Spoleto

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Italy, Umbria, Perugia district, Spoleto, Rocca Albornoz and Ponte delle Torri

Getty Images/AWL Images RM

Overview

Presided over by a formidable medieval fortress and backed by the broad-shouldered Apennines, their summits iced with snow in winter, hillside Spoleto is visually stunning. Ancient arches and a virtually intact amphitheatre tell of its past as a strategic Roman colony, while a series of Romanesque churches testifies to a golden age in the early Middle Ages. In 570 the Lombards made it capital of their duchy and over the next three centuries it flourished, becoming for a brief period one of the most important towns in Italy.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

Duomo
Spoleto
A flight of steps sweeps down to Spoleto's pale-stone cathedral, photogenically set on a graceful hillside piazza. Originally constructed to a Romanesque…
Ponte delle Torri
Spoleto
Many people gasp the first time they glimpse the medieval Ponte delle Torri, a 10-arch bridge that spectacularly spans a steeply wooded gorge – a scene…
Palazzo Collicola Arte Visive
Spoleto
The 18th-century Palazzo Collicola houses Spoleto's premier collection of modern art. The collection, named after its late former director and noted art…
Rocca Albornoziana
Spoleto
Dominating the skyline above Spoleto, this formidable fortress was built on the summit of Colle Sant’Elia as part of a 14th-century campaign to reassert…
Chiesa di San Pietro
Spoleto
This big landmark church overlooks the main Via Flaminia (SS3) just outside the southern end of town. A fine example of Romanesque architecture, it was…
Basilica di San Salvatore
Spoleto
Spoleto's Romanesque basilica, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site as part of the 'Longobards in Italy, Places of the Power (568-774 AD)' group, dates…
Teatro Romano
Spoleto
Accessible though the Museo Archeologico, this well-preserved Roman amphitheatre often hosts live performances during the summer; check with the museum or…
Museo Archeologico
Spoleto
Spoleto's archaeological museum, housed in a 15th-century monastery on the western edge of Piazza della Libertà, holds a well-curated collection of Roman…