Spoleto

Spoleto in late afternoon; self-portrait of Filippo Lippi in the Duomo. Photos © Paradoxplace.com.

"Spoleto is perhaps Umbria's most charming town... with thorough-going medievalism, an extremely scenic setting, and several of Italy's most ancient Romanesque churches."
-- The Rough Guide to Italy

Spoleto is an Umbrian town of about 38,000 people on the forested slopes of a sacred mountain in the Apennines. Located 39 miles southeast of Perugia and 78 miles north of Rome, the city springs dramatically to life toward the end of June with the annual Festival dei Due Mondi.

Spoleto started out as a Bronze Age settlement. As a Roman town in the 3rd century BC, it fought off the fierce invader Hannibal. Strategically situated on the ancient Via Flaminia from Rome to Ravenna, Spoleto became the stronghold of many powers during the Dark Ages. The Lombards made it the capital of their empire in the 8th century; the duke they installed here governed most of central Italy. At the turn of the 12th century, Spoleto fell into papal hands, and its twilight began.

Spoleto is a split-level town: the newer Lower Town was extensively rebuilt after World War II; the well-preserved medieval Upper Town contains the extraordinary Duomo. The city contains several ancient Roman and medieval sacred sites, most notably the Duomo, with Filippo Lippi's last fresco cycle, the many Romanesque churches, and the Roman theater, now restored and once again in use.

Spoleto Map
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Spoleto Hotel Reviews
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Spoleto Car Rentals
Renting a car in Spoleto is an excellent way to explore Umbria and beyond. You can drop it off in Spoleto or another city if you wish.

Spoleto Travel Forum
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	Duomo (Cathedral) The lovely Duomo of Spoleto dates from the 12th century. It features a fine Romanesque façade, a magnificent fresco cycle by Fra Filippo Lippi, and a handwritten letter from St. Francis of Assisi.
	Museo Archeologico Housed in a former Benedictine convent, the Archaeological Museum of Spoleto displays a number of interesting Roman artifacts, including a famous warning against damaing a sacred forest.
	Sant'Eufemia Church The most celebrated of Spoleto's numerous Romanesque churches, Sant'Eufemia was built on the site of a Lombard palace and is famed for its unique women's galleries high above the nave.
	San Gregorio Maggiore Church Built in 1069, San Gregorio features an exterior made of Roman fragments and an interior with patches of Romanesque frescoes, unusual stone confessionals, and a little crypt.
	San Pietro Church Reached by a shady 2km walk SE out of town, this church is famed for its facade sculptures. Based on biblical stories and medieval legends alike, they are among the best Romanesque carvings in Umbria.
	San Salvatore Church This church isn't Romanesque - it's Roman, built in the 4th century by Christian monks after the pattern of pagan temples. It remains remarkably well-preserved, with bare walls and mismatched Corinthian columns.