Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

Spoleto is in Umbria.  We haven’t travelled widely in Umbria, but we hope to remedy this soon.  It is a beautiful area, much like Tuscany, but more sparsely populated.  Spoleto sits in lovely wooded hills, making the drive there very pleasant.

The town is famous for its Festival dei Due Mondi – Festival of the Two Worlds held in June/July.  We were there earlier in the year, so the town was relatively quiet.  The town centre is not very big and I imagine it would be crowded and exciting when the festival is on.  There are lots of shops and restaurants in the tiny, well presented Piazza.  Narrow, cobbled streets and laneways wind up and down the hill from here, offering lots of reasons to explore.

Roman amphitheatre

From the Piazza della Liberta look down on the ruins of the Teatro Romano, from the early empire.  It is in the shadow of the medieval church of S’Agata, which is now a museum of archeology – worth a visit.

the Duomo

The Duomo was built in the Romanesque style in the 12th century.  It has a beautiful facade and an impressive campanile.  The 12th century mosiac floor in the nave is largely original.  There are lovely frescoes by Filippo Lippi in the apse.

the mosiac floor

Outside the town centre is the magnificent Ponte delle Torri.  It stands 76 metres tall and 230 metres long.  It once brought water to the town, but is now a footbridge.  We walked across and marvelled at the brilliance of the builders who achieved this structure without the aid of modern equipment – and it is still standing after all this time. 

the old aquaduct