Italy

In undiscovered Umbria, the city that first printed Dante's Divine Comedy is always ready for a festival. Folignati will kick up their heels for anything from red potatoes to antique books. Medieval jousting is a twice-yearly highlight and even winter brings carnivale, music and fine food.

Before the 20th century

Foligno has been shaken up over the centuries - by war and invasion, of course, but also by earthquakes and one colourful mystic.

The area was probably settled by ancient Umbrian people in pre-Roman times. Romans got the upper hand over locals from the 2nd century BC and founded the city of Fulginium. On the Via Flaminia, one of the major roads proverbially leading to Rome, Fulginium was apparently without walls - a fact that residents must have regretted following the 5th-century fall of Rome.

Overrun by Lombards and sacked by Saracens, the harassed inhabitants were no doubt relieved to find strength as an independent and walled city-republic in the 12th century; Foligno's woes didn't end there, however. The city continued to change hands during the war-ridden 13th century and was even flattened by powerful rival and neighbour Perugia in 1281.

Meanwhile, enter Foligno's own mystic and Catholic nun, Blessed Angela (1248-1309) - patroness not only of widows but also anyone beset by sexual temptation. Born wealthy, Angela had a bit of a reputation when young. Three years shy of her 40th birthday, she repented her adulterous and sacrilegious ways, eventually writing about her mystical visions.

In 1305, Foligno was seized by the Trinci family (who were in cahoots with the popes). The Trinci managed to hold on to the city for more than a century, during which time it flourished and absorbed surrounding territories. The little empire came to a dramatic end when one of the Trinci's more foolish sons was beheaded in 1441 - he'd offended then pope Eugene IV. Now absorbed by the Papal States, Foligno pretty much stayed that way until Italy's unification in 1860.

The Renaissance was a stable, productive period for Foligno. Johann Numeister, German printer and student of print-pioneer Gutenberg, found refuge in Foligno after fleeing the besieged city of Mainz in 1462. His press found local backers and is particularly famed for making the first copy of Dante's Divine Comedy in 1472.

The Folignati weren't badly shaken up again until the unstable 19th century. If Napoleon's conquest and failed local uprisings unsettled Foligno, a bad earthquake in 1832 literally knocked the town around.

Modern history

Industrialised Foligno sprawled out from the historic centre, creeping out into surrounding wetlands. The once-small city expanded, thanks to its position on a road and railway hub.

Although an asset, Foligno's strategic railway junction drew Allied bombing during German occupation in WWII. The city's historic centre was battered - but not flattened - by the blasts.

To entertain residents in the war's dismal aftermath, a local mutual association revived an old competition: the Tournament of the Quintana. Jousting was a medieval tradition that continued into the 17th century - the era that inspired this 1946 revival. Each year, Foligno's 'cavaliers' on horseback tilt their lances at a wooden statue; a day of spectacle is rounded off by more public pageantry and a street festival.

On 26 September 1997, resilient Foligno was once again rattled by an earthquake.

Recent history

Now a honking, sprawling commercial city, Foligno is Umbria's third largest. Look beyond the urban gridlock to the city's still partially walled centre, preserved - and more recently partly restored - despite centuries of natural disaster and war.

Still free from the tyranny of tourism, every inch of the surrounding region is ancient. Umbria's landscape of mountains, wetlands and hill towns is carefully conserved - nearby Monte Subasio sits within a superbly maintained national park. There's even an Umbrian department protecting the traditions of local produce such as tartufo (truffles) and porcini (a richly flavoured mushroom).

Top Accommodation

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Foligno has predictably scorching, dry summers and mild winters.

For those who like it hot, July and August bring sizzling days and warm nights. Wait for September for pleasant, sunny days without the high-summer extremes. May and June are similarly delightful.

The Apennines loom on the left of hilly Foligno and mountains spell generous rainfall. The city's major wet is in late spring - waterproof gear is a must in October and November.

Winter can sometimes surprise with above-average temperatures but a warm coat is necessary from November to March.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Foligno's attractions are mostly within easy walking distance in the city's historic heart.

Local buses - including a frequent city shuttle, the navetta - cover the city centre and surrounds and mostly swing past the train station, on Piazza Unità d'Italia, or Piazza Giacomo Matteoti, near the central Palazzo Comunale.

Taxis (0742 34 42 80) are available from the train station; try 0742 34 07 90 for another firm on a small square, Largo Carducci, near the city centre.

Getting there and away

Toll-free highways converge on Foligno. The SS77 connects with the A14 tollway that follows the Adriatic coast from Bologna to Bari. The SS3 (via Spoleto) and the SS75 (via Perugia) meander toward the A1 (Milan-Rome-Naples).

Foligno Station on Piazza Unità d'Italia is at the historic centre's edge, about 600m from the Cathedral - Foligno's bullseye. On the Rome-Ancona train line, Foligno is also the end point of a local link that cuts across Umbria before connecting with the Rome-Milan line (www.trenitalia.com).

Reach Rome in as little as 1.5hr and Florence in 2.25hr. Other destinations include nearby Assisi (14min), Spoleto (20min), Perugia (35min), and coastal Ancona (1.5hr).

Buses are slower and more costly than trains but they go to some towns not on the train line. SSIT (www.spoletina.com) and APM (www.apmperugia.it) service the area. Foligno's bus station on Piazzale Niccolò Alunno is about 500m from the city centre - follow Viale Mezzetti from the train station.

Aeroporto Sant'Edigio, also known as Umbria International Airport (about 30km/18.6mi from Foligno) offers flights to Milan (Alitalia; www.alitalia.com), and London Stansted (Ryanair; www.ryanair.com) as well as other seasonal summer destinations. Sulga buses (www.sulga.it) connect the airport with nearby Perugia.