HISTORY: Spoleto is an ancient town born in the Roman times, that grew during the Longobards domination. The Duchy of Spoleto was established by the Longobard leader Faroald I in the year 571 AD, and it remained independent until 729 AD, when it was subjugated by the longobard king Liutprand.
In 1362, the Cardinal Egidio Albornoz chose Spoleto as stronghold of the States of the Church and commissioned architect Matteo Gattaponi to build the fortress Rocca Albornoziana. Spoleto had another period of glory during the Napoleonic Empire, between 1808 and 1815, when it was the capital of the Trasimene Department.
GEOGRAPHY: Spoleto is a town of about 38,000 people in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region, on a foothill of the Apennine Mountains. The town is located about 69 kilometers southeast of Perugia, 42 kilometers south of Assisi, 82 kilometers east of Orvieto, about 115 kilometers north-east of Rome, 127 kilometers southeast of Arezzo and almost 200 kilometers southeast of Florence.
TRANSPORT: You can get to Spoleto by car, or by train, from Rome, in the south, or from Perugia and Florence, in the north. A train ticket from Perugia costs 5.25€ and the trip takes about one hour. A train ticket from Rome is 8.85€ and the trip takes about one hour and a half. The Umbria Aiport, San Francesco d’Assisi, is about 50 kilometers away.
LANDMARKS: Spoleto is known for the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival Of Two Worlds) that gathers every summer, starting with 1958, the most interesting artists of classical music and dance, but also for its monuments, like its many fountains, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo di Spoleto), the Rocca Albornoziana, the Teodelapio, an impressive sculpture by Alexander Calder, and for many others.
MORE INFO: Touristic Portal | Umbria Airport | Car Hire | Train Timetables & Fares | Hotels in Spoleto
Rocca Albornoziana is an imposing fortress standing on Colle Sant’Elia, the highest point in Spoleto, strategically towering over the valley. SHORT HISTORY The construction of Rocca Albornoziana started in 1359, of the order of Pope Innocent VI Read more [...]
In the historical center of Spoleto, in Piazza del Mercato (Market Square), there is a fantastic fountain, whose water has been running for over 700 years. With a clock above and a monument dedicated to the Barberini family on top, this fountain is kn Read more [...]
Piazza del Duomo is a beautiful square in Spoleto, filled with interesting buildings, palaces, churches and places of culture. Descending the stairs to reach the square, flanked on the right by buildings of the 16th century, with the Cathedral of Spol Read more [...]
Fontana di San Giuseppe (Fountain of Saint Joseph) is an interesting fountain in Spoleto, set against a terracing wall in Via Saccoccio Cecili, in the section commonly known as Curva dei Picchi. SHORT HISTORY Before the construction of Via Ceci Read more [...]
Near the Spoleto train station, there is a monument that you can easily overlook. Its name is Teodelapio, which comes from one of the first Lombard dukes of Spoleto, who reigned in the 7th century, Theudelapius. SHORT HISTORY The story began in Read more [...]
Spoleto Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta or the Duomo di Spoleto) is a beautiful church in Spoleto dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. SHORT HISTORY The Spoleto Cathedral was built at the end of the 12th century, Read more [...]
Teatro Caio Melisso is an old opera house in Spoleto, and one of the most elegant theatres in Italy, being known as one of the main venues of the Festival dei Due Mondi. SHORT HISTORY The oldest theatre in Spoleto, Teatro Caio Melisso was built Read more [...]
The Basilica of Sant’Eufemia rises inside the Archbishop’s Palace, near the Piazza del Duomo, on a place that was once occupied by the palace of the Lombard Dukes of Spoleto. SHORT HISTORY The first information about the monastery and the Read more [...]
Fontana di Mascherone is an interesting fountain in Spoleto, simply known by the locals as Il Mascherone, due to the mask from whose mouth the water flows. The fountain was probably built in the 17th century, and according to a nearby inscription, a r Read more [...]
Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) is a renowned international event of music, art and culture held every year in Spoleto, since 1958. Over time, many famous artists attended t Read more [...]
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