The ghost town of Scoppio
Hidden among the peaks of the Martani Mountains, not far from Acquasparta, lies Scoppio, a ghost town, off the conventional routes.
Its name derives from the Latin scopulus meaning 'rock,' by virtue of its dominant position. The village literally clings to a rocky outcrop that rises majestically, plunging more than 200 metres into the valley below.
Scoppio's history is intertwined with that of the Terre Arnolfe, a group of castles between Terni, Narni and Spoleto, named after an ancient lord of Germanic origin, subject to the Duke of Spoleto, around the year 1000. Following the fortunes of these castles over the centuries, the village was still inhabited by as many as 25 families in 1750, but was later abandoned in 1950 due to damage caused by a series of earthquakes, some of them tragic.
