The town of Amelia, defended on the North side by a rocky spur, is almost completely surrounded by imposing and very ancient Polygonal WaIls (6th and 4th cent. B. C.).
This monumental work is quite exceptional for its extension, ancientness and state of preservation. The Preroman walls of the 6th cent., the oldest, are to be found within the town centre between the Teatro Sociale and the Porta della Valle. They are made by big calcareous blocks, and unlike the others, have a rough, not refined surface. The Preroman stretch of the 4th cent. B. C. is for sure the most scenographic and turistically attractive of the entire ring of the city walls. It extends on both sides of Porta Romana, for about 800 metres and is formed of megalithic blocks, called polygonal for their shape, geometric but not regular. The upper part of this stretch and the rest of the walls is instead medieval. It is, of course, less interesting than the Preroman one, but gives continuity to the impressive defensive perimeter of Amelia, unique in its kind. The European travellers of the 18th century impressed by the size of the blocks and by the power of the walls, spread the belief that the walls were the work of the mithyc population of the Pelasgians. Actually it's an ingenious work of a compact superimposition of the stones with no use of mortar, due to local builders. Who wishes to taste with no haste this scenographic piece of history can use a properly marked trail.