Actor, director and writer Silvio Muccino was not born in Todi, but lived there for a few months, just long enough to fall in love with it.
His stay began in his school days: he had already changed three before, and his living in the other cities had lasted so short that he had hardly had time to savour them. Each time he moved, he imagined himself as a blank page on which to write a new adventure. The feelings Todi gave him were different though, deeper and more intense.
For Muccino, the town was a happy island to take refuge in when one needed to breathe deeply. From that first day there, Todi had not remained a mere passing paranthesis but a real place to be experienced at 360 degrees.
Silvio Muccino remembers well the beautiful countryside of Todi, made up of narrow alleys that open onto the picturesque, medieval Piazza del Popolo, the small craft shops and the smiles of the inhabitants as they pass each other on the street. The atmosphere of Todi makes you more creative, and the writer used this magic for his books.
Instead of hours of acting and directing, he loved learning the art of carpentry and restoration. Slowly his habits and routines changed, Todi was transforming him into a new person, with passions that even he did not know he had. The day's appointments were always the same, a stop at the hardware store outside Porta Soprana, the wool lady, the sandwich shop in the square and the bookshop under the cathedral, a place where he took a break to study new topics.
What was Todi for Silvio?
It was 'wind', a wind that stirred up feelings in him that he needed. His life here lasted three years, and when that experience came to an end it left an empty feeling.
Today there remains a strong bond with our land: every time he returns to Todi he feels that wave of fresh air, the pleasure of familiarity and the thrill of the 'first time'.
Todi is home and first day at school.