Exploring Guardea

Guardea - Guardea is a small Italian town of 1771 inhabitants in the province of Terni in Umbria, located between the Orvieto and Amerino area. The town is also located on the border with the Lazio territory of the province of Viterbo; it is located 387 meters above sea level. The peculiarity of the name is due to the singular morphology of the territory, which constituted an efficient guard post, rising above the Teverina valley and the splendid Alviano Oasis, above all from the ancient hilly seat of the town, today called Old Guardea.

In this place time passes very slowly, and it is a perfect oasis for those looking for an escape from everyday life and frenzy. In the upper part of Guardea we find the Castello del Poggio, a castle founded as an imperial fief in 1034 on a pre-existing Byzantine tower of the seventh century. Built by the Normans, it underwent an important restoration by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in the sixteenth century; it is one of the oldest castles in Italy. The Convent of Sant'Illuminata, also called the 'cave of San Francesco', built in 1037 AD, was the place of residence of the famous saint. Finally, for nature lovers in the area there is the beautiful WWF Oasis of Alviano.