Trevi
Encyclopedia
Trevi is an ancient town and comune
in Umbria
, Italy
, on the lower flank of Monte Serano overlooking the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is 10 km (6 mi) SSE of Foligno
and 20 km (12 mi) north of Spoleto
.
The population of the comune was c. 8,000 in 2004, with the town proper accounting for about half of that; the rest lives in the frazioni
of Borgo, Bovara
, Cannaiola
, Coste, Pigge
, Manciano
, Matigge
, Parrano, Picciche, San Lorenzo and Santa Maria in Valle. The historical subdivisions of Trevi proper are the terzieri
of Castello, Matiggia e Piano; they come into play only for the Palio
.
Most of the town, densely inhabited and of decidedly medieval aspect, lies on sharply sloping terrain, only the very center being more or less flat. It commands one of the best views in Umbria, extending over 50 km (30 mi) in most westerly directions. Trevi is served by the main rail line from Rome
to Ancona
as well as the line from Florence
to Rome via Perugia.
The natural environment of the territory as a whole remains largely unspoiled, this despite being significantly populated for millennia. The mountainous area is now witnessing a considerable depopulation — as elsewhere in Italy, in the second half of the 20th century settlements at the highest elevations have been rapidly losing their inhabitants to the plains. The most important growth areas since the period following World War II have been Borgo Trevi (commercial, residential and offices), Pietrarossa (industrial) and Matigge (light and medium industry, commercial).
Many rivers and canals, none of them very large, run in a general South-to-North direction, converging into a single river near Bevagna
. Their courses are by now highly artificial, the result of land and water management projects undertaken over many centuries, since they are recorded at least as early as the time of Theodoric the Great
(6th century) and have continued down to our own time with the construction of dams and works to regularize the seasonal waters of the Marroggia that had been subject to frequent torrential overflows with sudden and disastrous results.
The most important of the year-round watercourses is the Clitunno River, celebrated in Antiquity as the Clitumnus whose deified waters were reputed to have miraculous properties, and which have been lauded in prose and verse by Pliny the Younger
, Propertius
, Claudian
, Addison
, Byron
and Carducci
.
Trevi borders the following municipalities: Campello sul Clitunno
, Castel Ritaldi
, Foligno
, Montefalco
, Sellano
, Spoleto
.
mentioned Trevi as a city of the ancient Umbrians, which has been confirmed by the find of an Umbrian inscription within the territory of the comune, at Bovara
, in the 1950s. Treviae is also mentioned in the 5th‑century Bordeaux Itinerary. After the earliest period, the history of which is essentially unknown, but to which the walls in the core hill portion of the town attest, dated to the 1st century BC, the first stage of the development of Trevi beyond the hill took place under the Empire
, when Hadrian
restored the main road through the territory, the Via Flaminia
, thus spurring the growth of a suburb in the plain at the place now called Pietrarossa, where sporadic excavations over several centuries have brought to light many remains: among them Roman baths that appear to have been still more or less in use in the time of St. Francis
, who is known to have visited the area and to have advised people to bathe there.
In antiquity Trevi is said to have had jurisdiction over much of the valley below, all the way to the Monti Martani that form the central backbone of Umbria. The seat of a bishop until the 11th century, Trevi was a Lombard
gastaldate, then, in the early 13th century, freed itself of outside rulership to become a free commune. It generally allied itself with Perugia in order to defend itself from nearby Spoleto, and fought several wars with other neighboring communes, with varying outcomes, including invasion by Spoleto in the 14th century and a brief but unhappy rule of the Trinci warlords of Foligno. In 1438 Trevi passed under the temporal rule of the Church as part of the legation of Perugia, and thenceforth its history merges first with that of the States of the Church
, then (1860) with the united Kingdom of Italy
.
Trevi's best fortunes were in the 15th century, when its commercial importance was such that it was called "il porto secco" — the dry port. In 1470, along with Foligno, Trevi became the fourth town in Italy to have a printing press
, managed by the first known printing company. The wealth of this period can still be seen in a number of Renaissance
mansions in town.
Durastante Natalucci
(1687–1772) was an Italian historian who specialized in the history of Trevi.
Trevi has about twenty old churches, several of which are of note:
The territory of the comune is particularly rich in Romanesque churches: some of those in the plain, erected on the Roman Via Flaminia
when that road was in use, and incorporating a fair amount of Roman spolia, remain as markers of the road's course.
, originally in San Martino. Particularly notable are a group of ex-votos representative of 16th‑ through 18th‑century folk art.
The Museo della Civiltà dell' Olivo provides an educational look at the olive industry, from the planting of the olive through its processing into oil; the Flash Art Museum houses contemporary art exhibits.
and tourism
.
The comuni of Trevi and Spoleto are known for the quality of their oil, a result of near-ideal calcareous soil with excellent drainage, just the right altitude for the cultivation of olive trees, and favourable climatic conditions on the west-facing lower slopes of the Apennine mountain range.
Trevi's good train and highway access has made the town the most convenient base for visiting central Umbria for those who rely on public transportation; the unusual number of good restaurants in the comune is partly the cause, partly the result of increased tourism.
Trevi also has some light industry and food processing other than olive oil.
Shrove Tuesday
sees a public celebration in the main piazza
, and August a 3‑week-long music festival; but the main annual festivals take place in October: the Palio on the first Sunday, the Celery and Sausage Fair (Sagra del Sedano Nero e della Salsiccia) on the third Sunday, and a historical pageant on the fourth Sunday.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on the lower flank of Monte Serano overlooking the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is 10 km (6 mi) SSE of Foligno
Foligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
and 20 km (12 mi) north of Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
.
The population of the comune was c. 8,000 in 2004, with the town proper accounting for about half of that; the rest lives in the frazioni
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Borgo, Bovara
Bovara
Bovara is a village in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on the lower flank of Monte Serano. It is a frazione of Trevi, which is 2 km northwards. Its population is around 300....
, Cannaiola
Cannaiola
Cannaiola is a village of 730 inhabitants in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria in the floodplain of the Clitunno River; altitude 218 m above sea-level...
, Coste, Pigge
Pigge
Pigge or Lapigge is a village in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria, stretching from the plain of the Clitunno river up the lower SW flank of Mt. Serano, at 297 m above sea-level. It is a frazione of the comune of Trevi, which is 3 km NNW...
, Manciano
Manciano (PG)
Manciano is a village in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a flank of Mt. Matigge, at altitude 509 m above sea-level. It is a frazione of the comune of Trevi, which is 3 km SSW...
, Matigge
Matigge
Matigge is a village of 1095 inhabitants in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria, located at 294 m above sea-level on the lower flank of Mt. Puranno, 42°54N 12°44E...
, Parrano, Picciche, San Lorenzo and Santa Maria in Valle. The historical subdivisions of Trevi proper are the terzieri
Terziere
A terziere is a subdivision of several towns in Italy. The word derives from terzo, meaning "third"; and is thus used only for towns divided into three neighborhoods...
of Castello, Matiggia e Piano; they come into play only for the Palio
Palio
The oldest extant palio is the Palio di Asti, but the Palio di Siena is better known internationally. There are many other palios that are held throughout the various regions of Italy. Here follows an incomplete list:-Tuscany:...
.
Most of the town, densely inhabited and of decidedly medieval aspect, lies on sharply sloping terrain, only the very center being more or less flat. It commands one of the best views in Umbria, extending over 50 km (30 mi) in most westerly directions. Trevi is served by the main rail line from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
as well as the line from Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
to Rome via Perugia.
Geography
The territory of the comune, extends over 71 sq. km from the valley (210 m) to Mts. Brunette (1422 m) and Serano (1429 m) and can be divided into three more or less equal zones: plain, hills, and mountain; each with its own characteristic vegetation. In the plain, the very fertile land is well irrigated by many watercourses, heirs for the most part to the "Lacus Clitorius" of Antiquity, and is suited to annual crops. The hills, of a very loose alkaline limestone with excellent drainage, are an ideal terrain for the intensive and highly specialized cultivation of olive trees, that produce a very characteristic and highly prized oil. Finally, the mountains are clothed in meadows and forests, primarily deciduous.The natural environment of the territory as a whole remains largely unspoiled, this despite being significantly populated for millennia. The mountainous area is now witnessing a considerable depopulation — as elsewhere in Italy, in the second half of the 20th century settlements at the highest elevations have been rapidly losing their inhabitants to the plains. The most important growth areas since the period following World War II have been Borgo Trevi (commercial, residential and offices), Pietrarossa (industrial) and Matigge (light and medium industry, commercial).
Many rivers and canals, none of them very large, run in a general South-to-North direction, converging into a single river near Bevagna
Bevagna
Bevagna is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, , in the flood plain of the Topino river.Bevagna is 25 km SE of Perugia, 8 km west of Foligno, 7 km north-north-west of Montefalco, 16 km south of Assisi and 15 km north-west of Trevi.It...
. Their courses are by now highly artificial, the result of land and water management projects undertaken over many centuries, since they are recorded at least as early as the time of Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
(6th century) and have continued down to our own time with the construction of dams and works to regularize the seasonal waters of the Marroggia that had been subject to frequent torrential overflows with sudden and disastrous results.
The most important of the year-round watercourses is the Clitunno River, celebrated in Antiquity as the Clitumnus whose deified waters were reputed to have miraculous properties, and which have been lauded in prose and verse by Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
, Propertius
Sextus Propertius
Sextus Aurelius Propertius was a Latin elegiac poet of the Augustan age. He was born around 50–45 BC in Assisium and died shortly after 15 BC.Propertius' surviving work comprises four books of Elegies...
, Claudian
Claudian
Claudian was a Roman poet, who worked for Emperor Honorius and the latter's general Stilicho.A Greek-speaking citizen of Alexandria and probably not a Christian convert, Claudian arrived in Rome before 395. He made his mark with a eulogy of his two young patrons, Probinus and Olybrius, thereby...
, Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
and Carducci
Giosuè Carducci
Giosuè Alessandro Michele Carducci was an Italian poet and teacher. He was very influential and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906 he became the first Italian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.-Biography:...
.
Trevi borders the following municipalities: Campello sul Clitunno
Campello sul Clitunno
Campello sul Clitunno is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 45 km southeast of Perugia....
, Castel Ritaldi
Castel Ritaldi
Castel Ritaldi is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 40 km southeast of Perugia.Castel Ritaldi borders the following municipalities: Giano dell'Umbria, Montefalco, Spoleto, Trevi....
, Foligno
Foligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
, Montefalco
Montefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
, Sellano
Sellano
Sellano is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 50 km southeast of Perugia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,194 and an area of 85.7 km²....
, Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
.
History
In Antiquity, Pliny the ElderPliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
mentioned Trevi as a city of the ancient Umbrians, which has been confirmed by the find of an Umbrian inscription within the territory of the comune, at Bovara
Bovara
Bovara is a village in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on the lower flank of Monte Serano. It is a frazione of Trevi, which is 2 km northwards. Its population is around 300....
, in the 1950s. Treviae is also mentioned in the 5th‑century Bordeaux Itinerary. After the earliest period, the history of which is essentially unknown, but to which the walls in the core hill portion of the town attest, dated to the 1st century BC, the first stage of the development of Trevi beyond the hill took place under the Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, when Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
restored the main road through the territory, the Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
, thus spurring the growth of a suburb in the plain at the place now called Pietrarossa, where sporadic excavations over several centuries have brought to light many remains: among them Roman baths that appear to have been still more or less in use in the time of St. Francis
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, who is known to have visited the area and to have advised people to bathe there.
In antiquity Trevi is said to have had jurisdiction over much of the valley below, all the way to the Monti Martani that form the central backbone of Umbria. The seat of a bishop until the 11th century, Trevi was a Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
gastaldate, then, in the early 13th century, freed itself of outside rulership to become a free commune. It generally allied itself with Perugia in order to defend itself from nearby Spoleto, and fought several wars with other neighboring communes, with varying outcomes, including invasion by Spoleto in the 14th century and a brief but unhappy rule of the Trinci warlords of Foligno. In 1438 Trevi passed under the temporal rule of the Church as part of the legation of Perugia, and thenceforth its history merges first with that of the States of the Church
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, then (1860) with the united Kingdom of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Trevi's best fortunes were in the 15th century, when its commercial importance was such that it was called "il porto secco" — the dry port. In 1470, along with Foligno, Trevi became the fourth town in Italy to have a printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
, managed by the first known printing company. The wealth of this period can still be seen in a number of Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
mansions in town.
Durastante Natalucci
Durastante Natalucci
Durastante Tommaso Francesco Emiliano Natalucci was an Italian historian who specialized in history of Trevi, in Umbria....
(1687–1772) was an Italian historian who specialized in the history of Trevi.
Main sights
Trevi is enclosed in two circuits of medieval walls; in the late 20th century, the inner circuit was shown to be of Roman origin.Trevi has about twenty old churches, several of which are of note:
- The DuomoDuomoDuomo is a term for a cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral . Some, like the Duomo of Monza, have never been cathedrals, although old and important...
of Sant' Emiliano is a RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
building with a carved door and an apseApseIn architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
with carved corbelCorbelIn architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s, the interior of which was significantly reworked in the 18th century. - The Madonna delle Lacrime is a medieval conventual church with large votive frescoes, including an Adoration of the MagiAdoration of the Magi in ArtThe Adoration of the Magi is the name traditionally given to the Christian subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, lay before him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worship him...
by Pietro PeruginoPietro PeruginoPietro Perugino , born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance...
, his last known signed and dated work. The chapel of Saint Francis was frescoed by Lo SpagnaLo SpagnaLo Spagna was a painter of the High-Renaissance, active in central Italy. His name was Giovanni di Pietro, but known as Lo spagno because he was born in Spain....
, on of Perugino's pupils. - S. Martino, with LombardLombardsThe Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
lapidary remains and good paintings by MezzastrisPier Antonio MezzastrisPier Antonio Mezzastris was an Italian painter, belonging to the Umbrian school of painting.Mezzastris was born at Foligno in Umbria. He painted religious subjects, working mostly in fresco, and was a local painter, in that all of his known works can be found within 15 km of his hometown,...
. - S. Francesco, a large Gothic building, now housing a museum.
- San Pietro in Bovara is a medieval monastery in BovaraBovaraBovara is a village in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on the lower flank of Monte Serano. It is a frazione of Trevi, which is 2 km northwards. Its population is around 300....
- Santo Stefano in Manciano, another monastery in MancianoMancianoManciano may refer to several places in Italy:*Manciano, a comune in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany*Manciano, Umbria, a frazione of Trevi in the Province of Perugia, Umbria* Manciano, a locality of Morlupo in the Province of Rome, Lazio...
, has only its church remaining.
The territory of the comune is particularly rich in Romanesque churches: some of those in the plain, erected on the Roman Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
when that road was in use, and incorporating a fair amount of Roman spolia, remain as markers of the road's course.
Museums
Trevi's main museum is the Museo S. Francesco, attached to the Gothic church of that name, now secularized; it contains some slight Roman lapidary material, but a more important collection of Umbrian painting from the late Middle Ages through the 17th century: the main work is the Coronation of the Virgin altarpiece by Lo SpagnaLo Spagna
Lo Spagna was a painter of the High-Renaissance, active in central Italy. His name was Giovanni di Pietro, but known as Lo spagno because he was born in Spain....
, originally in San Martino. Particularly notable are a group of ex-votos representative of 16th‑ through 18th‑century folk art.
The Museo della Civiltà dell' Olivo provides an educational look at the olive industry, from the planting of the olive through its processing into oil; the Flash Art Museum houses contemporary art exhibits.
Economy
The mainstays of Trevi's economy are olive oilOlive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
The comuni of Trevi and Spoleto are known for the quality of their oil, a result of near-ideal calcareous soil with excellent drainage, just the right altitude for the cultivation of olive trees, and favourable climatic conditions on the west-facing lower slopes of the Apennine mountain range.
Trevi's good train and highway access has made the town the most convenient base for visiting central Umbria for those who rely on public transportation; the unusual number of good restaurants in the comune is partly the cause, partly the result of increased tourism.
Trevi also has some light industry and food processing other than olive oil.
Holidays and local events
Trevi's patron saint is St. Emiliano; his feast is celebrated on January 27 with a night-time procession of the Illuminata, in which his statue is carried out of the Duomo around the city along the line of the earliest medieval walls.Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
sees a public celebration in the main piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
, and August a 3‑week-long music festival; but the main annual festivals take place in October: the Palio on the first Sunday, the Celery and Sausage Fair (Sagra del Sedano Nero e della Salsiccia) on the third Sunday, and a historical pageant on the fourth Sunday.