Spoleto Travel Guide: Sights, Festival, Getting There

Spoleto is a hill town in southern Umbria that rewards a full day: see the cathedral, where Filippo Lippi painted the apse, walk to the Ponte delle Torri, a medieval aqueduct bridge across a deep gorge, and visit the Rocca Albornoziana, the papal fortress above the town. It is on the Rome to Ancona railway, so you can arrive by train, and escalators carry you up from the lower town. In late June and July, the Festival dei Due Mondi fills its squares and theatres.

Spoleto at a glance

Where	Southern Umbria, between Foligno and Terni
Getting there	Train on the Rome to Ancona line; car via the valley road
Time needed	One full day
Highlights	Cathedral, Ponte delle Torri, Rocca, Roman remains
Key event	Festival dei Due Mondi, late June to July

The cathedral

A long flight of steps leads down to Piazza del Duomo, a memorable approach to any Umbrian square. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta has a Romanesque façade with a mosaic and a Renaissance portico. Inside, the apse is painted with scenes from the life of the Virgin by Filippo Lippi, who died in Spoleto while working on them; his tomb is in the cathedral. A chapel also has a fresco by Pinturicchio. Evening concerts and festival events use the piazza as a stage.

Rocca Albornoziana and Ponte delle Torri

At the top of the town stands the Rocca Albornoziana, a 14th-century fortress built for the papal states. For much of the 20th century it served as a prison; today it houses a museum on the history of the duchy of Spoleto and offers views over the town and valley.

Below it, the Ponte delle Torri crosses the gorge to Monteluco. The bridge, built on the line of an older aqueduct, rests on tall stone piers. A path around the Rocca leads to it, and this path gives an excellent view of the bridge. Access to the bridge itself has been restricted at times; check locally.

Across the bridge, Monteluco is a wooded mountain with a small Franciscan convent and walking paths.

Roman Spoleto

Spoleto was an important Roman town, and remains are scattered through the centre:

• Roman theatre and archaeological museum, near Piazza della Libertà;
• Casa Romana, a Roman house with mosaic floors, below the town hall;
• Arco di Druso, a Roman arch at the edge of the market square, Piazza del Mercato.

Churches beyond the centre

• San Salvatore, near the cemetery below town, is an early medieval church that forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the Lombard period in Italy.
• San Pietro, outside the walls on the road towards Monteluco, has a façade carved with Romanesque reliefs of animals and moral stories.
• Tempietto del Clitunno, north of Spoleto near the springs of the Clitunno, is a small temple-like church, also part of the same UNESCO site.

Festival dei Due Mondi

Founded in 1958 by the composer Gian Carlo Menotti, the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) brings opera, theatre, dance, classical music and exhibitions to Spoleto each summer, usually from late June into July. Some events are ticketed, others take place in the streets. Book accommodation early. Programme and tickets are on the festival’s website. For other events across the region, see our festival calendar.

Getting there and around

By train: Spoleto station, in the lower town, is on the Rome to Ancona line. From Perugia you change at Foligno. From Rome, direct regional and intercity trains run regularly. See Trenitalia.

Up to the old town: escalators and moving walkways link car parks and the lower town with the upper town, saving a long climb. Local buses also run up from the station.

By car: the valley road from Foligno runs past Spoleto. Park in the lower town; the historic centre has restricted traffic zones.

Day trips from Spoleto

• Norcia and the Valnerina: the road east climbs through tunnels into the Valnerina valley and on to Norcia. See Norcia and Castelluccio.
• Spoleto to Norcia railway path: the former narrow-gauge railway, closed decades ago, is now a route for walkers and cyclists through tunnels and over viaducts. Sections may be closed after landslides or works, so check conditions first.
• Montefalco, Bevagna and Spello: a short drive north. See Spello and Bevagna.
• Marmore Falls: near Terni, to the south, a waterfall regulated by a hydroelectric plant, with released flows at published times.

Where to stay

Spoleto has hotels and guesthouses in the upper town and countryside stays in the surrounding hills. During the festival, prices rise and rooms fill early. Outside July, the town is calm and good value.

Plan further

Spoleto is a natural stop between Assisi and Rome, or the gateway to the mountains of south-eastern Umbria. Our seven-day Umbria itinerary shows how to include it. More towns are listed in the hill towns section.