If you’re new to dreaming about houses in Italy, Umbria is a gentle place to begin. It’s the green heart of the country, close enough to everything and still wonderfully unhurried. And if we had to hand you one Umbrian town as a starting point, we’d hand you Narni.

A Hilltown With a Storybook Name

Narni sits about 240 meters up, hanging over a narrow gorge of the River Nera in the province of Terni. It is also very close to the geographic center of Italy, which feels fitting for a town we’d call a starting point. Back in Roman times, the town was called Narnia. Yes, really. On air, we kept slipping and calling it Narnia anyway.

Down by the river, one arch of the Bridge of Augustus still stands. It once carried the Via Flaminia across the Nera, and it was one of the largest bridges the Romans ever built. Not a bad neighbor for your morning walk.

The Walk We Got to Take

Here’s the sweetest part of this one. A member of the W3 family walked Narni with a camera and sent us the footage, so for the first time we got to share a stroll through town in the middle of an episode. Ancient walls, stone lanes, heavy old door knockers (Biaggio had opinions), and views that make you stop mid-sentence. We hunt from home, so seeing a town through a viewer’s eyes was a real gift. If you’d like to send us your own wander, tell us in the comments.

Why Narni Works as a First Town

A first town should make daily life feel easy, and Narni checks a lot of boxes. Here’s what our research turned up for the episode:

• A train station right in town, plus plenty of bus stops

• Perugia’s airport about an hour and 15 minutes away by car

• A hospital and urgent care in town, along with doctors, dentists, three pharmacies and a couple of vets for the four-legged family

• Grocery stores, bakeries, a pizzeria, bars and restaurants with alfresco tables

• A winery in town and more in the hills around it

• Hiking trails a few minutes away, plus a pool, golf and three small lakes nearby

The weather has a real personality, too. Weather Spark data shared in the episode put the average high in the hottest month around 90°F (about 32°C) and the average low in the coldest month around 36°F (about 2°C). Warm summers, crisp winters, and a reason to love both a fireplace and air conditioning.

Four Homes, From Grand to Snug

Every home below was listed when the episode premiered, and we can’t say whether any of them are still on the market. Treat them as a portrait of Narni that Friday, not a shopping list. Prices are shown in euros with US dollars beside them at today’s European Central Bank rate.

The grand one, €395,000 (about $439,800). A four-bedroom, two-bath home of about 250 square meters in the historic center, with terraces and an elevator. Beamed and whitewashed ceilings, floors that run unbroken from room to room, and the biggest bathroom sink in W3 history. We stand by that.

The stone surprise, €99,000 (about $110,200). A two-bedroom, two-bath apartment of about 76 square meters in the center, with heat and air conditioning, beautiful ceilings, exposed stone and brick, and a cantina waiting for your ideas.

The renovated duplex, €69,000 (about $76,800). A renovated two-bedroom, two-bath stone home of about 118 square meters, a few steps from the central square, with two fireplaces and walls so thick they feel like a hug. It came furnished, too.

The one with a garden, €45,000 (about $50,100). A ground-floor two-bedroom, one-bath home of about 65 square meters in the historic center, with its own entrance, green shutters and a private fenced garden looking out to the mountains. Tomatoes and garlic, anyone?

Take It Slowly

The best way to start is with one town where you can picture a lazy Sunday morning, not ten towns you can barely tell apart. Watch, wonder, and keep a little list of what made you smile. And if a dream like this ever turns into a real plan, a local attorney and other trusted professionals will be your best friends.

So fill a glass with whatever makes you happy and tell us: which of the four would you claim as yours?

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Ciao for now,
♥️ Jaime & Biaggio