At the heart of the Umbrian valley and crossed by the Topino River, Foligno has always been, since its origins, an important communication hub from which all the towns and villages of the region and even the capital Rome could be reached.
Due to its favorable position and the richness of the surrounding environment, the city has long been a destination for pilgrims, artists and artisans who have transformed the ancient village into what is now the third largest Umbrian city after Perugia and Terni.
Bombardments in the Second World War and numerous earthquakes have profoundly altered its exterior appearance, and today Foligno presents mostly modern forms; but the numerous religious buildings that embellish the streets of the center will enthuse you by the variety of still preserved shapes and styles. The traditional medieval “ovata” shape (very narrow streets, tall stone buildings and towers) is today the historical heart of a very large city, which has spread to the suburbs, but which has retained all the naturalness and purity of its ancient spirit. How can one not lose oneself in the magic of the past when the famous Giostra della Quintana (a jousting festival in period costumes) is held? Or how could you not feel privileged to still be able to see the fifteenth-century religious painting Polittico by dell’Alunno, whose charm not even Napoleon was able to resist? And still, how could one remain indifferent to the pride of a city that for the first time, with a far-sightedness out of the ordinary, made the first printing of what would become the mother of Italian literature – Dante’s “Divine Comedy”?
All this and much more is Foligno, the only flat city in the region that is easily visited even by less athletic tourists and which, together with the remains of the past, also offers emotions of modernity with the exhibitions at the CIAC (Italian Center of Contemporary Art) and the timeless delicacies of oils, wines and local products.