FOLIGNO
Centre of the World
Moving southwards from Spello, the Umbrian Valley broadens out into an ample plain watered by the River Topino.
Here Foligno is situated, a large modern industrial town, of interest for its historic centre and a number of noteworthy monuments and works of art. Originally an Umbrian settlement, it was conquered by the Romans and was given the name of Fulginiae.
At the time of the barbarian invasions, it was devastated a number of times like so many other Umbrian towns. But in the period of the medieval city-states it became a political, social and cultural centre of increasing importance.
The height of its fortune came in the 14th and 15th centuries when it was ruled by the Trinci family, which succeeded in extending its territory well beyond the town limits, annexing towns further afield like Montefalco, Spello and Assisi.
In the 15th century, it was also renowned for the beginning of the art of printing in Italy: it was in Foligno that the first printed editions of important works such as Dante’s Divine Comedy appeared. After the fall of the Trinci, Foligno was annexed to the Papal States.
Many attractions make a visit to Foligno of particular interest: its buildings and churches, which testify eloquently to the vitality of its artistic and cultural life and also the traditional festivities which take place there each year, the major one being the Quintana Jousting Tournament.
