In the 1990s, a University of Kentucky professor studying urban livability declared Todi the most liveable town in the world based on criteria including size, setting, architecture, services, culture, and quality of life. The town had done nothing to campaign for this. It didn't need to. Todi sits on a conical hill above the Tiber valley, its medieval walls intact, its three concentric piazzas perfectly proportioned, and its daily rhythm governed by church bells, market mornings, and the evening passeggiata. The Piazza del Popolo — with the 12th-century Palazzo dei Priori, the 13th-century Palazzo del Capitano, and the Cathedral (12th-14th century) — is one of the most harmonious medieval public spaces in Italy. Below the walls, the Tempio della Consolazione (attributed to Bramante, 1508-1607) is a perfect Renaissance centrally-planned church standing alone in a field like a lost piece of Rome. Umbria guide →
Plan my Umbria trip →Piazza del Popolo: The medieval piazza — Palazzo dei Priori (trapezoid tower, now civic museum), Palazzo del Capitano (now Museo Pinacoteca, €5 — with a Spagna Coronation of the Virgin), and the Duomo (12th century, Romanesque facade, Gothic rose window). The piazza's proportions are studied in architecture schools. Tempio della Consolazione (1508-1607): Outside the walls, 1km downhill — a Greek-cross centrally-planned church attributed to Bramante's circle. The dome, four apses, and white travertine create a building of absolute geometric purity. Free entry. The Nicchioni: Roman niches (1st century BC) visible in the walls near Piazza del Popolo — Todi was a major Umbrian-Roman settlement (Tuder).
Getting there: Todi-Ponte Rio station (FCU line, connections from Perugia 45min). By car: 45min from Perugia, 1.5h from Rome, 40min from Spoleto. Stay: €55-100/night. Eat: Ristorante Umbria (Piazza del Popolo — terrace dining on the most beautiful piazza in Umbria, €30-45), Pane e Vino (€25-35). Combine with: Perugia (45min), Spoleto (40min), Orvieto (35min), Deruta (25min).