Parco Monumentale Beverly Pepper

On the ridge where Todi's papal fortress once stood, monumental sculptures by Beverly Pepper punctuate the landscape between the Rocca ruins and the dome of Santa Maria della Consolazione. The American sculptor made Todi her home; the park dedicated to her work was inaugurated in 2019.

Why it matters

Beverly Pepper, born in Brooklyn in 1922, first placed her Todi Columns in Piazza del Popolo in 1979. The Beverly Pepper Foundation records the inauguration of the sculpture park on 14 September 2019, describing it as the first monothematic contemporary sculpture park in Umbria and the first park in the world dedicated to Pepper. The national tourism portal counts sixteen works donated by the artist, set between the remains of the fourteenth-century fortress and the Renaissance temple below. Steel, iron and earthworks enter into dialogue with the town's older architecture and landscape.

What to notice

Near the fortress keep stand the Todi Columns: four geometric iron pillars, between eight and twelve metres tall. The columns on display are 2019 refabrications of the series first installed in Piazza del Popolo in 1979. The foundation records that the originals travelled from Todi to Washington in 1980, the Brooklyn Museum in 1987, Venice for the 1996 Biennale and Florence's Forte Belvedere in 1999 before entering the Musei Civici di Venezia. The sixteen works are distributed along the park paths, with views towards the valley and the dome of Santa Maria della Consolazione. Their placement makes the Renaissance temple a visual counterpoint to Pepper's sculpture.

Context and history

The park's story began with Pepper's 1979 Sculture in Piazza intervention, which placed the Columns in Piazza del Popolo. In spring 2019, the refabricated columns were installed again in the square for an exhibition, then moved to the park for its inauguration on 14 September. The sixteen donated works joined them. The setting was prepared through the municipal Art Bonus project La passeggiata delle sculture, which restored paths, lighting, drainage and steps along the Rocca ridge between San Fortunato and Santa Maria della Consolazione. Pepper lived in Todi until her death; the park gives a lasting place to her work and her relationship with the town.