Introduction to Spoleto, Italy

SPOLETO is perhaps Umbria's most charming town. Known mainly for its big summer festival, it's remarkable also for its thorough-going medievalism, an extremely scenic setting, and several of Italy's most ancient Romanesque churches. Far more graceful and provincial a city than Perugia, nowadays it plays second fiddle politically to its long-time historical enemy, though for several centuries it was among the most influential of Italian towns. Two kilometres of well-preserved walls stand as testament to the one-time grandeur of its Roman colony, though its real importance dates from the sixth century when the Lombards made it the capital of one of their three Italian dukedoms. The autonomous Duchy of Spoleto eventually stretched to Rome, and by 890 its rulers had become powerful enough to lay claim to the imperial throne itself, making Spoleto, for a short time at least, the capital of the entire Holy Roman Empire. Barbarossa flattened the city in a fit of pique in 1155, and in 1499 the 19-year-old Lucrezia Borgia was appointed governor by her father, Pope Alexander VI. After that it was one long decline until about forty years ago and the arrival of the festival.

Information by Rough Guides

Back to Spoleto, Italy Overview