Terni [key], city (1991 pop. 108,248), capital of Terni prov., Umbria region, central Italy, on the Nera River. Its manufactures include iron and steel, munitions, textiles, machinery, and chemicals, and it has movie studios. Hydroelectric power is generated at nearby waterfalls, which were formed in 272 b.c. when the Romans connected the Velino River with the Nera. Terni, which claims to be the home of the original St. Valentine, was an ancient Umbrian town. It passed to the papacy in the 14th cent. The ruins of a Roman town are nearby, at Carsulae. Tacitus was born (a.d. 55) in Terni.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian Political Geography
