Todi

Todi was built on the top of a hill overlooking the valley of the Tiber river. The city began to be part of the Roman empire in the third century BC. With the barbarian invasions of the 5th century AD, the decline began. In the 6th century it was included in the famous “Byzantine corridor”, a narrow strip of fortified land that connected Rome to Ravenna, never conquered by the Lombards. In 1067 it was a free municipality and then a lordship: demographic growth led to the construction of medieval walls which were added to the original Etruscan and Roman walls, now perfectly preserved. It became part of the Papal State and experienced a period of splendour during the Renaissance, thanks to the work of Bishop Angelo Cesi.

Today, the city, defined in the recent past as “the most liveable city in the world” by famous American urban planners, is an extraordinary tourist and cultural centre. Even if its name contains the Etruscan word tular and the Umbrian translation (tuder) * tutère, which means “border”, Todi is an ideal meeting point between men and civilization.

* Tuder is the Latin name of the city of Todi which derives from Umbrian Tutere.