One of the most important towns in Umbria, Spoleto has a rich history that has attracted many visitors over the ages. Located at the head of a large, broad valley, surrounded by the Monteluco mountains, Spoleto has long occupied a strategic geographical position, and 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. Founded in 241 BC, Spoletium became an key Roman colony, due in part to its proximity to the Via Flamina, the ancient Roman road that led from Rome, over the Apennine Mountains to the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Spoleto later became the seat of a Lombard dukedom and then an important commune, or city state, during the middle ages.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the beating heart of Spoleto, a Romanesque masterpiece that houses timeless artistic treasures. Built in the 12th century, the Duomo is one of the most beautiful examples of Umbrian Romanesque architecture in Italy, it was built in three phases over the space of a couple hundred years. The interior however was rebuilt in in the 17th century in the Baroque style and features many outstanding frescoes and extraordinary works of art. The façade, completed in 1207, features a Byzantine mosaic depicting Christ Blessing, the work of Master Solsternus. This mosaic is one of the oldest and most precious examples of Byzantine art in Italy.
The interior of the Cathedral is equally fascinating, with a central nave and two side aisles leading to the apse frescoed by Filippo Lippi. The frescoes, created between 1467 and 1469, narrate episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary and are considered among the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Lippi’s remains were buried right inside the cathedral, so that the artist and his work will be bound forever. One of most breathtaking rooms is Bishop Eroli’s chapel which was frescoed in 1497 by Umbrian artist, Bernardino di Betto, known as Pinturicchio, who had come back to his homeland after working in the Papal Apartments in Vatican. Built and decorated in the late 15th century by members of the noble Eroli family, notably Bishop Costantino Eroli and later Bishop Francesco Eroli, the chapel is famous for its Renaissance frescoes painted around 1497 by the master Pinturicchio, featuring a notable Madonna and Child (Mary and Child) and decorative work using trompe l'œil elements. In the vault, God the Father is portrayed; on the wall, a group with Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, between Saint John the Baptist and Saint Leonard, is surrounded by a lake landscape.
Strolling up from the Duomo through the Piazza to the old town, we wandered through the Cathedral arches and uphill to the heart of the oldest part of Spoleto, Piazza del Mercato, with its gorgeous 18th century fountain made with architectural details pillaged from various architectural remains from all around Spoleto. Taking our dear friend Paul for lunch, having just arrived from Rome by train to stay with us for a week, we had made reservations at Il Mio Vinaio, a wonderful restaurant in the historic centre of Spoleto on Via Arco di Druso. Recommended by our Italian friend Bianca, the restaurant was simply wonderful. Established in 2007 and run by owners Andrea and Filippo Panetti, it's well-known for its extensive wine list and traditional Umbrian comfort food. Beginning with a celebratory bottle of Prosecco, we enjoyed a lovely long leisurely lunch.
Il Mio Vinaio in the historic centre of Spoleto
the perfect way to begin our lunch
from the rolling slopes of Montefalco
Prosciutto di Norcia al coltello con bruschetta al Tartufo
Burrata e Alici del Cantabrico
Il Mio Vinaio Strapazza di uova al Tartufo
La tagliata di manzo con olio di frantoio e sale Maldon
stands on the former site of the 11th-century Romanesque church of San Donato
crafted by the Roman sculptor Salvatore Bencari
is one of Umbria’s architectural jewels
The facade of the Duomo completed in 1207, features a mosaic depicting Christ Blessing,
by Master Solsternus, is one of the oldest and most precious examples of Byzantine art in Italy
The breathtaking fresco cycle by Fra Lippo Lippi depicts the Life of the Virgin
(Annunciation, Nativity, Death of the Virgin, and the Coronation of the Virgin),
painted between 1467 and 1469
Filippo Lippi introduced a self-portrait in the central scene, wearing his Carmelite habit
and stands among his colleagues, with his son, Filippino is depicted as an angel
with intarsia wooden panels and cupboards decorated with painted figures of prophets and sibyls completed in 1557 by Francesco Nardini
The room also contains an ornate gilded wooden tabernacle and a 14th-century polychrome wooden statue of the Madonna and Child, and also houses one of only two surviving letters hand-signed by Saint Francis of Assisi, written in 1222 on a tiny piece of goatskin parchment
Bishop Eroli’s chapel in the cathedral’s rightward nave was frescoed in 1497 by an Umbrian artist, Bernardino di Betto, known as Pinturicchio, who had returned to his homeland after working in the Papal Apartments in Vatican
and feature saints and prophets enclosed in geometric borders
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