Umbria's hilltop perfection — the town voted the world's most livable in 1990
Todi sits on a dramatic hilltop above three converging valleys in the Umbrian countryside, with a medieval Piazza del Popolo that is often cited as Italy's most perfect urban square. A 1990 study by a University of Kentucky geographer declared it the world's most livable city — a title it has never quite lost. The town has Etruscan, Roman, and medieval layers visible in its walls, churches, and street plan, all within a slow-paced environment that draws artists and expatriates.
Todi was an important Etruscan centre before becoming the Roman municipality of Tuder — a Roman arch, the Porta Marzia, and sections of massive polygonal Etruscan walls still survive beneath and alongside the medieval structures. The medieval commune built the exceptional Piazza del Popolo with its harmonious set of Gothic civic palaces (Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo del Capitano, Palazzo del Popolo) between the 13th and 14th centuries. The Franciscan church of San Fortunato (begun 1292) contains the tomb of the laude poet Jacopone da Todi, who is credited with writing the Stabat Mater.