Leaving Saint Rita’s native Cascia behind, our tour of Umbria proceeds to the steep hill of Todi, our second destination. Located in the southwestern part of the region, halfway between Perugia and Orvieto, in the 1990s Todi came to worldwide prominence because of a study on sustainability conducted by the University of Kentucky: in it, this little medieval town overlooking 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, climate, culture, agriculture, food, and harmony with the surrounding countryside.
Besides being a world-renowned “green city”, however, Todi is known first and foremost as the birthplace of Fra’ 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 compatriot Saint Francis of 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 his most popular works, the “Pianto della Madonna” (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 contrary, Todi has a very long 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 overlooking the Piazza del Popolo main square, located at the very top of the hill, or the Renaissance-style temple of Santa Maria della Consolazione, to be found in a green field just outside the city walls.
Not yet given the rank of “Saint” of the Catholic Church but honored as “Blessed”, 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 leading to its main entrance, the church is just a few steps away from the old Citadel (now a public park). At the same time, you can find in the near distance Jacopone’s former house, while a statue of the mystic at the bottom of the stairs welcomes all visitors with its austere profile.
Born with the name of 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, preaching penitence and becoming an ascetic. Because of his eccentricity 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 considered 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 eventually led to Jacopone’s excommunication and imprisonment on behalf of Pope Boniface VIII. Following his release, 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 modern 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 almost 150 years of works, though, its facade had to be left unfinished because of Todi’s war debts, thus adding to San Fortunato’s current peculiarity. However it may be, the Basilica now looks anything but imperfect, as suggested by the meticulously-carved low relieves around its three main gates. Needless to say, the vaulted, sparsely frescoed interior is astonishing as well, as it is the crypt including the sarcophagus with the remains of five local saints (Fortunatus, Cassian, Callistus, Digna, and Romana) and the arm relic of St. Fortunatus. Jacopone’s tomb is much more modest, but his presence here is equally felt: it is a simple gravestone predating his death to 1296, before his eventual excommunication, as if to finally clear the mystic’s name.
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