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Foligno

Province of Perugia, Umbria Region, Italy

Foligno, (Latin: Fulginiae, Fulginium) is 40 km (25 mi) SE of Perugia in east central Umbria, where the Topino river leaves the Apennine mountains and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. Foligno is an important railway center on the main line from Rome to Ancona, and is the junction for Perugia, with repair and maintenance yards for the trains of all central Italy. Because of this key communication importance, it was severely bombed in World War II, and the following reconstruction explains its relatively modern aspect, although some medieval monuments survived to our days.

Population: about 52,000 inhabitants -- Zip/postal code: 06034 -- Phone Area Code: 0742

History

There are almost no traces left of its Roman past. Medieval Foligno seems to have been founded about the middle of the 8th century, then changed hands often during the wars of the 13th century, and was destroyed by Perugia in 1281.

It was governed by the Trinci family as deputies of the Holy See from 1305 to 1439: in that year one of its members went against the church and Pope Eugene IV sent a force against Foligno, to which the inhabitants opened their gates, and the last of the Trinci, Corrado II, was beheaded. Henceforth Foligno belonged to the Papal States until 1860. It has suffered from several major earthquakes, among them those of 1832 and 1997.



WHAT TO SEE:

  • The abbey of Sassovivo, 5 km (3 mi) to the East, with cloisters of 1229 with pairs of small columns supporting arches, and Cosmatesque decorations.
  • Church of Santa Maria infra Portas, the oldest church in town, dates to the 11th century
  • The Duomo, originally in the Romanesque style, but the interior completely reworked in the 18th century.
    • EVENTS:
    In mid September the Giostra della Quintana, where 10 knights, one from each district, charge a shape representing a medieval soldier trying to insert their lances through a small ring hanging from the soldier's right hand. The event is surrounded by medieval shows and a market fair on the Sunday before the joust. The present Joust was introduced in 1946 as a re-enactement of a tournament held in 1613, when a number of knights duelled to establish which of two ideals of chivalry was more powerful: loyalty to the lord or to the beloved lady.

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