Roma Calling - May 20 - Todi and Titignano

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Today is the day of our big Umbria trip. First we are
going to visit the hill town of Todi. Todi is known for its picturesque
medieval streets and commanding view of the surrounding Umbrian countryside. We
met the busses at the Piazzale degli Eroi, a 5 minutes’ walk from our
residence. We filed in, many hung-over and still drunk from their first
Saturday with alcohol freely available. There were three busses and me and my
roommates picked one as soon as possible since it started to drizzle. Our ride
up kept me captivated. The city of Rome is not like American cities. Most American
cities have an urban core surrounded by miles of suburban sprawl and finally
10-20 miles out from the city center do you see your first farm. This is not
the case in Italy. Italians have managed their land well; sprawl is urban, not suburban.
Once the city ends, it ends, and the landscape is dotted with small towns,
villas, and farms.





Our first view of Todi was gorgeous. It was just sitting
there in the distance on a nearby hill. It looked a remarkably defensible
position, which probably is why it’s survived since Etruscan times. It took
another 15 minutes after sighting the town to get there since the roads were so
windy. Once we arrived (passing an old Greek plan church Santa Maria della
Consolazione) we were presented with two options to ascend into the town. The
first was to ride a funicular railway (basically a giant diagonal railway), the
second to hoof it. While I was going to elect for #2 anyway, the choice was
made for us when the funicular broke down.





The walk up was delightful – we passed ruined defensive
towers on our way up through the wall. A ramp had been built over them – Todi no
longer needed her walls for defense. The climb was worth it however, because we
treated with a gorgeous view of the Umbian countryside. Even though it was
dreary and overcast, visibility was still good and we could see for miles
around. Italy’s hills, which have for generations so vividly captured the
imagination of so many people, had ensnared me in their grasp. While Tolkien
may have imagined Valinor as the rolling green hills of Midlands England, in my
mind the line, “the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld…a far green country under a swift sunrise” will forever meant to me the vineyards and hills of Umbria. My
contemplations were however disrupted by the unwanted and inevitable obnoxious
ugly Americans in my group. While at least half of the people here have their
heads on straight, many are seeing Italy through the bottom of beer bottles.
Unaccustomed to the near ubiquity of alcohol, these mental midgets use every
opportunity to get wasted. One would think – I am in a foreign nation, let me
operate with foreign custom as to not upset the natives. Italy does not have
the binge drinking problem that America and the UK have. I think it is an
availability issue. Were alcohol not treated as the Demon Drink still in the
US, its allure would eventually fade. Yes, some people some of the time would
take advantage but that are their problem.





While I was pondering the beauty before my eyes, an idiot
came up to me and ask, “Bro you ready for a beer?” Not only was I not his bro,
I was not ready for a beer. “It’s 10 AM,” I replied. “Too early for me to drink
– besides, I’d prefer to experience this sober.” Astonished that my plans did
not involve getting drunk at every location I visited, the aforementioned bro’s
friend replied to me, “Well its 5 o’clock somewhere!” To that, I simply said, “Yes,
that’s true. However I am not an alcoholic.” I left those losers behind to get
intoxicated and miss out on the splendor of Todi.





And splendid it was. Walking through the cobblestoned
medieval streets, as shuttered windows and flowerboxes hung overhead was
amazing. There are alleyways there that, if alone, one could imagine turning
the corner into 1580. Todi does have some tourist shops, but they are much less
garish then in Rome. For me, a fan of architecture (especially Italian gothic
churches), I was in heaven. There are three major churches in Todi, and I would
only get to visit two because the first, the aforementioned Greek cross plan
church was outside of our time frame - only two hours to explore, for shame!
The first was the Temple of San Fortunato. It was Italian Gothic and placed
high up on the summit of Todi. The walk up to the church was not direct – one had
to ascend stairs and a diagonal pathway before approaching the base of the
church. The tympani were ornately carved with figures of saints. Walking into
the church gave me the first goosebumps. A Gregorian chant was being played
softly and the church, painted white, was illuminated with light through its
stained glass windows. A nation whose vandals may graffiti, but would not smash
church windows has no need for plastic coats or iron bars over them, thus
letting light in unimpeded. This is the first church in Europe I would visit,
and the first one that I have been in barring SS. Peter and Paul in
Philadelphia that has ever given me chills. These places were designed to
impress, designed to awe an individual. They were built with craftsmanship and
to last – a mentality that still exists in Italy in opposition to our
disposable culture.





The church was set off with separate chapels on each
side. Some were bare white, but others were decorated. Some were painted with
clearly medieval and renaissance frescoes, some which were slowly fading away
to the ages. What hands painted these frescoes which so delight me today? I was
alone, away from the group, and able to think about these things. I know that I
am certainly a loner compared to many people in the group who must do all
things together. Does no one have a pensive and introspective side of
themselves anymore? I took pictures all inside this church, which contains
within its crypts the tomb of Jacopone an important Renaissance poet and of St.
Fortunatus himself. However I was stopped by a security guard, who informed me
that no photographs were to be taken in the premises of San Fortunato. Undeterred,
I used my hat to hide my camera. Unfortunately those photos were also not very
good.





I left the church of Temple of San Fortunato and headed
for Todi’s Piazza del Popolo. This is the largest square in Todi and the douomo
(preeminent church of the town) and the Palazzo del Popolo dominated the
square. Off to the side, however, was a small side square known as the Piazza
di Garibaldi, constructed in honor of the uniter of Italy. He apparently spent
some time in Todi – enough anyway for the people of that town to build a statue
in his honor. At the end of this piazza there was another observation point.
Again, the view was sublime and I used the coin operated telescope to take long
distance photographs. The duomo church of Todi is simply called the Cathedral.
This church was much plainer on the outside. It did however have a lovely rose
window. On the inside the whole wall was covered with a fresco depicting the
ascent of souls into heaven, illuminated in pink light emanating from the
stained glass rose window. I could not sneak any photos here, since the
security guard was hounding me. There are photos available here however.





After visiting the Cathedral and Piazza, I explored. I
covered as much of Todi as possible in the hour I had left. I went through
small side streets, explored a tiny garden whose wooden fence revealed a breathtaking
view through its slats, and discovered small religious paintings everywhere. After
draining both sets of replacement batteries, I reluctantly put my camera away
and walked back through the town to our buses. We said ciao to Todi and headed
to our next destination, Titignano. Titgnano is a small medieval town that has
been refurbished and is now a resort. They have a restaurant and vineyard and
produce all sorts of artisan salumi, olive oil, and wines there. We had to get
their first, and to do that we spent 45 minutes on a winding, dusty road that
even made my stomach (which has weathered a day in four foot seas with no
problem) turn a little.





Fortunately we
made it there safely, just in time for apertivo. They brought out drinks and
delightful appetizers – crostini with pate, crostini with mushroom, focaccia, and pizza. It was all delicious
and since all I ate was a cornetto in Todi, I devoured much. We then sat down
to our formal Italian lunch. Homemade wines, both red and white adorned the
table. We sat down and not too soon after were we treated to salumi – prosciutto,
speck, and another spicy meat. This was followed with a cheese tart, stuffed
with melted provolone and mozzarella. We were then treated to an asparagus
risotto and parpadalle with a wild boar Bolognese sauce as first course. The
sauce was a little salty but the boar pieces were outstandingly savory. Our main
course was next, and we had a venison stew (my favorite part of the meal –
tender, soft, delicious), roasted chicken (golden and crispy), grilled lamb
(which was disappointingly tough and chewy), and roasted potatoes. They then
brought out salad (which of course I did not eat). For dessert was tiramisu –
the lightest, yet most delicious one I’ve ever had. They then brought out the
dessert wine which was fortified with honey. There were macadamia
biscotti that you were to dip into the wine before eating. What a great idea!
It softened the biscotti and was a nice touch to end the meal. Our last course
was fresh strawberries, red all the way through which were sweet and smelled
heavenly.





Thoroughly
stuffed, we went back to our busses where a professor regaled us with dirty
jokes. My roommate Jon said a joke as well, and then one of our students (an
operatically trained singer) sang Ave Maria which was so beautiful that no one
wanted to follow her. We then fell into a food coma on the 3 hour ride home. As
I heard many of the bros and other idiots plan a drunken night out, I fell
asleep, wanting to be ready for the first day of classes tomorrow. It’s only
been a few days and it’s felt like a lifetime.

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Comments

[bros and drunken idiots]

On behalf of the bros....
We all enjoyed your wonderful blog entries. Keep them coming.