Norcia is a town in the province of Perugia in Italy in southeastern Umbria, located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a subrange of the Apennines with some of its highest peaks, near the Sordo River. The older core of Norcia is almost flat, which is relatively unusual among the towns of Umbria, and completely enclosed by a full circuit of walls that has survived intact from the 14th century, despite many earthquakes of which several were devastating (1763, 1859, 1979). After the earthquake of August 22, 1859, the Papal States, to which Norcia then belonged, imposed a stringent construction code forbidding structures of more than 3 stories and requiring the use of certain materials and building techniques.
Main sights of Norcia are:
The Renaissance church of Santa Maria Argentea is the Duomo, or cathedral of Norcia.
A fortress, the Castellina, was built in 1555-1563 as the residence of the Papal governors
The main basilica is dedicated to St. Benedict, still attached to a functioning Benedictine monastery.