(
Latin ''
Spoletium '') is an ancient city in the
Italian Province Of Perugia in east central
Umbria on a foothill of the
Apennines . It is 20 km (12 mi) S. of
Trevi , 29 km (18 mi) N. of
Terni , 63km (39 miles) SE of
Perugia ; 212km (131 miles) SE of
Florence ; and 126km (78 miles) N of
Rome . Its population according to the
2003 census was 38,000.
Spoleto was situated on the eastern branch of the
Via Flaminia , which forked into two roads at
Narnia and rejoined at ''
Forum Flaminii '', near
Foligno . An ancient road also ran hence to
Nursia .
Located at the head of a large, broad valley, surrounded by mountains, Spoleto has long occupied a strategic geographical position. It appears to have been an important town to the original
Umbri tribes, who built walls around their settlement in the
5th Century BC , some of which are visible today.
The first historical mention of Spoleto is the notice of the foundation of a colony there in xxii.9)]. During the
Second Punic War the city was a useful ally to Rome. It suffered greatly during the civil wars of
Marius and
Sulla . The latter, after his victory over
Crassus , confiscated the territory of Spoletium (
82 BC ). From this time forth it was a ''
Municipium ''.
Under the empire it seems to have flourished once again, but is not often mentioned in history. in 354 constitutes its first historical mention. Owing to its elevated position Spoleto was an important stronghold during the
Vandal and
Gothic wars; its walls were dismantled by
Totila (
Procopius , ''de Bello Gothico'' iii. 12).
Under the
Lombards , Spoleto became the capital of an independent duchy, the
Duchy Of Spoleto (from
570 ), and its dukes ruled a considerable part of central Italy. In
774 it became part of
Holy Roman Empire . Together with other fiefs, it was bequeathed to
Pope Gregory VII by the powerful countess
Matilda Of Tuscany , but for some time struggled to maintain its independence. In
1155 it was destroyed by
Frederick Barbarossa . In
1213 it was definitively occupied by
Pope Gregory IX . During the
Absence Of The Papal Court In Avignon , it was prey to the struggles between
Guelph s and
Ghibelline s, until in
1354 Cardinal Albornoz brought it once more under the authority of the
Papal States .
After
Napoleon 's conquest of Italy, in
1809 Spoleto became capital of the short-lived French department of
Trasimène , returning to the
Papal States after Napoleon's defeat, within five years. In
1860 , after a gallant defence, Spoleto was taken by the troops fighting for the unification of Italy.
Giovanni Pontano , founder of the Accademia Pontaniana of Naples, was born here. Another child of Spoleto was Francis Possenti who was educated in the Jesuit school and whose father was the Papal assesor, Francis later entered the Passionists and became
Saint Gabriel Of Our Lady Of Sorrows .
The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (''Festival of the Two Worlds''): in
1958 , because Spoleto was a small town, where real estate and other goods and services were at the time relatively inexpensive, and also because there are two indoor theatres, a roman theatre and many other spaces. It is also fairly close to Rome, with good rail connections, so it was chosen by
Gian-Carlo Menotti as the venue for an arts festival, which has developed into one of the most important cultural manifestations in Italy, with a three-week schedule of music, theater and dance performances. For some time it became a reference point for modern sculpture exhibits, and works of art left to the city by
Alexander Calder and others are a testimony to this.
The name of the festival comes from the parallel festival,
Spoleto Festival USA , held in Charleston, South Carolina. After disputes with the Menotti family, the American Spoleto Festival is now indipendent. For a small period of time also a third parallel festival was held in Australia. Because of loss of funds and the birth of many similar festivals throughout Italy, the Spoleto Festival has now lost its international prominence. It is still however a very important cultural event; it is usually held in late June-early July.
- The , largely rebuilt. The scene is occupied by the former church of St. Agatha, currently housing the National Archaeological Museum.
- ("bloody bridge"), a Roman bridge 1st Century BC . The name is traditionally attributed to the Persecution s of Christians in the nearby amphiteatre.
- ( 2nd Century AD). It was turned into a fortress by Totila in 545 and in Middle Ages times was used for stores and shops, while in the cavea the church of San Gregorio Minore was built. The stones were later used to build the Rocca.
- The ( 13th Century ).
- , a striking 13th-century Aqueduct , possibly on Roman foundations: whether it was first built by the Romans is a point on which scholarly opinion is divided.
- The majestic , built in 1359-1370 by and used as such until the late 20th century. It is currently under repair.
- The ( 16th Century ) has a worn Graffito decoration attributed to Giulio Romano . The inner courtyard has a notable fountain.
- (14th century), housing the City's Museum.
- The majestic (15th-16th centuries) includes the '''Torre dell'Olio''' (13th century), the sole mediaeval city tower remaining in Spoleto.
- The , begun around 1175 and completed in 1227. It contains the tomb of Filippo Lippi , who died in Spoleto in 1469, designed by his son Filippino Lippi . The church also houses a manuscript letter by Saint Francis Of Assisi .
- was founded in decoration by local artists; with S. Rufino in Assisi, it is the finest extant specimen of Umbrian Romanesque.
- The basilica of (4th-5th century) incorporates the Cella of a Roman Temple and is one of the most important examples of Early Christian architecture.
- is a notable complex lying outside the city's walls, dedicated to the patron saint of Spoleto. The church was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style, but was later modified by Giuseppe Valadier . The crypt, however, has remained untouched, with its five small naves and small apses with cross-vault, ancient Roman Spolia columns and frescoes of the 14th-15th centuries.
- , is an edifice on an octagonal plan sited near the Cathedral. It was built in the 16th - 17th Century to thank the Madonna for her protection of Spoletine traders.
- (13th century) is a Gothic construction in white and pink stone. The interior has notable frescoes and a painting by Giovanni Lanfranco . The crpyt is a former church dedicated to St. Peter, with frescoed walls.
- (11th-12th century), is a Romanesque church which has been restored to original lines only in recent times. The façade has two slopes and a porch of the 16th Century that includes the Chapel of the Innocents (14th century) with a noteworthy font. The main external feature is the high belfry, finished only in the 15th century. The interior has three naves with spolia columns and pillars.
- The former church of is a Romanesque edifice featuring, on the exterior, a 13th century Fresco portraying ''Madonna with Saints''. The interior frescoes, from the 13th-15th centuries, include some of the most ancient representations of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket , by Alberto Sotio , and of St. Francis .
- (12th century), a striking example of Romanesque architecture with influences from Lombardy and Veneto. The interior has three naves with spolia columns.
- (10th century) is a typical Spoletine Romanesque church. Its main feature is the rose-window of the façade.
- The former church and Augustinian convent of ( 1304 ) is a rare example of Gothic style in Spoleto. The small church has a single nave with a splendid polygonal apse with mullioned windows. Under the apse is the church of Santa Maria della Misericordia. There are two cloisters, the more recent one pertaining to the 15th century.
- is a Baroque construction of mid- 17th Century , designed by the Spoletine Loreto Scelli and inspired by churches in Rome of the same period.
- was created in the 18th Century over a series of former buildings including a Roman Temple ( 1st Century AD) and the Mediaeval St. Isaac's Crypt . It has a cloister from the 16th century.
Spoleto gained its main results in sport with the local
Volleyball team, Olio Venturi Spoleto, who classified in the quarter-finals of the Italian championship in
Sport .
