Foligno

Province of Perugia - Tourist Information I.A.T. Corso Cavour 126 Tel. 0742-354459-354165. Town Hall 0742-330001.

USEFUL FACTS

Population: 57,568 (Foligno); surface: 55.81 sq km, height above sea level 234 m, distance from Perugia: Km 36; Tel. Area/Dial Code 0742; Zip/Postal Code 06034; Train Station (FS Foligno); Motorway/Highway: Autostrada del Sole (Rome) coming from Rome, exit at Orte, then E-45 Motorway towards Perugia-Foligno, exit Val di Chiana then from Florence taking the Speedway/Highway towards Perugia-Foligno.

Hamlets: Annifo, Belfiore, Cancelli, Capodacqua, Casenove, Case Vecchie, Cassignano, Colfiorito, Colle S. Lorenzo, Fondi, Pale, Padule di Colfiorito, Pisenti, Pontecentesimo, Popola, Rasiglia, S. Giovanni Profiamma, Scandolaro, Scopoli, Sostino, Uppello, Verchiano, Vescia-Scanzano, Volperino, Sassovivo, Sant'Eraclio, Ponte S. Lucia, Borroni, Budino, Cancellara, Carpello, Cave, Collelungo, Colle Scandolaro, Corvia, Fiamenga, Forcatura, Leggiana, Maceratola, Morro, Perticani, Pieve Fanonica, Pistia di Colfiorito.

HISTORY

Foligno, located in the southeastern margin of the Umbrian Valley, on the left bank of the Topino River, has ancient origins. Traces of human presence date back to Neolithic times, as documented by archaeological finds in Belfiore, others from the Iron Age, found in Annifo (a Necropolis) and early Christian tombs were found in the Madonna del Fosso. It was a thriving Umbrian town favored by its geographical position and it was a central location for major roads in the area. After the battle of Sentino of 295 BC, it was conquered by Rome, becoming, at the beginning of the second century B.C., an important station on the Via Flaminia (which is now a State Road). In the Imperial Age, Foligno was the Praefectus (military ruler of the Province) and then became a Municipium (second hightest rank for a Roman city). Foligno also ascribed to the Tribe Cornelia, Fulginias (Foligno) and acquired even greater importance becoming the center of supply and distribution of the Roman legions. According to tradition , circa 251 AD, the old town was gradually abandoned in favor of a place where the bishop and the Christian martyr San Feliciano was buried and where a church was built which was later surrounded by city walls and towers, becoming the center of Castrum Sancti Feliciani, then transformed into Civitas Sancti Felitiani and grew further important in the Civitas Nova Fulginii Tribe. In this same city the inhabitants came together with another nearby Roman city: Forurn Flamini (where now stands the village of S. Giovanni Profiamma). Numerous archaeological findings still bear witness to the Roman civilization in this part of Umbria. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Foligno went through a dark period characterized by attacks and looting against it by the Saracens in 881 A.D., and by the Hungarians in 915 and 924. In the XII century, the city, thanks to the support of Frederick Barbarossa, which confirmed the privileges of Bevagna and Montefalco, expanded its urban structure and increased its commercial power making it a free city. Siding with the Ghibellines (A faction follower of the Empire), Foligno began an open feud with Guelph from Perugia (followers of the Church). In the thirteenth century, the city came under the hegemony of the Church, growing further both in terms of an urban structure and economically, thanks to its establishment of commercial and industrial activities such as the paper mill in Pale. But the incessant wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, which inflamed the whole of Italy in those centuries, did not fail to make Foligno, whose city, among other things, had become the most important in Umbria by its support from the emperors . On July 1, 1305 the Guelphs, led by Rinaldo Trinci, backed by the Perugini, after defeating the Ghibellines led by Corrado Anastasi, entered into Foligno, driven by the Consuls, and took command of the city and as winners naming themselves Captain of the Population. Thus began the rise of Trinci family who ruled the city for over one hundred thirty-four years (1305-1439) featuring a fundamental era in the history of Foligno. Allies of Perugia and the Church, the Trinci, saw their legitimate Signoria (Lordship) in 1367 when Pope Urban V appointed Trincia Trinci his apostolic vicar for the city of Foligno, but in 1377 Tromcia Trinci was killed (thrown out the window of his palace) and in his place Foligno was taken over by his brother Corrado Ugolino and his son. After Corrado’s death in 1386, Ugolino sought to lay the foundations for the construction of a principality, but without success. In 1420 the power of the city passed to Nicholas Trinci, who in his heyday the dynasty of Trinci had greatly expanded the possessions of the city subduing important cities such as Assisi, Spello, Bevagna, Nocera, Montefalco, Giano and other castles. With the death of Nicholas Trinci, who was killed in Nocera in 1424, began the decline of the dynasty which sees its end with Conrad III. Operating a series of massacres and vendettas, persuaded the State of the Church to intervene and stop the murder spree and in 1439 the army of Pope Eugene IV, led by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi, occupied Foligno, and executed Corrado Trinci and his followers, thus putting an end to one of the most illustrious lordships of Umbria. In 1470 in Foligno the art of printing was introduced by Emiliano Orfini of Foligno supported by the German Johann Numeister. In the same year, the De Bello Italico Adversus Ghotos by Leonardo Aretino was printed and in 1472, the first Italian edition (printed in Italy) of Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (of this edition worldwide there are only 40 copies). In 1565, also in Foligno, the "Blackbeard" was published, which condensed the wisdom of the ages, trigonometry of the heavens and of its destiny, and that still to this day is published by a publishing house in Foligno. After the fall of the Trinci’s, the city passed, as already mentioned, under the dominion of the Church, remaining there, except for a brief time in the Napoleonic period, until 1860, when the occupation by the troops of General Fanti, Foligno was annexed to the Kingdom Italy.

HISTORIC FIGURES

There are many famous men born who originated from Foligno. We will mention some of them: Blessed Angela of Foligno (1248-1304), the physician Gentile da Foligno (XIV-mid 1416), the philosopher and physician Nicholas Tignosi (1402-1474), the painter Niccolò di Liberatore called the Pupil (1430-1502), the painter Pier Antonio Mezzastris (1430? -1506?), the poet Tommasuccio from Foligno (XV), the man of arms Ugolino Trinci (second half of the fourteenth century-1415), the historican Ludovico Jacobili (1598-1664), the painter Giovan Battista Michelini called the Folignate (1604-1655), the musician Antonio Liberati (1617-1685), the astronomer Feliciano Scarpellini (1762-1840), the architect Matteo Nuti called Matteo da Fano (XV cent.), the architect Giuseppe Piermarini (1734-1808), the scholar Michael Falocci Pulignani (1856-1940).

WHAT TO SEE

The urban structure of the city reflects, even today, one set in Roman times with long, straight roads crossed by other roads always straight, unlike many Umbrian towns characterized by narrow streets and alleys. After crossing the bridge over the Topino Bridge we come into town and we head into Square of the Republic where the Cathedral greets us. The cathedral, dedicated to San Feliciano, patron of the city, was built in the first half of the twelfth century. the burial of the Saint, by Maestro Atto, as documented by an inscription on the main facade. In 1201 it was expanded with the construction of a secondary facade and in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was the subject of numerous renovations and additions. In 1904, the facade had been freely restored and features a mosaic of "Christ Enthroned, San Feliciano, Messalina (protectors of the city) and Pope Leo XIII (who commissioned the work). The left facade, the one facing the Square of the Republic, is characterized by a beautiful Romanesque portal decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Frederick Barbarossa, Innocence III, the symbols of the Evangelists and the Signs of the Zodiac. The elegant dome was an addition of the sixteenth century by Giuliano di Baccio d'Agnolo. The interior has a single nave, shows the features of the neoclassical reconstruction work in the second half of the nineteenth century by Giuseppe Piermarini, and is highlighted by the canopy of the high altar, a faithful reproduction of the same by Bernini in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Inside a silver statue of the eighteenth century stands guard, depicting San Feliciano, by Giovan Battista Maini, and some paintings dating back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There is also a beautiful chapel (the Chapel of the Sacrament) from 1527 by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane, with frescos by Vespasian Strada and Baldassare Croce, and the crypt (under the building) of Romanesque origins, (older than the church itself), with pre-Romanesque capitals and other architectural elements (column shafts), stripped from ancient buildings. Nearby is the Town Hall, dating back to the thirteenth century, with a beautiful crenellated tower from the 1400’s. The building was renovated several times and, in the early 1800’s, the old facade was completely rebuilt in neo-classical style designed by Antonio Mollari. The tower itself, after the earthquake in 1997 collapsed and only since 2007 is the restored tower visible. Upon entering there are a series of seventeenth-century portals in various rooms the most beautiful of which is the Council Room, painted with the portrait frescos by Piervittori, as well as the paintings of this artist on the walls. In the room also stands an imposing stone fireplace from the 1500’s. Adjacent to the Town Hall there is Orfini Palace, former home of Emiliano Orfini, the printer who printed the first edition of the Divine Comedy in Italian, with a beautiful portal dating back to 1515. Next to the cathedral is the Palazzo Trinci, begun in 1389 and completed in 1407, commissioned by the family Trinci a testament to their supremacy. The building was restored in 1949 as a result of the war that had damaged it. It is characterized by a Neoclassical facade, built by Vincenzo Vitali designed by Edoardo Poggi, with mighty columns and a beautiful Gothic staircase. Inside, in the courtyard, large pillars supporting the pointed arches and marble walls and frescos from different churches in the area, perfected, on the other sides by mullioned windows which give the yard a charming balance. The palace also houses the Art Gallery which houses valuable works from the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, by important artists such as: Ottaviano Nelli, Nicholas Pupil, Pupil of Nicholas Lattanzio, Dono Doni, Piero Mazzaforte, master of Nicholas Alunno and anonymous painters. Also in Trinci Palace there is also the Archaeological Museum, which houses many Roman remains. In the new location, in Piazza del Grano, the Public Library stacked with sixty thousand volumes, 230 incunabula, 600 drawings by Piermarini and 712 manuscripts. Heading out from Palazzo Trinci we are directed to Carducci Square where there lies the Oratory of Nunziatella, built in 1492, holds within it works from 1507 by Perugino protraying the "Baptism of Jesus" and the "Eternal Father" and a tabernacle by Lattanzio of Nicholas Alunno. Gowing down via Mazzini, you get to Piazza San Domenico (Square), where the church of San Domenico of the thirteenth century stands with a bell tower dating back to the fourteenth century, frescos of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. and a "Crucifixion" monochrome by Pier Antonio Mezzastris. Also in the same square, there is the oldest monument in Foligno: the church of Santa Maria lnfra Portas. A Romanesque building, preceded by a portico supported by four columns from the XI-XII century. Its facade is characterized by large mullioned windows and by a square Romanesque bell tower of the twelfth century. Inside the three naves decorated with frescos of the Umbrian School of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the Chapel of the Assumption (XII century), characterized by distinctly Byzantine frescos, two mullioned windows and a wooden statue from the fourteenth century. The Church of San Domenico, one of the oldest built (XIII cent.) is now used as an auditorium for concerts and conferences. A short distance to Piazza San Nicolò is the church of San Nicolò from the fourteenth century., Completely renewed, with the facade characterized by a portal dating back to the sixteenth century. It houses a polyptych from 1492 by Alunno, a painting by Sebastiano Conca and Luca di Tommè. Going back, to the Oratory of Nunziatella, we head to Piazza Garibaldi where the church of the Holy Saviour stands, a former Benedictine church with a fourteenth-century bell tower facade, outdoors characterized by three ogival portals topped by three rosettes restored in 1800. The interior was renovated by Vanvitelli, and houses a series of frescos, a painting by Francesco Appiani, the "Pietà" by Luca Mancini and a fourteenth-century wooden crucifix. Other buildings that are worth a visit in Foligno are: The Church of St. James, in 1402, in Gothic style, with an unfinished red and white striped facade and a beautiful Gothic portal between lancet windows with a large pointed arch window; The church of San Francesco, from the thirteenth century, with fourteenth-century frescos of the Sienese school, the church of St. Anne, The Monastery of the XIV century and the fifteenth-century cloister with frescos by the local school. a series of buildings such as Palazzo Deli, Palazzo Barnabò in neoclassical style which, together with fourteenth-century houses, characterize the historical center of Foligno.

WHAT TO SEE NEARBY

Outside the city walls, the church of S. Maria in Campis an early Christian building, expanded around the middle of the fifteenth century and was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. It was one of the four churches, arranged in a square, that had been constructed at a distance of about two kilometers from the tomb of San Feliciano. Many Roman remains have come to light in its vicinity, and here was also found the bronze sculpture known as "Hercules of Foligno." Inside, in the side chapels, frescos are visible from the Folignate school. In the hamlet of Sant'Eraclio, the fortress, built in the fifteenth century by Trinci, with the city walls still in good condition, two towers and the church with frescos dating back to the fifteenth century from the Folignate school. In the hamlet of Sassovivo, the Abbey of Sassovivo, from the second half of the XI century, is nestled in the green slopes of Mount Aguzzo, which belonged to the Benedictine monks and then to the Olivetani. The Abbey is very nice, and it’s the destination sees a significant flow of tourists because of its beautiful cloister by Pietro de Maria, from the thirteenth century. Surrounded by 128 twin columns supporting round arches and it houses, the "Paradise", monochrome frescos of the 1400’s. Nearby, the remains of the chapel of the Blessed Alano, from the thirteenth-fourteenth century, along with the ancient crypt. In The church of St. Gianni Profiamma, was built on a pre-existing church site from the XI-XII centuries. It rises along the ancient Via Flaminia where in the Roman Forum it was the Municipium of Flaminii (218 B.C.), named after the founder, the consul Gaius Flaminius. The facade of the first half of the thirteenth century, was characterized by a Romanesque portal whose bas-reliefs were made by Master Philip. Inside there are fragments of frescos in the crypt and architectural remains of the early Middle Ages. In the hamlet of Pale, The Pale Waterfalls are beautiful and hidden in the dense vegetation. To access the falls, you should leave the car at the entrance to Belfiore at the beginning of a small road, that in a twenty minute walk through a beautiful olive grove you suddenly emerge onto the falls. Always in Pale the Hermitage of St. Mary of Giacobbe, of the thirteenth century, is worthwhile seeing with its frescos of the Umbrian school. The high plateau of Colfiorito, considered among the most beautiful landscapes and natural habitats of Umbria. The large swampland that is located in Colfiorito was declared a "wetland of international concern" and the whole area is interesting not only for its natural beauty, but also for its heritage-botanical-geographical-ornithologcal and geographic importance. On this plateau in pre-Roman times, the ancient church of Santa Maria di Plestia of the tenth century was established and was built with Roman materials found where this city first established itself. Colfiorito is known throughout Umbria also for the production of lentils and excellent potatoes.

ECONOMY

An important commercial and industrial center, Foligno has seen over the centuries its economy thrive, thanks to its geographical position, a central location to important routes. No coincidence that the State Railways, opened the workshop here, the “GR” (Great Repair), helping to create many jobs in the engineering industry with an important supply industry. Foligno is also an important center for textile apparel and has an active handcraft center specializing in woodworking, restoration of ancient musical instruments and organ building. But what amazes those visiting the city, it's like the "modern Foligno" manages to live and integrate into a perfect union with the ancient traditions and to appreciate the great historical, artistic heritage and culture that it has always been seen as a leader. A whole series of events throughout the year, such as the famous "Giostra della Quintana", an excellent network of accommodations and a rich cultural heritage, make the city and its surroundings a very popular tourist destination, and together help the tourism sector to support an already thriving economy.