Umbria · Terni
Stroncone
A walled medieval borgo eight kilometers south of Terni, with a Franciscan convent traditionally founded by Francis himself in 1213.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Stroncone is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
The nearest town with a letter is Terni, No. 88, 22 min by car.
Subscribe and you get Stroncone's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 21 min from Perugia
- Population
- 4,613
- J10°
- F12°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J27°
- J32°
- A31°
- S25°
- O20°
- N15°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Stroncone sits on an olive-covered hill eight kilometers south of Terni, in the Conca Ternana on the western slope of the Apennine. The name traces to Duke Ugone of Spoleto, whose castrum Hugonis evolved through Castrugone and Strungone to the present form. A group settled here around the tenth century and built a castle; Stroncone first appears in documents in 1012, when Giovanni di Pietro made a donation to the monastery of San Simeone.
Pope Innocent III granted municipal self-rule in 1215. The Convento di San Francesco, south of the walls, is one of the older Franciscan foundations in Umbria, founded by tradition by Francis himself in 1213, two years before papal recognition of the order. The medieval circuit walls remain almost complete, with the original gates framing a network of stepped lanes that climb to the small main square. The Cammino di San Francesco passes through, picking up walkers between Rieti and Assisi.
How to get there
From Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 1 h 39 min by car.
Ancona (AOI) is about 2 h 45 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 1 h 21 min or Siena 2 h 29 min.
Coming from Rome?
Coming by train into Perugia? Stroncone is about 1 h 20 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rome Fiumicino airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Convento di San Francesco
Franciscan convent south of the walls, founded by tradition by Saint Francis in 1213, two years before papal recognition of the order.
Centro storico
Walled medieval core with original gates intact, climbing through stepped lanes to the small main square at the top of the hill.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Decollato
Main parish church at the heart of the borgo, with frescoed interior and a Renaissance baptismal font.
Piazza centrale
Small main square at the upper end of the centro storico, framed by the medieval Palazzo Comunale and the parish church.
Belvedere sulla Conca Ternana
Panoramic terrace on the southern walls, looking across the Terni basin toward the Sabine hills and the slopes that hold the olive groves.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
MamméRistorante
Mammé has one Gambero Rosso fork (76/100) to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Stroncone is at the end of the road.
- A village of 4,613. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Terni, is 22 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Terni, a city of 106,310, is 22 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 4,613, down 5.6% since 2015
- Nearest city Terni, 22 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Terni, 9 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €600 to €1,000 per m² to buy, €3.50 to €6.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 92% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Perugia airport (PEG), 1 h 16 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 21 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. There are 250 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 35% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Terni province ranks 48th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Terni, 9 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 47 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Umbria spends about €2,310 a month, €550 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €677 a year for water, on the Umbria average. In Terni, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.22, a meal in a pizzeria €12.97 and a man's haircut €22.65.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 6% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
FRANCIS IN 1213
The Convento di San Francesco south of the walls, founded by tradition by Francis himself in 1213, two years before papal recognition.
WALLED BORGO
An almost complete medieval circuit and original gates, with the stepped lanes climbing toward the small main square unchanged for centuries.
OLIVE HILL
Stroncone sits on the olive-covered slope above Terni, the surrounding groves the working backdrop of the town and its frantoi.
Common questions
- What is Stroncone known for?
- Stroncone is a walled medieval borgo at 451 meters eight kilometers south of Terni, with a Franciscan convent traditionally founded by Francis himself in 1213.
- Where is Stroncone?
- Stroncone is a comune in the province of Terni, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Stroncone?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Perugia (PEG), about 1 h 16 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Stroncone?
- About 1 h 21 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Stroncone?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Stroncone?
- Acquasparta, San Gemini and Caprarola.
- How many people live in Stroncone?
- 4,613 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Stroncone a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Stroncone is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Terni, is 22 min away. The nearest city, Terni, is 22 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Terni, 9 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 92% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 451 m
- Population: 4,613
- Surface area: 71.17 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Stroncone appears in
- The prettiest villages that eat well within 90 minutes of TerniNear Terniwithin 90 mineats wellprettiest villages7 towns · smallest 686 residents · closest 16 min away
- The 8 best hill towns on a walking route within 90 minutes of TerniNear Ternihill townon a walking routewithin 90 min8 towns · smallest 426 residents · closest 18 min away
- The best small towns on a walking route in UmbriaUmbriaon a walking routesmall8 towns · smallest 426 residents
- The prettiest villages on a walking route in UmbriaUmbriaon a walking routeprettiest villages8 towns · smallest 426 residents
- The 9 best hidden hill towns that eat well within 90 minutes of TerniNear Ternihill townwithin 90 mineats wellhidden9 towns · smallest 902 residents · closest 16 min away
- The best small towns that eat well in UmbriaUmbriaeats wellsmall9 towns · smallest 686 residents
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 88.
Terni
Province: Terni
Umbria's second city, rebuilt around its steelworks, home of Saint Valentine and seven kilometers from the Cascata delle Marmore.
22 min by car
- Written about. No. 82.
Narni
Province: Terni
Narni is a hilltop town on a travertine outcrop above the Nera valley whose Latin name, Narnia, gave C.S. Lewis a word for a fictional kingdom he never set foot in.
28 min by car
- Written about. No. 75.
Amelia
Province: Terni
A pre-Roman hilltown ringed by polygonal walls, with ten barrel-vaulted Roman cisterns beneath its main square.
21 km away
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 43 km away
Tuscia: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Tuscia guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: The land Rome took twice. 16 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.