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Spello
is vastly under-rated as a place to visit in Umbria, Italy. This
quiet Umbrian hilltop (or, rather, ridge-top) town is a pleasure for those who love
to explore the integration of Roman structures into a living town. Three well-preserved Roman
portals form the entries into Spello. They are Porta Venere, with its towers,
Porta Urbica and Porta Consolare. Once inside, the cobblestone streets
lead the visitor among the simple but elegant stone houses, a
great many of them, like Spello's churches, of mediaeval origin
Indeed, Spello is regarded by many as the most perfect example of
a walled mediaeval town in Italy.
Not everything in Spello is mediaeval. Some of the finest frescoes
of Pinturicchio can be found in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Spello.
The Infiorate of Spello is a festival
of Umbria that takes place on Corpus Christi in June. The main streets of Spello are carpeted with floral art in the form of images depicting religious figures or ornaments and which are created from flower petals and aromatic herbs.
Worth a visit.
More about Spello. |
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