Discover what to see in Spello
Spello has kept its identity and that of the whole of Umbria intact for centuries; citing the words of the art historian Cesare Brandi, “stopping in Spello is like having an aperitif in Umbria.”
Exploring Umbria offers you a tour of the city that starts from Porta Consolare and goes up to the Belvedere. Passing through the aforementioned gateway, you’ll find yourself in the Terziere Porta Chiusa district, with its characteristic flowering alleys and tower-houses. Walking along the Via Consolare, you will be able to admire the Oratorio di San Bernardino, home of the oldest hospital in Spello, founded in 1374. Going up further, you will see the Cappella Tega, frescoed by Niccolò di Liberatore and by the Foligno workshop that belonged to Mazzaforte in 1461, and then finally arriving in the churchyard of Santa Maria Maggiore, the main one in the city. Inside is the Cappella Baglioni, along with other frescoes by Pinturicchio and precious artistic artefacts. Right next to the church is the Pinacoteca Civica, which has works dating from the 12th to the 20th century.
Going up further still, you’ll reach the Romanesque church of Sant’Andrea, with frescoes dating to the 14thand 15th century created by the Umbrian school. After Via Cavour, you’ll arrive at the centre of the town, Piazza della Repubblica, overlooked by the 13th-century Palazzo Comunale, the Rocca Baglioni and the church of San Filippo. Walking along Via Garibaldi, you will arrive in Largo Mazzini, where the church of San Lorenzo Vescovo e Martire, the second collegiate church in the town.
We advise you to take Via Giulia and continue to head upwards; at the end you will find the church of Santa Maria di Vallegloria. Then, going through Porta dell’Arce, you will arrive in the highest part of Spello: the Belvedere.
Go to Porta Venere with its majestic Torri di Properzio and reach the remains of the Amphitheatre and the church of San Claudio. We advise you to take Via Centrale Umbra to visit the church of San Ventura, near the public gardens and end your walk in Piazza Kennedy (or Piazza del Mercato). We now suggest you move on from the town to visit other important nearby sites, such as the hamlet of Sant’Anna, where an imposing Roman villa has been found with over 400 square metres of mosaic floors, or Villa Fidelia, on Via Centrale Umbra, the church of Sant’Anna and other suburban churches.