Visitors Guide to Spoleto (Umbria, central Italy)

The 12th century Duomo (Cathedral) with its interior decorated with frescoes by Pinturicchio and Filippo Lippi.

The Ponte delle Torri, Spoleto's 80 meter high, 230 meter long bridge which was originally a Roman aqueduct.

The Rocca Albornoziana, the 14th century fortress which overlooks Spoleto.

The sculptured Romanesque façade of the 5th century Church of San Pietro.

The Spoleto Festival (also known as the "Festival dei Due Mondi" -Festival of Two Worlds) is an internationally-renowned arts and music festival which takes place annually in Spoleto at the end of June and beginning of July. The festival was founded by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958 and is now in its 51st year.

After its heyday in the 1960's and 70's the festival had lost some of its sparkle during the past decade however under new directorship in 2008 it seems that the festival has once more captured the imagination of the public. This year the London Symphony Orchestra will perform the traditional festival closing concert in Piazza del Duomo on Sunday 13th July.

A full list of events can be found on the official website of the Spoleto festival.

Tric Trac, Via dell'Arringo Tel: 0743 44592
Set in Spoleto's stunning Piazza del Duomo, this restaurant is worth visiting just for the location but the food is also excellent and it is a fantastic place to stop off for an aperitivo after a hard days' sightseeing.

Il Tempio del Gusto, Via Arco di Drusco Tel: 0743 47121
Even though this restaurant is quite small it definitely punches above its weight. The menu consists of traditional Italian dishes with a creative twist. I would recommend booking in advance especially on Saturday evenings.

Il Capanno, Localita' Torrecola Tel: 0743 225000
Although slightly out of Spoleto in the direction of Terni, this restaurant is worth the trip, especially in summer when the tables are elegantly laid out on the lawn. The meat dishes are fantastic and the homemade desserts are something special.

Osteria del Matto, Vicolo del Mercato Tel: 0743 225506
Located just off the market square (Piazza del Mercato), the owner of this restaurant, Filippo "il Matto" ("the madman"), keeps the diners entertained while in the kitchen only the freshest in-season ingredients are used to create homely Umbrian cooking.

Il Tartufo, Piazza Garibaldi Tel: 0743 40236
As the name suggests ("tartufo" means "truffle") this restaurant has a menu that is based largely on dishes made with delicious local truffles. You can't come to Spoleto without eating truffles at least once and there is no better way to try them than as a sauce to accompany the local "stringozzi" pasta. It also happens to be one of the oldest restaurants in Spoleto and has a floor which dates back to Roman times.

Apolinare, Via S. Agata 14 Tel: 0743 223256
A personal favorite of mine (they provided the food for my wedding) the restaurant is located in an old Franciscan convent. The "Caramella" with black truffle and scamorza smoked cheese will keep you coming back.

Love-Umbria tours of Spoleto

Umbria is generally fine and dry in the summertime. On the rare occasions when it does actually rain it is usually fairly heavy and soon dries up.

The winters in Umbria are generally mild and sunny but in the higher mountainous regions it can get pretty cold and snowy.

Check out what the weather is like in Umbria at the moment.

Perugia Airport is about 45 min from Spoleto by car. Both Rome airports (Fiumicino and Ciampino) and Ancona airport are around 2 hours from Spoleto by car. It is also fairly easy to reach Spoleto from Rome Fiumicino airport by train and the journey takes about 2 hours 15 minutes.

Other airports which are convenient for Spoleto are Florence Airport which is about 2 hours 30 minutes from Spoleto by car and Pisa Airport which is about 3 hours 20 minutes from Spoleto by car.

Love-Umbria tours of Spoleto

It takes about an hour and a half from Rome by train and about 3 hours from Florence.

Trenitalia timetable (in English)

Love-Umbria tours of Spoleto

http://www.squidoo.com/umbria-italy-tours