip from Rome.

The beautiful cobblestone alleys are perfect for wandering without any set destination in mind.

Narni Italy

Though there is also a church if you want to check a cultural box. The Romanesque cathedral contains the relics of several Umbrian saints.

Italy's Narnia

But it is a town best for walking and coffee drinking – potentially at any number of the coffee bars that claim to be THE center of Italy.

You can almost imagine the city as part of a fairytale, so lucky for Narni to have been immortalized as a mythical place.

The real deal ain’t half bad either.

4 thoughts on “A Day Trip From Rome to Narni, the Center of Italy

  1. Kelly says:

    On a trip to Italy in 2008, having a free day to explore, we put our finger on the map and ended up in Narni. It was arguably the best day of the whole trip. We had pizza and “Zia Lina’s famous cake” at Pizza I Ghibellini, the waiter charming us with his enthusiasm for music by The Clash. We even found a coffee bar that is apparently the center of Italy!: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gratefulclem/3533434799/in/pool-toditrip/

    Thanks for taking me on a trip down memory lane! 🙂

    • Natalie says:

      We saw that same bar! Sounds like a serendipitous day trip! We were lucky enough to go with friends who had heard about the town, but I love that it is a bit off the map.

    • Natalie says:

      Hi! Narni is open to all 🙂 but maybe you are wondering about the recent post on student accommodation?

      You can still use Uniplaces if you are not a student. There are a few listings that specify students only, so you have to read the information for each room/place, but many are also fine for non-students.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.