The Via Flaminia was built by Caius Flaminius during the caesura of 220 BC and connected Rome to the Adriatic coast and to the Padanian Plains in a complex route which is 335 km long. It touches the towns of Otricoli, Narni, Bevagna, Nocera, Fano, Pesaro, and ends in Rimini (Ariminum in Latin) where it joins the Via Emilia. The road was born, in part, on the remains of an even more ancient Umbro-Etruscan road. The Via Flaminia was originally a military road and was used to transport the Roman army to battlefields in the briefest time possible (often to fight the Gauls) and also to protect newly conquered lands. In the First Century BC, in the era of Cicero, the road amplified to include a parallel route which ran through Terni and Spoleto, and then ultimately rejoined the older route near Foligno. The Via Flaminia was very well taken care of and was restored by Augustus who also built the imposing bridge at the entrance to Narni. This restoration was commemorated in the Arch of Rimini. The road was also restored by Vespasian, who in 76-77 AD built a passage which was 38 km long in the Passo del Furlo, which was actually closer to the original road built by the Umbrians and the Etruscans. The road was also restored by Hadrian. Along with the Via Appia and the Via Emilia, the Via Flaminia remained an important road throughout the Middle Ages, especially in the 1200s with the emergence of the cult of St. Francis, during which the road became extremely important in order to reach the Sanctuary of Assisi.

The destiny of Consul Caius Flaminius was speckled with irony. The consul, who went down in history for having given his name to one of the most important and heavily trafficked arteries of the Roman Empire, was actually killed by Hannibal’s troops not too far from the road during the famous Battle of Trasimene. And yet the Via Flaminia, “ab origine” as the Romans would have said, had already been in existence for many years. One must keep in mind that this previous road wasn’t like its Roman version, which was paved and lovingly overseen by the Caesars, and which is the version which ultimately survives to this day. This older road, as irony would have it, was built by the Etruscans to bring them closer to the Umbrians and the Picenians.

The road, which was already an important thoroughfare by this time even before Flaminius widened it and connected it to Rome, prompted the Etruscans to, so to speak, usurp the fame of great Roman engineers by building (through the strength of vinegar, water, fire, and chisel) the Galleria del Furlo (Furlo Tunnel) and thus giving rise to the era of highway tunnels. However, if for Rome the Via Flaminia was one of the most important roads, which connected Rome to Rimini, for the Umbrians (even modern day Umbrians) it is not merely a road…it is the road. In fact, the road crosses the entire region and unites the principal cities. It actually splits into Flaminia Vetus and Flaminia Nova at the city of Narni only to reunite with itself at Forum Flaminii, which is near present-day Foligno. Knowing the military, logistic, as well as the more light-hearted necessities of the Romans, it is impossible to think that such an important road wouldn’t be lavishly populated with mansio (homes) and baths where troops and, more commonly, visitors could refresh themselves during journeys.

A Road of Water Wherever you have a rest stop, of course, you also have water. In fact, there are various types of waters: for health purposes, for drinking, and for worship (there were sacred waters with which it was common to perform rituals). It is these different uses which, depending upon the water’s organoleptic properties, the Romans were already aware of over two thousand years ago and which prompted them to place a great deal of emphasis on seeking out, conserving, and protecting the best springs. Numerous springs pepper the Via Flaminia, particularly in the region of Umbria, where they are more heavily concentrated due to the calcareous nature of the land, and turn the area essentially into an enormous reservoir. To this day, these springs form an itinerary which delineates a precious legacy which has made its way to us today, still fresh and restorative. This itinerary is waiting to be discovered, day by day, spring by spring, by modern pilgrims seeking the marvels of creation.

From Emperors to Mystics Let us not forget that the Via Flaminia is not only a road of soldiers and of famous gruesome battles, such as the battle of Santino and the Battle of Metauro, but it is also the backdrop for the preaching of Saint Francis of Assisi. The saint gave water the same importance as the Romans, though for different reasons: All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water / So useful, lowly, precious, and pure …Saint Francis writes in the Canticle of the Creatures, and it is truly a unique passage which captures the spirit of what occurs along the Via Flaminia during the Middle Ages between the Empire and the Church. It is during this period that when a hand reached forward to a spring seeking refreshment, it no longer belonged to a soldier returning from war, but to a humble monk who preached peace.