Visit Todi
Todi is a town in the Umbria region of central Italy containing numerous historical and interesting buildings and monuments. There is also a great deal of art to enjoy - Todi and surrounding region have a wealth of art among the richest of Italy partly because this Diocese, in the eighteenth century, controlled more than 500 churches, which keep still today works of art of inestimable value.
The visit to Todi can start from the Church of St. Mary of Consolation, built, it seems, by a design attributed to Bramante; though, some important artists, like Peruzzi, Michele Sanmicheli (1484-1559), Vignola, Galeazzo Alessi (1512-1572) and Ippolito Scalza worked in it. The interior is very bright, thanks to the numerous windows and soaring dome. The building, of Renaissance style, is a Greek cross plan, and it has inside four apses and two rows of Corinthian pillars, with capitals carved by Francesco di Vita (15th century), Ambogio da Milano (15th century), and Filippo da Meli (15th century). The dome is attributed to Francesco Casella (16th century). Among the works of art, there are statues of the Apostles, of Ippolito Scalza school. Along the “Via della Consolazione”, we reach the historic center, where there are, on the right, the wide stairs and terraced gardens leading to the Church of “San Fortunato”. It was built by the Franciscan Friars, and it was started between the thirteenth and fourteenth century, with the construction of the choir and two of the four arches; then the work resumed in the early fifteenth century, ending in the second half of the fifteenth century.
The church, dedicated to the Patron Saint of the city, is characterized by an unfinished façade, a work by Giovanni Santuccio da Fiorenzuola, with a large central door, two side, and a bell tower, surmounted by a pyramidal spire. The interior has three naves. In the crypt, Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306) is buried, one of the most important Italian poets of the Middle Ages, who was the initiator of religious poetry in Italy, together with St. Francis (1182 ca.-1226). Among the works of art in it, we mention the "Madonna and Child with two Angels", 1432, by Masolino da Panicale (1383-1440 ca.), some frescoes of Giotto's school and a beautiful wooden choir by Antonio Maffei (16th century). Besides, at the monastery of “San Fortunato”, the Library and Archives are located, which keep more than two hundred manuscripts of the twelfth century. Around the Church, we see the ancient walls of the first Roman city walls, along the avenue, which, from the so-called "Porta Libera" leads to public garden, located in “Piazza IV Novembre”, where there are the remains of the "Fortress of Albornoz" , built in the second half of the fourteenth century and then demolished in the early sixteenth century.
Beyond the “Porta Romana”, there is the "Church of the Crucified", with a Greek cross plan, built by Bishop Angelo Cesi at the end of the sixteenth century, a project by Valentino Martelli (1550-1630) in collaboration with Ippolito Scalza. The building has a Greek cross plan, with a round dome, and it guards inside the original fresco of the Crucifixion, by Giovanni Baglioni (1566-1543), and some frescoes attributed to Andrea Polinori. Fourteen paintings are kept in it of the "Via Crucis", attributed to Domenico Pentini (18th century), a local artist. The Cathedral of “Santa Maria Assunta” is one of the most imposing religious buildings of Todi, probably dating from the twelfth century. The façade, square, divided by pilasters and cornices, has three portals, surmounted by rosettes. The interior has a Latin cross plan and three naves; it keeps many works of art, including a painting of “Our Lady of ‘Pian di Porto’”, of the thirteenth century, and a crucifix of an unknown Umbrian Master (13th century); to the right of the baptismal font, a fresco stands of the Trinity, by Giovanni di Pietro, called the “Spagna” (1450 ca.-1528); the inlaid and carved choir is by Sebastiano Bencivenga (1521-30); on the front counter, there is the "Last Judgement", by Ferraù Fenzoni da Faenza (1562-1645).
From the Cathedral, through the portal of Vignola, we reach the Bishop's Palace, built by Bishop Angelo Cesi, with frescoes by Andrea Polinori and Ferraù Fenzoni (XVI-XVII cent.). Next to it there is the Cesi Palace, built on a project by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (early sixteenth century), and the private residence of Bishop Angelo Cesi. The best preserved parts of the Palace are ceilings on the first floor (the chapel, library and parlour), as well as the frescoes of the sixteenth century in the "Hall of King Solomon," performed by Niccolò Martinelli (1540-1610) and Tommaso Laureli (1530-1602). Nearby, there is the “Palazzo Atti”, unfinished, belonging to a noble family of Todi. On the left side of the square, the “Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo” stands out, built in the late thirteenth century, with a large “loggia” on the ground floor, governed by a central pillar, and triple-lancet windows upstairs. A wide staircase leads to this palace and that of the “Podestà”. The ground floor consists of a large hall with two aisles. Upstairs, in the “Sala delle Pietre”, the Lapidary Museum is located, with Roman materials from the surrounding area, while the other building on the first floor there is the “Sala del Capitano del Popolo”, with some remains of medieval frescoes, including a "Crucifixion" of the fourteenth century. On the third floor, added at the end of the thirteenth century, there are the Art Gallery and Etruscan-Roman Museum.
The museum is constituted by five rooms, divided between the second floor of the “Palazzo del Capitano” and the first floor of “Palazzo del Popolo”; the museum keeps many ancient artefacts of Todi (ceramics, textiles, remnants of objects found in Todi and in the vicinity). The first of the five rooms retain many ceramics and everyday objects, witnessing the ancient trade of Todi with Orvieto. The numismatic section contains about 1,500 ancient and modern coins. The third section keeps a vast collection of fabrics, especially vestments, dating from different historical periods. The fourth section is devoted entirely to ceramics and it contains artifacts from the period between the eighth and eighteenth century. The fifth room is occupied by the City Art Gallery, which contains a "Coronation of the Virgin" by Giovanni di Pietro, known as the "Spagna", who refers to the school of Perugino (1450-1523). A whole section is occupied by works of Ferraù Fenzoni, called the "Faenzone", an artist of great reputation, known for his work in Rome for Pope Sixtus V (1520-1590) and called in Todi to decorate the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral. From the stylistic point of view, the "Faenzone" trained in Rome and the Art Criticism considers him one of the most representative painters of the Italian Mannerism.
The "Palazzo dei Priori" is one of three major public buildings in the city. It was started towards the end of the thirteenth century, but it was renovated several times over the years and, finally, ended only in 1347; since the beginning of its construction, it was the residence of Priors, and other governors of the city. Its structure was modified during the sixteenth century by order of Pope Leo X (1475-1521), and the two rows of windows that open onto the main façade of the building, date from this period. On the same façade is visible a bronze eagle, make by Giovanni Giliaccio (14th century) towards the mid-fourteenth century and later it became the symbol of city.
After the city, the surroundings of Todi worth a trip in an area rich in historical evidences, especially of castles, many of which were destroyed, many are only ruins, but many of them still exist, scattered in several villages around Todi, rich in craft traditions dating back to medieval times, and which excel in the production of inlaid articles and in the restoration and manufacture of furniture. It's worth understanding even some local wines, like the so-called “Grechetto” and “Trebbiano”, known in ancient Etruscan, Roman and medieval times. We can also sample some typical dishes of Todi, such as the “panzanella”, a kind of bread wheat ( of “medieval flavour”), soaked in water and salt, vinegar and accompanied with many and varied vegetables; and even the “sweet ‘macaroni’”, concluding with a little game, as the so-called “palombacce”.
See also history of Todi