Appianline - Roma

The territory of Foligno includes the beautiful plain of the Umbrian Valley, gentle hills and the spurs of the Apennine ridge up to the mouth of river Topino.

The zone is remarkably rich in natural resources, such as rivers, mineral water springs and underground water are concerned. Towns, castles, villages, boundary walls, fortresses, towers, churches, monasteries and cloisters, aristocratic palaces and courts and farmhouses immersed in the countryside are among the most meaningful features of this area.

In this town of ancient origins, the urban structure still mirrors the one planned in Roman age with long and straight roads contrarily to many Umbrian centres characterized by lanes and narrow alleys. Originated by Umbrian its fortune varied over the centuries: Foligno were conquered by the Romans in 295 BC. : destroyed by the Saracens and the Magyars, the town recovered by the times of Federico Barbarossa, continued to grow and finally achieved free Commune status; in the early 13th century it was annexed to the Papal State growing steadily from both an urban and an economic point of view.
During the period 1227 – 1310 it became the most important Ghibelline stronghold in Umbria, subsequently the Trinci family came to power: they created a Guelph Seigniory, marking the beginning of the best period of Foligno's wealth and glory.

In the 15th century the town enjoyed particular fame as a cradle of the art of printing: it was here that the first printed edition of Dante's Divina Commedia appeared (11 April 1439).
The Seigniory came to a violent end in 1439 with the city reverting to the dominion of the Papal State, where it remained, with the exception of the French occupation during Napoleon Age, until 1860, when Foligno was joined to the Kingdom of Italy

Foligno to see

Trinci Palace the house of Foligno's ruling family in the Renaissance, built in the years between 1385 and 1407, today the building houses the Library, the Archive and the Picture Gallery; Palazzo Comunale erected in the 12th century and renovated in the 16th century; its façade rebuilt in neoclassic style in the 1800s, preserves a 15th century tower; the structure is joined to Palazzo Orfini, first seat of the printing-works in Foligno. Among the churches: St. Feliciano Cathedral built in 1113 by the master Atto, enlarged in 1201 and transformed again in the 16th and 17th centuries; church of S. Maria infraportas situated in S. Domenico square is one of the most considerable Romanesque buildings in Umbria, dating to the 11th century. Other important structures are also the Church of S. Nicolò, with works by Alunno and Conca; the Church of S. Salvatore, built in the 12th century as a Benedictine abbey, preserving some beautiful Flemish tapestries from the 1500s and numerous paintings; the Church of the Nunziatella, in Renaissance style, with frescoes by Perugino.
In the Picture Gallery are displayed paintings by Alunno, Mezzastris, Bartolomeo di Tommaso.

In the surroundings: a luxuriant nature, magnificent landscapes and artistic testimonies of primary importance. In a scenery of olive groves and woods, is the romantic road to the splendid Benedictine Abbey of Sassovivo, founded about in1000 AD and become an important studium in the 14th century; the area of Colfiorito, a place of great interest for its environments and the impressive Grotta di Pale, visited since the last centuries, it is a huge calcareous cave with superb stalactites which meet massive stalagmites.