Anticipation was in the air. Bing Crosby was crooning Christmas carols over the hidden loudspeakers and teenagers were squealing with delight as they skated around the ice rink circling the giant Christmas tree in the Piazza. The air had the sweet-spicy scent of mulled wine and every now and then a quick whiff of sobering espresso as you passed by a bar. Families with young children were out strolling and investigating the lifesize "presepe" that was set up under the loggia of the Church. Nonnas were pulling their shopping carts full of meats and cheeses through the steep cobbled streets getting ready for the upcoming festivities. The expectation of THE big event was looming in the air; tomorrow was the last day of 2017!
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| Porta Catena With Todi's Crest |
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| Porta Marzia On Via Roma |
We are in Todi; a double-peaked, triple-walled medieval hill town overlooking the Tiber river valley in central Umbria. Todi was established as an Etrurian outpost far back as 800 B.C.E; predating the Romans by 500 years. Inhabited by the Etruscans who called it "Tular" which meant "border", this was the eastern borderlands between the Etruscans and the Umbri and Sabine tribes. There is a difference with the history of Todi from other towns we have visited in Umbria on this trip. Todi was inhabited by the Etruscans, not by the Umbri tribes which are totally different people. Also, the Romans didn't "conquer" the Etruscan Tuderti like they did with the Umbri tribes, they joined forces with them and Todi became a huge Roman colony. Later the Romans named the town Tudertum, and Todi was the largest Roman city on the Western Via Flaminia route to Bevagna.
There is still evidence of the city walls built by the Etruscans (the innermost walls), as well as the Roman walls built in 217 B.C.E (the middle set of walls) and the Medieval defence walls built in 1244 (the outer set of walls) that completely enclose the city.
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| Bird Bombed! |
Getting into the "Centro Storico" or the old part of Todi was a nailbiter. The narrow winding streets climber ever upwards through the ancient arched city gates, leaving little room for pedestrians to slide by. Parking your car can be tricky in these old hill towns so here's the scoop: TIP #1: WHITE lines = FREE parking, BLUE lines = PAY parking, YELLOW lines = SPECIAL parking (delivery, taxi or disabled). We luckily found pay parking on the main street Via Roma. As I was plugging the parking meter, something happened, that happens to me on every trip to Italy. A pigeon crapped on me. Yup....allllll down the side of my velvet pants! This is a reality of Europe. TIP #2: If you get bombed DON'T PANIC you only call attention to yourself. If it's in your hair or a fuzzy surface like a sweater LEAVE IT ALONE, let the poop dry and it will crumble off. I know it sounds gross, but if you try to wipe pigeon poop out of your hair, it will smear everywhere and just make things worse. I carry disinfectant wipes in my big old "Mom-purse" to clean up messes if the poop hits a jacket, handbag, shoes etc. Besides, getting crapped on is extremely good luck in Italian culture-like a sign from God. 😖
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| Cesia Fountain |
So clad in my "good luck offering" we trudged uphill on Via Roma through city gates such as Porta Catena (the Medieval Gate) and Porta Marzia (the Etruscan gate). Via Roma turns into Corso Cavour after passing through the Porta Marzia and then you come across an unexpected fountain in a small piazza set up with tables. Built on the ancient Roman wall, is the Baroque style Cesia Fountain. Todi was a thriving city since Roman times, by 1290 it had about 40,000 residents and clean water was vital. Underneath Todi, there are 500 cisterns built by the Romans to support such a huge population and you can tour the underground cisterns and passageways. Click HERE to find out more on Todi Underground tours.
The Black Death hit Todi in 1348 decimating the city and it became a bleak place to live for 200 years. The very wealthy Cardinal Cesi revived Todi to a state of splendour in the late 1500's and gave the town a Baroque makeover, like this beautiful fountain with Todi's symbol: the Eagle. Even today, Todi has under half the population of 1290.
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| Panorama Of The Umbrian Countryside From Todi's Piazza Garibaldi |
Further up the road past all the fancy clothing stores, Corso Cavour starts to flatten out and you come upon Piazza Garibaldi. This is where the ancient Roman Forum started, and the best view of the countryside is from the terrace here. There was an interesting flea market happening here on the day we visited, everything from antiques to hand knitting.
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| Details of Palazzo Del Capitano |
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| Todi's Winter Wonderland |
Todi was in full-on Christmas mode. In the loggia underneath the Palazzo del Popolo and the adjoining Palazzo del Capitano, there is a lifesize Presepe scene created by the museum of archeology that is in the Palace complex. It was kind of creepy I must admit, but also fascinating at the same time. The mannequins wore period costumes (like goat pants!) from this region of Umbria and demonstrated how daily work was done at the time of Christ. The Presepi was very popular with the small children, as their parents and grandparents explained how everything worked. It gave me a smile to think that this is exactly how St. Francis of nearby Assisi taught his followers about the birth of Jesus. That Francis was a pretty clever guy.
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| Chillin' On The Duomo Steps |
Looking around this imposing Piazza with its grey-stoned towering Palaces, your eye draws you to the cathedral perched at the opposite end of the square.
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| Gorgeous Duomo of Todi |
The smell of home cooking began wafting out of the restaurants around the Piazza now. I was a bit bummed out that we couldn't go out for dinner on our last night in Umbria; not with a HUGE smear of pigeon crap down my velvet pants.
There is a lovely white wine from Todi made out Grechetto grapes grown on the slopes of the town. Grechetto di Todi DOC was made to wash down Todi's specialty dishes like pan caciato which is a small round loaf of bread with walnuts, cheese and raisins. Or how about a plate of delicious Palomba alla Ghiotta? A pigeon on a spit slowly roasted over hot coals-never with flames. Hmmmm. Now I understand why that pigeon crapped on me; it was exacting revenge! I forgive the foul fowl.
We decide on a great cup of espresso instead at Tazza D'oro in Piazza Garibaldi to warm up a bit before heading back to our AirBnB palace in Spoleto. There is so much to do and see in Todi, including staying in a Castle built by the Romans that has been completely restored. Todi Castle just happens to be for sale (there is a video link) in case you have money burning a hole in your pocket-just sayin'!
For now, day-dreaming is free and the Medieval world of Todi is enough to keep all my Princess fantasies alive and well!
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