Spello is an ancient town in Italy's Umbria region filled with fascinating sites that
we shall explore as we wander the little lanes of this charming place, often called one of
Italy's most beautiful villages, up on a hill with an old Roman and medieval wall around
it, and narrow peaceful pedestrian lanes that are ideal for wandering.
Plus, we will see, one of Italy's important art masterpieces painted on the wall of the
church by Pinturicchio, and some splendid old historic buildings such as the Town Hall.
From above, you'll see how tightly clustered these old buildings are, forming a dense community
ideal for exploring on foot.
There is one main street that goes through the middle of town, and many more little lanes
branching off on both sides.
We will take you to some of the best places, as we will show you walking from one end of
town to the other.
Spello is among the many beautiful towns that you'll find in Umbria, which is located in
central Italy, north of Rome, easy to reach by train or car from the other towns such
as from Spoleto where we've been staying.
You can get from Spoleto to spell by train, and it's only 30 minutes if you take the direct
train.
The one-way ticket costs just four euro – so cheap – and you can buy your tickets right
at the train station from a machine, no seat reservations are necessary in second-class.
There is a departure about once every hour.
Some of the trains only go halfway and you have to change trains at Foligno, which adds
another 20 minutes to your journey.
There is a taxi stand at the train station, but those are usually reserved, so call ahead
if you want to take a taxi, but it's only 600 meters to walk from the train station
to the old town, so it's really quite easy.
There is generally a sidewalk market as you arrive, selling ceramics, guidebooks and some
practical goods and souvenirs, which is good because there are not that many shops in the
town itself.
And right away, you'll find the people of the small town are friendly.
"What's your name?"
Dennis "What's your name?"
(chatter) "Dorine, Maureen, and Anna."
Anna, ok, ciao.
"Ciao baby" "And this is Spello?"
"No speak English."
"You don't speak English."
Mauricio (chatter) "OK, gracie."
This market is located just outside the town walls, which were built by the ancient Romans.
This gateway, called Porta Consolare, was one of the main entrances to the ancient city.
This old Roman city gate has a massive construction rising far above the entrance, like a triumphal
arch.
And on the façade there are three original Roman statue, s standing on slabs projecting
out from the wall.
The structure is one of the most impressive and best-preserved Roman gates in all of Italy.
As you step into the town and look back at the gate, you see it's part of a longer wall
that stretches almost all the way around the town.
The gate leads right into Spello's main street, which changes names several times.
Here it's called via Consolare.
You'll notice some intriguing little side lanes leading off, with potted plants and
flowers.
It's actually one of the prettiest parts of town called via Borgo San Sisto, so by all
means dive in, take a little detour enjoying short meandering wander through these quaint
little lanes.
The winding route takes you back to the main street, and then you can reenter the next
lane of this labyrinth.
It provides a nice preview of many similar sites coming up.
The town has lots of cats.
It's a sure sign this is a calm, peaceful town, and these cats know how to get around.
They've got their little nooks and crannies and hiding spots.
Continuing along, we get to an intersection of several streets.
A quick recap on the map, we entered through the main gate, walked along via Consolare,
did that little side trip into the lanes of Burgo San Sisto.
Now we've reached an intersection of a couple streets in the road continues and soon changes
name to via Cavour.
You'll notice the street is not quite level because we are in a hill town, so you are
going to do some walking uphill and downhill, but none of it is too strenuous.
There is no place that you cannot handle, even if you're pushing a wheelbarrow loaded
with wood.
Most of the homes have fireplaces for heating up the house and some of them use wood in
the kitchen in the stoves, continuing an old tradition.
Our main street is now called via Cavour and brings us closer to the center of town.
Running alongside it we've got Piazza Matteotti, with some outdoor restaurants.
Also, here is the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which contains the most important attraction
of Spello, a series of frescoes by Pinturicchio.
We will bring you inside for a closer look later in the program.
For now we continue our walking exploration.
Entering through this archway leads us to a scenic vista on the other side of the parking
lot.
Too misty today, but on a clear day you get a view across the countryside.
Just down below, we can see the remains of the ancient Roman forum, that was the center
of town, which would have been quite extensive stretching for several hundred meters with
many buildings.
This is all that's left now.
We have arrived at Piazza della Republica, the center of Spello.
It is a relatively modest space because this is a small town.
There's a fountain, there's room for cats to roam, there's benches to sit on.
It's the central gathering place for locals as well as visitors, with some shops and restaurants
around it.
There are various attractive pedestrian lanes leading out from the piazza, and one very
impressive major building, the Town Hall called Palazzo Comunale, with a museum inside that
will show you later, and we'll come back to the piazza after exploring more of the wonderful
streets of town.
Our main road has changed names again to via Garibaldi, named after that great hero, the
unifier of the country.
Every respectable town has a main Piazza or street named after Garibaldi, showing the
importance of this stretch of the road.
They do love their cats here, and will see more of them as we wander these little lanes.
You'll find just a few shops and galleries scattered through town.
At the end of via Garibaldi it widens to form what's called Lago Mazzini, with a few
shops and there's some gelato here – a perfect spot for a break.
Now we face a three-way intersection.
You might go straight through that arch to via Torre Belvedere.
We will show you that neighborhood coming up in a bit, but we're going to turn right
and continue along the main street, which is now called via Giulia.
Quite amusing to see a large modern truck squeezing through the opening of an old garage
at a historic location - the Arco di Augusto.
The white circle outlines the stone remains of what had been a magnificent Arch of Augustus,
the first Emperor of Rome.
That's all there is left of it today, but it would've been a triumphal arch, perhaps
a gateway through the Roman wall.
Several little streets branch out from this dramatic location with that characteristic
paving of stone and brick, and some archways across the alleys, helping to stabilize the
buildings.
You got a quality restaurant right here, the Forno, and there is a small three-star Albergo
dell Teatro, a hotel in an 18th-century mansion.
There's even a bus stop.
They offer a free shuttle bus that runs along this main lane of the old town, then extends
out into the newer part of town.
Now we are finally going to depart from the main street and venture into the little side
alleys, going up the via Arco Di Augusto.
It looks quite intriguing up there and the way is nicely paved with this brick and stone
path that acts kind of like a ramp, and a sidewalk, and a staircase altogether.
You could just walk up a short way, have a look, and turn around and walk right back
down again.
That would be something interesting.
However, it's even more interesting if you keep on going up, and then further up, and
further into the old town, as were going to take you now.
Up here the lanes get level as we enter a little residential neighborhood, just around
the corner from Lago Mazzini, visited earlier.
And a motor scooter providing home delivery of food from the market in a cozy alley with
potted plants and little arches tying it all together.
I only saw a couple of other motor scooters in my visit here – somewhat unusual for
an Italian city, but just another indication of how quiet and peaceful Spello is.
Quick check on the map to show our recent route – up from the Piazza Republica, along
via Garibaldi, passing Lago Mazzini to via Giulia, and then we walked up that narrow
via Arco di Augusto into those little residential lanes.
You might find that you're wandering in circles in a place like this and getting a little
bit lost, and perhaps retracing your steps and ending up back where you began, just as
we have now.
We're back to the Largo Mazzini.
That would've been a satisfying walk in itself, but there are more things to discover back
up in that same neighborhood.
And look how inviting the archway to via Torre Belvedere is, so were going back in to discover
some new sites.
It's the ideal setting for a wander.
It is like we've gone backstage in this town.
Many visitors would just walk along that main street, which is quite lovely, stop in the
piazza, get a bite to eat, perhaps go into the churches and museums, and then depart
without seeing the real heart and soul of town and these winding little lanes.
Then you make a turn, and the street becomes a driveway into a residential courtyard parking
lot.
It's all housing back here, people living in stone structures, some of which are 400
years old.
Nearly every visitor destination is divided in two parts: a foreground and a background.
The foreground is the property of the guidebook, a listing of sites heavy on history, museums
and churches.
It's the premier plan outline for the hasty sightseer who does not have much time.
The background is for the dawdler, the dreamer, and the happy few who remain more than three
hours in a place.
With that leisurely approach you'll have the freedom to discover slightly out-of-the-way
sites such as the Roman Arch, another classic remnant of Spello's ancient history.
The Roman town started out as a small village of little importance and gradually became
a desirable home for retirees from the Roman army.
And during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the town was called Hispellum, and given the
honor of becoming a Roman colony, which grew in size and importance in the following centuries.
During the Christian era, after the fall of Rome, there were some troubled times with
the invasion of Attila, and conflicts with the neighboring cities of Perugia, Assisi,
and Spoleto, but by the end of the 14th century, peace returned under the powerful leadership
of the Baglioni family.
And like this cat, they felt protected behind their medieval walls.
If you'd like to settle into a quiet neighborhood like this, there's are some bed-and-breakfasts
that would take care of you.
We've come around through this interesting residential neighborhood in another big circle
taking us back once again to via Giulia.
Here we find another side lane that looks pretty interesting, via Fontanello.
Reflected in the restaurant window, you'll see my camera mounted on its steady cam rig
that I use for shooting while I'm walking along, attempting to get some smooth shots
on these cobblestone lanes.
People living in the smaller Italian hill towns do a lot of walking during the day.
That's how they'll get around.
The streets are largely for pedestrians, rather than driving a car as many people do in the
West.
And while this walking is not a vigorous exercise, it is a healthy way to get around.
So for those travelers interested in exploring these many little back lanes, it's important
to get in shape.
Increase your exercise program before you take your trip, and then walking up and down
the incline streets adds another dimension to the benefits.
Notice this big, round, stone turret up above.
It was part of the fortifications in the medieval wall that runs around Spello.
You're always going to notice the little side staircases as you walk along – maybe best
to resist some of those temptations and just keep on going on the level.
Some of them are dead ends that don't really go anywhere except to somebody's front door.
These kids have found an easy way to get around, little wheelies in their sneaker heels.
When you look at the walls of some of these buildings you see how the structure has evolved
over time – earlier windows and archways filled in by a stone wall.
This was photographed before the pandemic, in late November, which proved to be a lovely
time to be traveling in Umbria and Tuscany.
I spent a month traveling around, showing you many of those cities in my series.
And the weather was great, it was never cold, just comfortably cool, and occasionally misty
as we've seen today in Spello.
Well, after a long walk like that you might want to reward yourself by sitting down in
one of various excellent wine bars in Spello.
After all, Umbria is in the heart of wine country in Italy, and with that fine Italian
cuisine, you can be sure that the food and drinks will be excellent, especially in a
place where local families gather for a meal.
Bonci looks like a simple café with counter service when you step inside, but then take
a look in the back garden where you'll be surprised by a large outdoor dining area.
However, it's not getting any use on this grey November day.
Notice the name of this Enoteca, Hispellum.
It's the original Roman name for Spello.
After looking around a little bit and comparing the possibilities, I settled into Enoteca
Properzio, and it was a very fine choice.
It's conveniently situated in the middle of town on Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, perfect
for us because it's right next to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, containing the masterpiece
of Pinturicchio.
For many people, it's the main attraction of Spello, so it's time to enter the divine
world and pay our respects.
There is no charge to enter the church, but to go into the side chapel with the paintings
you pay a small admission fe, e well worth it.
The masterpiece is rich in minute details.
Pinturicchio painted these while he was returning from Rome in the year 1500, where he had assisted
in creating frescoes for the Sistine Chapel.
On the left The Enunciation, in front of us, The Nativity, with Umbrian landscapes in the
background, and on the right Christ Among the Doctors, on the ceiling are the sybils,
the mystic link between the old faith and the new.
I can only show you these humble pictures, but to experience the genius, you have to
be here in person.
It really is reason enough to come to Spello.
When finished with Santa Maria Maggiore you will find there is yet another painting by
Pinturicchio and the in church of St. Andrew.
It's the Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints.
Pinturicchio was an Umbrian Renaissance artist from nearby Perugia where he was a student
of Perigino, and his greatest masterpieces is in Siena in the Cathedral in the Piccolomini
Library, but the works here in Spello are among his best.
The Civic Art Gallery is located in between those two churches and has a small collection
in seven rooms, mostly of Gothic and Baroque goldwork and wooden sculptures, some final
paintings, frescoes.
They are precious examples of the local artistic activity in Spello in the previous centuries.
Just in front of the museum and those churches you'll find another fascinating street that
will lead you to yet another neighborhood of the back lanes, with a few shops and restaurants,
but mostly residential for the local folks, with typically smooth paving, culminating
with another ancient Roman site, a major gate into the old city called Porta Venere, or
Gate of Venus.
They believe this was the main entrance to the Roman city 2000 years ago.
By that time the Romans had built their wall all the way around Spello.
The gate is flanked by a couple of 12-sided towers that are from a later time period,
but beautifully integrated together with the gate.
Continue walking on the lane uphill and there you'll connect with yet another street that
will bring you back to the center of town at Piazza della Republica.
Aside from the occasional motor scooter, it's nice and quiet in this residential neighborhood.
Walking along this stone lane surrounded by stone buildings, it's nice they've got some
potted plants hanging out on the walls and balconies to provide some greenery.
Then we soon arrived back at via Garibaldi.
It was just a 400-meter side trip, walking out via Torri Di Properzio to the Venus Gate,
and then around through the lanes back over to the main Piazza della Republica.
It's a relatively simple piazza compared to some of the other grand spaces that you'll
find in many Italian cities, but that's because Spello is a small town.
It has a park-like atmosphere, and of course there are various shops and a few cafés around
it.
We started our visit in the morning, and now as the day progresses we notice that more
and more people have arrived, even in November, there are some small tour groups.
In the summertime it can get quite crowded.
If you want to get to the train station from the piazza, it's about one kilometer.
Easy to walk, but you could also take a taxi from this main square.
I noticed some half-dozen cats hanging around in the piazza which is another indication
of how quiet and peaceful this place is.
It was kind of like they own the place.
And this orange tabby was so well-behaved, he waited for his owner to finish her shopping
and then walked home with her.
There is one monumental building on the piazza.
It's the Town Hall, called Palazzo Comunale.
It was first built in the year 1270 in the Gothic style and over time it's been transformed
with renovations and enlargements.
I had purchased the Umbrian museum pass, and the clerk was kind enough to open a door for
me into a little special exhibits with ancient amphora that had been used for storing olive
oil, a very important product of the region.
Stepping out through the side loggia, you'll notice there are several old alleys in this
neighborhood beckoning you to come explore.
Then when you return to the main street of via Garibaldi in front of the Town Hall and
walk down this lane via Catena, you will reach a very impressive old palace with a wooden
loggia above the stone courtyard.
It's the Loggiato Palazzo Urbani, also called the Cruciani Palace.
Constructed in 1602, it was the largest private building in the city until the beginning of
the 19th century, and served as a residence for various noble families.
In 1940 became a boarding school, but now it's the headquarters of the municipal city
government of Spello.
I have just got one more very short walk to take you on.
We're going up Tempio Diana, back into those charming little residential alleys of town,
making a little circle loop that will bring us back to the main gate where we originally
entered the city.
By now there should be no surprise that we have one more hill to climb.
And then in a couple of minutes it levels off, makes it quite easy.
It's worth it because it brings us into this unusual neighborhood where the lane is going
through what seemed like tunnels through the buildings, with arches and roofs overhead.
It seems that the residents of this town have remained quite healthy, with all of these
hills, and steps, and their Mediterranean cuisine.
As we reach the end of our journey you can look back and see that this was a very rewarding
place to visit.
Spello is not one of the most famous cities of Italy, but it certainly is one of the prettiest
of the small hill towns.
Look on top of the medieval tower next to the Roman gate and you'll see an olive tree,
representing the importance of olive oil production in this area.
Spello is called the "city of oil" surrounded by some of the best olive trees in all of
Umbria, producing what they call liquid gold.
Spello is also famous for carpeting the streets with flowers.
It happens once a year on Corpus Domini, in June, the 9th Sunday after Easter.
Several thousand town volunteers put in hundreds of hours preparing for this event, which is
visited by nearly 100,000 people.
It's another thrill to exit through this ancient Roman gate, and with its three entryways it
resembles a triumphal arch.
And when you're done, the merchants are probably still out here in the marketplace waiting
for you, just outside the city gates.
And even though we are leaving, it's a place that you'll always want to see again.
It's been a long day, so I'm heading back over to the train station to catch a ride
back to my home base in Spoleto.
Sometimes the trains are late.
Right now we're waiting, there is a delay of 20 minutes for this particular train to
get back from Spello to Spoleto.
The train is coming now, so here we go.
I've got many more movies about the beautiful towns of Umbria, including Todi, Gubbio, Spoleto,
Perugia and Assisi.
Be sure to look for them in our collection.
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