Trevi facts for kids
Trevi is an old town and a comune (which is like a local government area) in Italy. It's located in the central part of Umbria, a region known for its green hills. Trevi sits on the lower slopes of Mount Serano, looking out over the wide plain of the Clitunno river. It's about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Foligno and 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Spoleto.
In 2003, about 7,800 people lived in the Trevi comune. Roughly half of these people lived in the main town, while the rest lived in smaller villages nearby. These smaller villages, called frazioni, include Borgo, Bovara, Cannaiola, Coste, Pigge, Manciano, Matigge, Parrano, Picciche, S. Lorenzo, and S. Maria in Valle.
Most of Trevi is built very closely together, with many buildings being older than the 1700s. The town sits on a hilltop, and its streets gently slope upwards. From Trevi, you can see one of the best views in Umbria. On a clear day, you can see over 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the west, and even as far as Perugia to the north or Monte Amiata in southern Tuscany. There's a train station at the bottom of Monte Serano that serves Trevi, but the fastest trains don't stop there. Local bus services are not very frequent. Trevi is a nice place to visit, and it now has good places to stay and eat.
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Trevi's Long History
Trevi has a very long and interesting past.
Ancient Times
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder once said that Trevi was a city of the ancient Umbrians, who were an old Italian people. In the 1950s, an old stone with Umbrian writing was found in the area, near Bovara. The name "Treviae" also appears in a travel guide from the 5th century. We don't know much about Trevi's very early history, but some walls in the town center are as old as the 1st century BC.
Trevi started to grow beyond its hilltop during the Roman Empire. This happened when the Roman Emperor Hadrian improved the main road in the area, called the Via Flaminia. This led to a small town growing on the plain, in a place now called Pietrarossa. For hundreds of years, people have found old Roman things there. There were even Roman baths that people were still using around the time of Saint Francis, who visited the area and encouraged people to use them.
Medieval Period
In old times, people believed that Trevi ruled the valley below it, all the way to the Colli Martani mountains. Trevi even had its own bishop until the 11th century. It was an important place for the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled parts of Italy.
At the start of the 13th century, Trevi became independent and formed its own free comune. It often joined forces with Perugia to protect itself from nearby Spoleto. Trevi also fought wars with other towns in the area, winning some and losing others. It was invaded by Spoleto in the 14th century and later by the Trinci family, who ruled Foligno. In 1438, Trevi became part of the lands controlled by the Church, as part of the "legation" of Perugia. After that, Trevi's history was tied to the Papal States (the lands ruled by the Pope), and then, in 1860, it became part of the united Kingdom of Italy.
A Prosperous Past
Trevi was at its wealthiest in the 15th century. The town was so important for trade that people called it "il porto secco," which means "the dry port." In 1470, Trevi, along with Foligno, became one of the first four towns in Italy to have a printing press. Many large Renaissance palaces in the town show how rich and important it was during that time.
Important Old Buildings
Trevi is surrounded by two sets of medieval walls. Towards the end of the 20th century, people discovered that the inner walls were actually Roman.
Trevi has about twenty old churches, and some of them are very interesting:
- The Duomo Sant' Emiliano is a Romanesque building. It has a beautifully carved door, and the back of the church also has sculptures. The inside of the church was changed in the 18th century, so it doesn't look as old.
- The Madonna delle Lacrime is a medieval church that was once for monks. It has large wall paintings that were painted to thank God for good things. The best painting is the Adoration of the Magi by Perugino. This is the last painting he signed and dated.
- S. Martino has old Lombard stones and good paintings by Mezzastris.
- S. Francesco is a large Gothic building. It is now used as a museum.
The countryside around Trevi also has many Romanesque churches. Some of those on the plain were built along the old Roman Via Flaminia, showing where the road used to be. Some of the stones in these churches are old Roman stones, taken from buildings that are no longer there.
Museums to Explore
Trevi has several museums where you can learn about its history and culture.
Museo S. Francesco
Trevi's main museum is the Museo S. Francesco. It's located next to the Gothic church of S. Francesco, which is no longer used for religious services. The museum has a few Roman stones, but mostly it displays many Umbrian paintings from the late Middle Ages up to the 17th century. The best painting used to be part of an altar and was created by Lo Spagna. There is also a very interesting collection of "ex-votos." These are paintings made by ordinary people, not famous artists, from the 16th to 18th centuries, to thank God for saving them from sickness or accidents.
Museo della Civiltà dell' Olivo
This museum, whose name means "Museum of Olive Culture," shows how olives are grown and how they are made into oil in the local area. You can learn about the whole process, from planting the trees to producing the oil.
Flash Art Museum
The Flash Art Museum is dedicated to modern art. It is also the home of an international art magazine.
Books to Learn More About Trevi
If you want to learn even more about Trevi, there are some important books. The oldest big book on Trevi's history is Historia universale dello Stato temporale ed ecclesiastico di Trevi, which has 1,233 pages. It was written by Durastante Natalucci in 1745. A local historian named Carlo Zenobi translated it into a more modern and easier-to-read Italian between 1987 and 1994.
Another important book for the plain below Trevi is Cannaiola, Memorie storiche raccolte negli anni 1873-74 by Father Pietro Bonilli.
Pro Trevi, which is the town's volunteer tourism office, has also helped people write and print new books about Trevi's history, as well as the plants and animals found in the nearby countryside.
