Todi

Todi grew in rings and still shows them: an Etruscan wall, a Roman one outside it and a medieval circuit outside that, so the town's history is legible in its own plan. Piazza del Popolo gathers the cathedral and three medieval civic palaces facing each other, one of the most complete medieval squares in Italy. Below the walls stands Santa Maria della Consolazione, a Renaissance church on a Greek cross plan with four apses, begun in 1508 and taking a century, sometimes attributed to Bramante's circle. In the early 1990s the Italian press reported that an American academic had named Todi the world's most liveable town, and the town has never stopped mentioning it.

History

The Umbri founded the town in the 8th to 7th centuries BC as Tutere, "border", on the frontier of the Etruscan lands, and the gens Ulpia of the emperor Trajan came from here. Legend tells that the first furrow was ploughed under the guidance of an eagle, behind what is now the cathedral district (Wikipedia, Todi).

The main sights

• The three walls - Etruscan, Roman and medieval circuits, one inside the next.
• Piazza del Popolo - cathedral and three civic palaces around one square.
• Santa Maria della Consolazione - a domed Renaissance church below the walls.
• The Roman cisterns - underground reservoirs beneath the main square.

When to go

April to October; the Todi Festival of theatre and music runs in late August. Summer weekends are busy. Winter is quiet with reduced opening.

What to expect

Parking is below with a steep climb or a lift and escalator system. The town is compact and seen in half a day. Some museums keep short hours.

Nearby

Orvieto lies southwest; Perugia is north.

Key facts