More Wonders Of Spoleto, Umbria

This Umbrian town of 20,000 people is a jewel of Roman ruins and medieval fantasy!  Spoleto is also the host of two world-class music festivals each summer that puts this village on the world stage. But for now, we have the city to ourselves!

Today was market day in the Umbrian hill town of Spoleto.  This was good news because we wanted to pick up our meals for the next two days of our stay here.  Last night we had dinner in "Piazza del Mercado"  which used to be the old Roman Forum in Spoleto.  Spoleto is an ancient hill town that was first settled by the Umbri people and then built up by the Romans.  We figured Piazza del Mercado would be where the public market was held, but all we saw were safety fences and scaffolding around the buildings.  I don't know if there was a restoration project going on or if there were ongoing repairs from last Octobers 6.2 magnitude earthquake.  In any case, it was clear that there would be no market here today.

Down The Scala Mobile

We asked an elderly gentleman who looked like a Spoleto resident where the market was.  He gave us these weird directions that involved "moving stairs" and elevators; he kept saying the market was very far away.  We were so confused!  We were instructed to head to "The Rocca"  which was the giant castle Albornoziana at the top of the town and all would become clear the gentleman said.  So we trudged uphill to the Rocca and saw a sign pointing to the "scala mobile" and headed towards an entrance that disappeared underground.  Buried deep beneath Spoleto, there is a series of moving sidewalks and escalators that get people use to get around this incredibly steep hill town: ALL FOR FREE!  It's so great for people with baby buggies, mobility issues, shopping carts-you can even bring your dogs on the ride.

Scala Mobile System

So the #2 green line tunnel popped us out halfway down the hill on the edge of town.  From there it was a short stroll across the bridge to the market.  This market sold everything; produce, clothes, jewellery, cheap electronics and much more.  We got a bunch of great local produce for the next few days including some delicious walnuts grown just outside the city!  I also bought a toque because it was cold and smelled like snow again.  We did our shopping with the locals and "took a coffee" as the Italians would say; which means slam down an espresso at a local bar.



After our caffeine fuel up we decided to walk up the hill to get to our palazzo via the scenic route. There is a lot of history to see in Spoleto with its Roman ruins, Medieval architecture and fabulous Churches.  Walking through the village was fascinating with its ample amount of arched alleyways and stone cobbled streets.  After the fall of the Roman Empire, Spoleto was the capital of its own Duchy, and there were many palaces for the wealthy here.  Much of the stone and marble the Romas had used to build with, were repurposed at this time.   There are so many beautiful little details that make Spoleto intriguing.

Spoletium's Amphitheatre

Eventually, our uphill meander brought us to this place:  the Roman Amphitheatre built in the early part of the first century.  This 2000-year-old amphitheatre was so well preserved because it was basically buried by Medieval buildings constructed over the top of it; including the monastery of Saint Agatha, pictured here on the right.   The monastery of St Agatha became a prison until the 1800's and now it houses the National Archeological Museum.  The big deal about this Roman amphitheatre is the stage which still has the original marble with an inlaid pattern called "Opus Sectile" which is not mosaic, but inlaid pieces of thinly sliced stone and marble imported from all over the Roman Empire.  The theatre has been recently restored and is one of the ballet and dance venues of the "FESTIVAL DEI DUE MONDI" or FESTIVAL OF THE TWO WORLDS.

Festival Dei Due Mondi

Another amazing venue for the Spoleto festival or Festival dei Due Mondi and the Spoleto Jazz Festival is in front of Spoleto's beautiful Duomo.  This Romanesque Cathedral was built in about 50 years from 1175-1225 after the original Duomo was sacked by Barbarossa in 1155.

Santa Maria Assunta

With its glorious golden mosaics and 8 rose windows on the facade created in 1202, this Duomo dedicated to the Virgin Mary was considered very modern for its day.  I so wished we had time to peek inside because there are amazing pre-renaissance ceiling frescoes by Filippo Lippi, a bust sculpted by Bernini and a letter written and signed by St. Francis of Assisi inside.  There are only two signatures of letters signed by St. Francis in the world, the other is in the Duomo of Assisi.  Lippi himself has a tomb inside the Duomo, but the remains of this great Italian artist had been stolen.  It is a whole other crazy story that should have a movie written about it...or maybe a blog post 😏

Rocca Albornoziana

The sun came pouring out from behind the clouds so we thought this would be a great opportunity to walk all the way up to the Rocca to take in the view of the town.  The Rocca Albornoziana sits on top of Saint Elia hill and was built in 1359 after the whole mess of the Papacy moving to France.  When the Pope returned to Italy, he wanted a series of fortresses built to defend the Papal territories.  The Cardinal in charge of the region of Umbria was Cardinal Albornoz, a tough Spaniard who ordered the massive castle to be built.  Six square towers with 2 internal courtyards and a great wall of defence below it.  This was also home to the Pope's daughter; the infamous Lucrezia Borgia in 1499 when she was made the governess of Umbria by her Dad.  If y'all watch the television series "The Borgias" you will know all about the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and her numerous plots of love and murder.  There is even a story about a secret escape tunnel built under the Rocca that Lucrezia used to sneak her various lovers into the castle.

Ponte Delle Torre From The Rocca

The views from up on Saint Elias hill of  Spoleto, Mountelucco, the Ponte delle Torre and the valley were incredible!  The air was thick with the sweet smell of Ash fires, and a thin blue haze hovered over the church spires.  Somewhere on Montelucco, a church bell began to chime and starts a choir of bells in the town below us.  Noon.  I was hoping to have more time to tour inside the Rocca and to visit the museum of Spoleto inside it.  The Rocca was completely restored in the 1980's after it was used as a prison for almost 200 years.  I figured if the Rocca looks this great after 700 years, it will surely survive until our next visit to Umbria.  For now, adventure (and lunch) calls us North towards Assisi to explore more Roman hill towns on the Via Flaminia!

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