Foligno

Foligno is a town in the province of Perugia, the city is located in the center of the Umbria Valley. Foligno is crossed by the Topino river to which the urban river park has been dedicated. The city is rich in artistic and cultural heritages; prosaically it is said that Foligno, given its navel shape, is the center of the world. The city is made up of 172 hamlets, one of the most important is: Rasiglia. The mountain hamlet of Rasiglia, also known as 'Little Venice', is crossed by several watercourses connected by wooden streams which have made it a tourist destination. The Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, stands near the shore of the ditch and was founded in 1450 by the bishop Bolognini following the discovery of a statue of the Madonna in terracotta, kneeling in adoration of the Child Jesus. The church has a single nave, the portico is supported by six pillars and three small columns, near the entrance is the 'wayfarer's window' so called for those who want to offer a prayer to the Madonna even when the sanctuary is closed. On the main altar inside a niche there is the statue of the Virgin in front of the Child; the walls are covered with frescoes of the fifteenth century, there is also a fresco of 1452 representing the Madonna della Misericordia who protects the faithful from the plague with her mantle. Next to the church is the Youth House intended to accommodate religious groups and scouts. The naturalistic area of Colfiorito, located in the hamlet of the same name, was established in 1995 with the aim of safeguarding the swamp and its ecosystem. It includes an ecosystem of 338 hectares of which 100 are covered by the swamp, the flora is composed of various plants including: white water lily, reed, sedges, Hungarian maple and black pine. In the protected area there are also agricultural crops such as that of red potatoes and lentils. Among the weeds are the poppy, fiodaliso and fetid chamomile. In the hamlet of Sassovivo there is the homonymous abbey, known for its characteristic fountains and small fountains; in the heart of the abbey there is a cloister in the center of which there is a well with a wrought iron dome. Palazzo Trinci is a patrician building in the center of Foligno, it contains a precious cycle of frescoes from the fifteenth century; inside it houses the archaeological and multimedia museum of tournaments, rides and games. The Palazzo delle Canoniche is the seat of the diocesan museum of the city, inside there is a section dedicated to Christian archeology. Palazzo Orfini is the seat of the printing museum and it is precisely there that the first print of the Divine Comedy was produced in 1472. Foligno is the city of the Baroque, as evidence of this is the Oratory of the Crucifix with gilded stucco and ornaments that cover the space indoor. The great Raphael linked the Madonna del Foligno to this city; while Perugino gave the work of the Baptism of Jesus as a gift. Foligno is the city of the CIAK: Italian Center of Contemporary Art, where you can find works of contemporary art. In the church of the Holy Trinity there is a 24 m long skeleton with a bird's beak nose by De Dominicis; a rod starts from the phalanx which should represent the link between earth and sky. One of the most important events that takes place in Foligno is the Giostra della Quintana, a knightly tournament in which 10 horse-rider pairs, representing their respective districts, compete twice a year: on the evening of the second or third Saturday in June and in the afternoon of the second or third Sunday of September in which the revenge of the joust takes place. The Primi d'Italia Festival is a festival of taste that has pasta as its theme, attended by great chefs from all over the world. The city is the center of culture and nature of Italy.