Casale del Monsignore

Ancient capital of the Lombard dukes, Spoleto will leave you breathless thanks to the richness of the historical-artistic heritage of the city, testimony of the most diverse historical eras that saw it as a protagonist. In a postcard addressed to his wife, Herman Hesse wrote about the city:
"Spoleto is the most beautiful discovery I have made in Italy [...], there is such a wealth of almost unknown beauties, mountains, valleys, forests of oaks, monasteries, waterfalls! "

Leave the car in one of the new alternative mobility car parks, you can use the escalators and moving walkways to reach the upper part of the historic center and start the tour directly from the imposing and majestic ROCCA ALBORNOZIANA, a fortress built in 1359 on the top of Mount Elia .
Inside the Rocca it is possible to admire the beautiful frescoes that decorate the Hall of Honor and the Pinta Room and by visiting the National Museum of the Duchy of Spoleto, located inside it, you will discover the long history of this town and the political role of first floor covered in the Early Middle Ages. In this museum are also preserved many valuable works dating back to the Renaissance.

At the end of the visit to the castle, descending, you can take a walk to the GIRO DELLA ROCCA, a circular route around Colle Sant'Elia, on one side you can admire the suggestive panorama of the Umbrian Valley up to Assisi, on the other there is the BRIDGE DELLE TORRI, an imposing structure in local limestone about 230 meters long and 80 meters high which connects the Sant'Elia hill to MONTELUCO.

Returning from the S.Elia hill towards the center, an obligatory stop is PIAZZA DEL DUOMO, in which there are, in addition to the CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA, splendid noble palaces such as Palazzo Racani-Arroni and Palazzo della Signoria, the Church of Santa Maria della Manna and the small Caio Melisso Theater. Inside the CATHEDRAL it is possible to admire frescoes by Filippo Lippi depicting the Stories of the Virgin and an autographed letter from San Francesco, excellently preserved and kept in the Chapel of the Relics. Piazza Duomo is home to most of the shows of the FESTIVAL DEI DUE MONDI, including the inaugural concert and the final concert. Another noteworthy location is CASA MENOTTI,home of Maestro Giancarlo Menotti (founder of the Festival dei due mondi) converted into a museum entirely dedicated to the history of the event, on the second floor of the structure it is also possible to admire the grand piano that belonged to the musician.

From Piazza Duomo, going up via dell'arringo and turning right onto via Aurelio Saffi, you can stop to admire the CHURCH OF SANT'EUFEMIA (recently used as a set for the DON MATTEO fiction) and the diocesan museum, further on, on an alley which leads from via Saffi to the town hall, there is the ROMAN HOUSE, a domus dated to the 1st century AD whose rooms still retain, in addition to the beautiful floor mosaics, the typical pattern of the patrician houses in vogue between the end of the Republican age and the beginning of the imperial one.

Next to the Town Hall and the Roman House is PIAZZA DEL MERCATO, once called Piazza del Foro, a center of trade and commerce in Roman times, and today the heart of the historic center. In the square it is possible to admire the suggestive fountain completely restored in 2018. Further on you will find the ARCO DI DRUSO and GERMANICO (located in the homonymous street) dating back to the 1st century AD and the CHURCH OF SANT'ANSANO inside which the Crypt of St. Isaac.

Next to S. Ansano is Palazzo Mauri, where the municipal library named after Giosuè Carducci is located, descending from Via Brignone you arrive at Piazza della Libertà, here are the ROMAN THEATER and the ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, the latter is divided into three floors: The first floor is dedicated to the archaeological remains of Spoleto: exhibits from the urban center and the surrounding area are exhibited that tell the various stages of development of the city, from its origins in the Middle Bronze Age (mid-second millennium BC. ) to the pre-Roman phase, when it became an important settlement of the Umbrian people, The second floor is dedicated to the finds from the Valnerina, an area which, despite having been part of the Sabine territory in antiquity, had close cultural contacts with Spoleto.The section dedicated to the Roman Theater is set up on the ground floor.The Theater, built at the end of the 1st century BC, stands on a large artificial platform bordered by a semicircular ambulatory, from which you enter, through three entrances, the cavea, on whose steps spectators took their places. The Theater is, after Piazza del Duomo, the main location for the performances of the Festival dei Due Mondi.
Corso Giuseppe Mazzini, the main commercial street of the upper part of the historic center, starts from piazza dellaertà, in the middle of the street, going down on the left from Via Plinio il Giovane, you arrive at Piazza Collicola, here is the headquarters of PALAZZO COLLICOLA, whose interior houses the “Carandente” Modern Art Gallery, the museum is divided into three floors: On the ground floor there are 1500 square meters of exhibition space that host temporary exhibitions; the first floor is entirely occupied by the noble apartment and exhibits contemporary furniture and paintings in the building, as well as housing the Carandente Library, on the second and last floor there is the permanent collection of the Gallery of Modern Art. Going up from Piazza Collicola towards via Vaita di S.Andrea, you arrive at the NEW THEATER TITLE OF MASTER MENOTTI.
From the Menotti Theater, descending down Via Salara Vecchia and subsequently Via Porta Fuga, you will find yourself at TORRE DELL'OLIO, the highest tower in the city, whose name derives from the legend according to which, in order to defend against enemies, they threw themselves from the top of the towers boiling oil on the attackers. The current tower dates back to the 13th century, but one already existed in 217 BC when the Carthaginian troops of Hannibal, marching towards Rome, were rejected by the Spoleto.
Going further down, it is possible to reach Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi (another important area essentially dedicated to commerce), Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza della Vittoria, where the SANGUINARIO BRIDGE is located, the name "sanguinary" that could refer to the blood of Christian martyrs, whose executions they took place in that place, as had happened for the patron saint of Spoleto, San Ponziano.

Another noteworthy monument, located outside the walls of the historic center, is the BASILICA OF SAN SALVATORE, originally dedicated to the Spoleto martyrs Concordio and Senzia, the church is part of a series of early Christian basilicas built around Spoleto in the early centuries of the Christian era. The current dedication testifies to the important role assumed by the basilica during the Lombard domination, given the particular devotion of this people to the Savior. The church represents, together with the Tempietto sul Clitunno, one of the main Lombard architectural testimonies of Longobardia Minor and for this reason it is included in the serial site "Lombards in Italy: the places of power", inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2011.