Home > Destinations > Europe > Italy > Tuscany and Umbria > Southern Umbria > Todi > In Depth
Bookstore Community Tips and Tools Book a Trip Deals and News Trip Ideas, Activities, Lifestyles Hotels Destinations Frommers.com Home
Frommer's - The best trips start here. Frommer's - The best trips start here.
Sign up for our FREE Newsletters! Win a FREE Trip
  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS

In Depth

Mad Monks & Christmas Carols: Fra' Jacopone

Jacopone (1230-1306) started out in grand Franciscan style, living a fun, sometimes debauched, materialistic life. But when his young wife died in his arms, he had a spiritual crisis. He started going about on all fours like a dog, eating filthy food, and acting like such a nut that the Franciscans didn't at first accept his ecstasies as religious. For quite a while they refused to let him don their robes. He is chiefly remembered for telling off, in verse form, Dante's old nemesis, the reprehensible Pope Boniface VIII (the written jibes got him 5 years in a Roman dungeon). He also wrote catchy late-medieval poetry set to music that became, for all intents and purposes, the world's first Christmas carols.


Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS
Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria, 6th Edition Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria, 6th Edition

Author: John Moretti
Pub Date: January 22, 2008
Price: $21.99

Buy Now!
Related Titles:
Frommer's 24 Great Walks in Rome, 1st Edition
Frommer's Florence & Tuscany Day by Day, 1st Edition
Frommer's Italy 2009
Sponsored Links: What's This?
$869 -- Classic Italy: Rome-Florence-Venice Flexible Combo 6-Nts w/Air
Add Frommers.com RSS Feed  Add Frommers.com RSS Feed (What's This?)
Add Frommers.com Deals & News to Your Web Site
Add to My Yahoo!     Add to My MSN     More RSS Readers
Add Frommers.com Podcast Add Frommers.com Podcast (What's This?)
Home > Destinations > Europe > Italy > Tuscany and Umbria > Southern Umbria > Todi > In Depth