Day Seven: Todi and Perugia

Another beautiful start to the day in Todi we had a formal tour of Todi and later a tour of Perugia.

Todi is a small city on top of a hill and was originally founded by an Umbrian population. It is most famous for being the birth place of Jacopone da Todi. Jacopone da Todi was not religious in any way until later in his life and came from a very wealthy family. However, when his wife died, he became a deeply religious man and followed the wishes of his wife. His wife felt that she was sinning because she was married to Jacopone and he was not a religious man. When Jacopone learned about the death of his wife he vowed to change his ways and became a very religious man. Today he is now buried in the Cathedral of San Fortunato.

Our first stop was to the Cathedral of San Fortunato to see the burial of Jacapone da Todi. It is clear that the cathedral was left unfinished due to insufficient funds but however this cathedral is important because it honors the patron saint of Todi, San Fortunato who healed the people of the town. This cathedral also resembles the cathedral of Orvieto because it wanted to compare to the Papal State. The cathedral is important because it was built by the city and is still currently owned by Todi. On the outside of the cathedral there are many symbols one of these are the vines and fig trees. The trees symbolize evil and can grow without care whereas a vine is good and holy because it needs constant care just like your faith in religion. I thought this was a beautiful analogy that I related to very much so. 

  

We stoped in the Piazza del Popolo and saw many people strolling around or enjoying a cappuccino. The piazza was a great part of the city and I enjoyed looking at the people walking around the city.

After looking at the piazza we went to the Cathedral of Santa Maria. This Cathedral is a mix of roman and gothic styles. It was less beautiful than the previous cathedrals we had been in and was disappointing to see the decay of the artwork. After the cathedral we toured a small chapel called the Annunciatina. This chapel was so small and absolutely gorgeous with its bright colors and ornate columns.

It was so funny for me to see the old doors of this chapel being opened with a 500 year old key. I was appreciative that we had a chance to see a place that not many other people have the chance to view or learn about. That’s one of the reasons I love academic travel for the small experiences you wouldn’t be able to have on your own. Todi was a cute town and I enjoyed learning about the history and how it functions in the modern city.

After free time in Todi, we drove to Perugia where we had an afternoon tour. Perugia is located in the Umbria region and was founded by the Etruscans but later conquered by the Romans. The city is a well-known cultural and artistic center which explained the large population of people in the city.

Perugia is also known for the chocolate Perugina which makes the famous Baci and the University for Foreigners. Professor Lazzari was nice enough to purchase us all Baci from Perugia and they were delicious! It is also the birthplace of Pietro Perugino who was the possible mentor of Raphael. After our tour, we had some time to explore the city and its shops before heading back to Todi to sleep!

I enjoyed both Todi and Perugia so much and I can see myself traveling to both places in the future with my family.