In the heart of southern Umbria, not far from today’s town of Otricoli, lies the Archaeological Park of Ocriculum; here nature and historical memory merge into a landscape of extraordinary beauty. Overlooking a bend in the Tiber and nestled along the ancient Via Flaminia, Ocriculum was the first Roman municipality in Umbria.

From the origins of the city to its settlement on the banks of the Tiber

The earliest archaeological finds in the area of Ocriculum date predate the Roman conquest, with evidence of occupation as far back as the Iron Age.

The oldest settlement stood on the hill where today the medieval village of Otricoli stands—its name deriving from the Latin ocris, meaning “small hill.” Around this original nucleus, orientalising necropolises and cult sites of archaic and Hellenistic origin developed, precious witnesses to the cultural complexity of the time.

In 308 BCE, following the Battle of Mevania (present-day Bevagna), Ocriculum forged an alliance with Rome, as recorded by Livy. From that moment on, the settlement moved to the plain, along the banks of the Tiber. Here, in the 2nd century BCE, the construction of the Via Flaminia and the presence of a river port—known as the “Port of Oil”—transformed Ocriculum into a dynamic commercial and strategic hub.

During the Imperial age, the city reached its peak: agricultural activities, ceramic production, and its favourable position contributed to a period of remarkable prosperity. The monumental ruins—including the theatre, baths, and great cistern—reflect the city’s importance in the Roman territorial organisation.

Between 569 and 605, during the Lombard invasions, Ocriculum was destroyed. Its inhabitants abandoned the site in favor of the hilltop settlement, where the medieval nucleus of Otricoli developed.

Archaeological evidence

Once covering about 36 hectares in antiquity, the archaeological area of Ocriculum provides a detailed depiction of the city's urban and monumental development. The site’s walking paths guide visitors through the main buildings that structured both public and private life, including:

• Roman Forum: Located to the east of the cardo maximus, it was the city’s political and religious heart. 18th‑century excavations promoted by the Holy See unearthed a basilica—a large square-plan structure with a semicircular apse—housing a rich group of imperial portrait statues of Emperors, from the Julio-Claudian to the Severian dynasty.
• Great Substructures: A monumental structure about 80 metres long, consisting of twelve elements arranged on two levels, designed to support a major public building.
• Theatre: Built in opus reticulatum on a natural slope, reinforced by a wall and pillars; it features two ambulacra beneath the seating and a formal entrance in tuff blocks. Originally decorated with sculptures, including three Muses now in the Vatican Museums.
• Baths: Built in the 2nd century CE by L. Julius Julianus, they preserve an octagonal hall with four entrances and niches. The floor mosaic once showed a central Medusa and mythological scenes (now in the Round Hall of the Vatican Museums), while a nearby circular hall depicted Ulysses and the Sirens.
• Via Flaminia: a 6-metre-wide, 25-metre-long urban stretch, paved with leucitite flagstones worn by cartwheels. Flanked by funerary monuments and a public fountain.
• Funerary monuments: Massive mausolea, such as the circular tomb of the gens Arnensis, decorated with stone carvings and a funerary bed made of bone. Some elements were reused in other buildings.
• Nymphaeum: A structure in opus reticulatum with niches and fountains, connected by tunnels to the cistern of the Antiquarium of San Fulgenzio.
• Amphitheatre: Built in the Augustan age outside the city, along the Via Flaminia. Remains include parts of the cavea galleries, the two main entrances, the ancient arena floor, and part of the podium.

Trade routes beyond the Flaminia: the Port of Oil

Ocriculum boasted an important communication link thanks to its river port, known as the “Port of Oil,” located by a bend in the Tiber and active until the 15th century. Second only to Ostia in importance, this harbor was the hub of intense commercial activity. Local products such as fine ceramics were shipped from here, along with resources from the Sabina region, including timber—evidenced by a pondus lignarium (a weight used in scales) preserved in the Antiquarium of Casale San Fulgenzio. But the true star was Sabine oil, famous throughout the Empire and considered the finest in the world—even by the physician Galen.

Today, the port can be reached via a pathway between the Roman city and the medieval village. Just before arriving, visitors encounter the church of San Vittore, rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of an ancient Benedictine monastery. Its façade prominently displays reused materials, including Roman epigraphs mentioning the gens Arnensis.