Bed and breakfast accommodation in Terni Monasteries

Terni is a major industrial city in Umbria, producing large quantities of steel and related products. It’s also known for its chemical industry and has recently focussed on the renewable energy sector. During World War II it was heavily bombed with 40% of its buildings destroyed or damaged, so don’t expect too much. Nevertheless, it has retained a cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, the Basilica of St Valentine, some fine churches and public buildings and the remains of a Roman arena. There’s also a good art gallery, housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Gazzoli. 

St Valentine, a 3rd-century Christian bishop and martyr, is said to have been born in Terni and imprisoned and killed while on a visit to Rome. His life story is shrouded in myth and mystery, but he undoubtedly existed and became associated with romance and love. This may be because birds pair in February and during the Middle Ages, courtship and love became associated with a saint whose feast day fell in the middle of that month. He was believed to have been buried just outside Terni, today the site of the Basilica di San Valentino, which houses an altar containing the body of the saint.