Another beautiful site to visit in the Tiber Valley is Todi, famous for being the birthplace of the mystic poet Laudi Jacopone, the remains of which are now preserved in the Franciscan church of San Fortunato. The Umbrian-Etruscan origin of the settlement is still visible in some parts of the walls and gates of the city. Romans and Longobardi followed one another until the birth of the city in the thirteenth century, testified by the construction of civic buildings and the Cathedral in the beautiful Piazza del Popolo, close to which is also the Franciscan church of San Fortunato. The bishop’s palace and the church of S. Maria della Consolazione, built to protect a religious kiosk just outside the village, are still valuable remnants during the Renaissance era of Todi, as well as the Concordia Theatre testifies to the artistic and cultural activity in the Eighth Century in Todi.
The smallest village in Umbria: Monte Castello di Vibio
A little gem in the area is Monte Castello di Vibio, with its Theatre of Concordia (www.teatropiccolo.it), the smallest theater in the world, which bears witness to the country’s unity in the will to make a precious treasure of culture: … “it was built small to suitable to the town, but civilization is not measured in cubic meters” (from a letter of the nineteenth century).
In addition to being small in all its elements, the theater boasts perfect acoustics, a wealth of detail and an artistic and architectural grandeur that make it a unique work of art. Small was also its decorator, forteen year old painter Luigi Agretti who was vacationing with his more experienced father. Luigi masterfully painted the beautiful ceiling and the theater foyer, adding sweet trompe-l’oeil of unprecedented freshness. The village of Monte Castello also deserves a visit, with its medieval streets and the mighty walls. Visitors can immerse themselves in a cultural experience rich in traces of the past and romance. Intimacy and tradition are guaranteed in the surrounding art and along thehistoric route that also involves the sacred aspect of the local culture, with the church of SS. Philip and James, who still retains the image of the “Madonna dei portenti” and the great wooden crucifix in the Church of Santa Illuminata.