Spoleto

Resting on Sant'Elia hill, Spoleto is a small town set in the lush, pleasant countryside of Umbria.

Known since the Bronze Age, the town flourished in Roman times, as some of its most important monuments show, such as the Arch of Drusus and Germanicus (AD 23), the Roman Theater and the Roman House (1st century AD), well blended with the buildings of the medieval period.

From the 4th century AD Spoleto was the seat of a bishop; it then came under Lombard rule and grew into the capital of the duchy that bore its name. In the Renaissance the town flourished as a cultural center thanks to the founding of the Accademia degli Ottusi, today the Accademia Spoletina. It was a travel destination in the past too, and its most distinguished visitors include Michelangelo Buonarroti, Bernini, Pinturicchio, Goethe, Stendhal and D'Annunzio.

Every year the town hosts the Festival of the Two Worlds, a prestigious event when art, music and performance fill its streets. What makes the festival unique is its fascinating program, always cutting-edge yet firmly rooted in tradition.

The land around Spoleto offers tasty produce such as Trevi celery and black truffle, the stars of some delicious local dishes, from celery parmigiana to spaghetti with black truffle; and you end on a sweet note with the delicious panpepato.