L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano SIMONE SANNIO L eaving Saint Rita's native Cascia behind, our tour of Umbria proceeds to the steep hill of Todi, our second d e s t i n a t i o n . L o c a t e d i n t h e southwestern part of the region, halfway between Perugia and Orvieto, in the 1990s Todi came t o w o r l d w i d e p r o m i n e n c e because of a study on sustain- a b i l i t y c o n d u c t e d b y t h e University of Kentucky: in it, this little medieval town over- looking the Tiber River was selected as the "most livable city in the world", standing out as a real model thanks to its ideal balance of size, location, cli- mate, culture, agriculture, food, and harmony with the surround- ing countryside. B e s i d e s b e i n g a w o r l d - renowned "green city", however, Todi is known first and foremost a s t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f F r a ' Jacopone da Todi (ca. 1230- 1306), the Franciscan friar and mystic who also was one of the most important Medieval Italian poets. Just like his master and c o m p a t r i o t S a i n t F r a n c i s o f Assisi – whose "Canticle of the Creatures" is considered the first real text of Italian literature – Jacopone wrote several laude (sacred songs) in the Umbrian vernacular, thus contributing to the establishment of an early Italian literary language: among h i s m o s t p o p u l a r w o r k s , t h e " P i a n t o d e l l a M a d o n n a " (Madonna's Complaint) and "O Signor, per cortesia..." (Send me illness, O Lord...), but also the Latin prayer "Stabat Mater", an hymn to the Virgin Mary which has later been set to music by various European composers, including Vivaldi, Rossini, and Verdi. As you may notice by the names of Todi's local shops, schools and cinemas, among others, Jacopone is still held in very high esteem by his fellow citizens. Yet he is by no means the sole religious person to be venerated in this town, founded by the Umbrian people already in pre-Roman times: on the con- t r a r y , T o d i h a s a v e r y l o n g Christian tradition that dates back at least to Saint Terentian (II century). As a result, the place now abounds in all kinds of churches from different eras of the past: for example, the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral o v e r l o o k i n g t h e P i a z z a d e l Popolo main square, located at the very top of the hill, or the R e n a i s s a n c e - s t y l e t e m p l e o f Santa Maria della Consolazione, to be found in a green field just outside the city walls. N o t y e t g i v e n t h e r a n k o f "Saint" of the Catholic Church b u t h o n o r e d a s " B l e s s e d " , Jacopone nowadays rests in the Basilica di San Fortunato. This part Romanesque, part Gothic church – dedicated to Todi's patron saint, St. Fortunatus (VI century) – is really one of the most impressive in the whole area, especially because of its unique location: situated at the top of a sloping, grassy square with an x-shaped staircase lead- ing to its main entrance, the church is just a few steps away from the old Citadel (now a pub- lic park). At the same time, you can find in the near distance Jacopone's former house, while a statue of the mystic at the bot- tom of the stairs welcomes all visitors with its austere profile. B o r n w i t h t h e n a m e o f Jacopo dei Benedetti to a noble family, the man was originally a greedy lawyer: only upon his wife's premature death did he join the Franciscan order, giving away all his possessions, preach- ing penitence and becoming an ascetic. Because of his eccen- tricity and mysticism, the friar was soon ridiculed as a madman in his native Todi and thus came to be known as "Jacopone" (that is, "Crazy Jim"): in fact, he con- sidered himself just a "fool for Christ". This rigorous attitude does indeed emerge from the mystic's groundbreaking poems, as it also does his criticism of corruption and luxury, which e v e n t u a l l y l e d t o J a c o p o n e ' s excommunication and imprison- ment on behalf of Pope Boniface V I I I . F o l l o w i n g h i s r e l e a s e , Jacopone spent the last years of his life in the nearby convent of Collazzone, where he died and was buried. In 1433, his remains were moved to San Fortunato. The cornerstone for the mod- ern Basilica of San Fortunato had been laid here by the end of the XII century, probably on the same site of an ancient Etruscan temple. In 1292, it was then decided that the church was to be converted from the Romanesque to the new Gothic style: after a l m o s t 1 5 0 y e a r s o f w o r k s , though, its facade had to be left unfinished because of Todi's war d e b t s , t h u s a d d i n g t o S a n Fortunato's current peculiarity. However it may be, the Basilica now looks anything but imper- fect, as suggested by the meticu- l o u s l y - c a r v e d l o w r e l i e v e s a r o u n d i t s t h r e e m a i n g a t e s . Needless to say, the vaulted, s p a r s e l y f r e s c o e d i n t e r i o r i s astonishing as well, as it is the crypt including the sarcophagus with the remains of five local s a i n t s ( F o r t u n a t u s , C a s s i a n , Callistus, Digna, and Romana) a n d t h e a r m r e l i c o f S t . Fortunatus. Jacopone's tomb is much more modest, but his pres- ence here is equally felt: it is a simple gravestone predating his death to 1296, before his eventu- al excommunication, as if to finally clear the mystic's name. Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral overlooking the Piazza del Popolo in Todi. Photo: izanbar A view of Todi, known as the birthplace of Fra' Jacopone da Todi, the Franciscan friar and mystic who also was one of the most important Medieval Italian poets. Photo: ggkuna ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Umbria, Land of Saints and Traditions (Part II): Todi

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