What to see in Spello, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Baglioni Chapel, Santa Maria Maggiore Church, Villa Fidelia and Palazzo Comunale.
Tourist information
Town of Umbria located along the slopes of Mount Subasio, Spello has Roman origins, even if the territory had already been inhabited by the people of Umbria.
The limestone of Subasio, used in the construction of the village, gives Spello a beautiful pinkish white color.
The narrow streets, with houses overlooking the landscape, characterize the ancient medieval town, which preserves numerous Roman remains.
The walls of the ancient Hispellum, built in the Augustan era, are in a good state of conservation, with the Consular Door which constitutes, today as then, the main access to the city.
The Venus Gate, the Urban Gate, the Arch Gate and the remains of the Arch of Augustus date back to the same period.
Various testimonies of the Roman era are included inside and outside the city walls, in the current area of Villa Fidelia, where there was a vast area of sacred character, corresponding to a complex formed by a temple, a theater and an amphitheater, of which only two long terraces are visible today.
What see
The remains of a large villa or public building dating back to the late imperial age were found just outside the walls, with mosaic floors that reveal a remarkable technical quality of construction.
Leaving Porta Venere you can reach the remains of the Roman amphitheater and the Romanesque church of San Claudio, built in the twelfth century on Roman structures.
In addition to the Roman remains, Spello houses other precious treasures, including the frescoes by Pinturicchio in the Baglioni Chapel, located inside the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the main place of worship in the country, which boasts an admirably decorated interior, where also two frescoes by Perugino and a ceramic flooring from Deruta.
The heart of the town is Piazza della Repubblica, where the ancient Town Hall dating back to 1270 stands.
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The building between 1567 and 1575 was enlarged and transformed, together with the square in front, by the Perugian family of the Baglioni, Conti di Spello, who contributed to beautify the city, which today is also famous for its infiorata, a manifestation which takes place every year on the feast of Corpus Domini, when the streets of the historic center are covered with drawings made with flower petals in honor of the Body of Christ, which is carried in procession by the Bishop.
