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A beautifully preserved medieval city, the walled Umbrian town of Spoleto has been reawakened in recent years by the Festival of Two Worlds (Festival dei Due Mondi), started by Gian-Carlo Menotti in 1958. Hard to believe that up to then Spoleto was almost forgotten. Things have changed rather since, with this jamboree of music, theatre and dance (plus a sizeable 'fringe') turning the town into a mini Edinburgh Festival during June and July each year. The addition of the Spoleto Arts Symposium in 1992 has seen another influx of visitors each year, to study (inter alia) opera, cooking, writing and jazz. Spoleto was a settlement of the ancient Umbrii people, an important and walled Roman fort and, by the sixth century, the Duchy of Spoleto under the Lombards. During the Dark Ages it had grown in importance to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and in 1499 the infamous Lucrezia Borgia was governor. After that it was a story of steady decline until Menotti and his festival came to town. There are historic and cultural sights aplenty. A superb clutch of medieval churches include the Cathedral or Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta, the Romanesque San Gregorio Maggiore, the Baroque San Filippo Neri and the Gothic (13th century) San Domenico. There is a Roman theatre (with the National Archeological Museum) and the 2nd century Roman amphitheatre. Must sees include the Ponte Sanguinario (or 'bloody bridge'), the Ponte delle Torri aqueduct, the massive and imposing Rocca Albornoziana and a number of important medieval buildings, including the Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo Racani-Anoni and Palazzo della Signoria (with the town museum).
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of Spoleto hotels.
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