Spoleto

I spent today in Spoleto, another Umbrian hill town south of Assisi. It was oppressively hot today, so I waited until later in the afternoon to sightsee. The town was mostly empty, so I got to see the frescoes by Fra Fillippo Lippi in the Duomo undisturbed. Storms had been building all afternoon and rain finally came pouring down while I was inside the Cathedral, creating a break in the temperature. After it stopped raining, I walked further uphill to the Ponte delle Torri, a striking medieval bridge built over a Roman aqueduct. From that vantage point, I had fabulous views over Spoleto and the valley as well as the bridge and Rocca, a late medieval fortress. There was a fairly strong breeze which actually made it feel chilly - such a nice change after feeling like I’ve been living in a furnace! While I enjoyed Spoleto and found it very pretty, there was less to see than I had hoped as the museums were already closed for August.

The Palazzo Comunale

The Duomo

The Duomo - S. Maria Assunta

Rose window with telemones

Thirteenth-century mosaic depicting Christ enthroned

Apse frescoes, completed in part by Filippo Lippi, whose tomb is in the Cathedral

Detail of the Coronation of the Virgin

Altar in one of the side chapels with a frescoed front depicting Christ as the Vir Dolorum (Man of Sorrows)

View of Spoleto from above on the walk to the Ponte delle Torri

The fourteenth-century Rocca Albornoziana which was used as a jail in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The scenic Ponte delle Torri, definitely of medieval construction, but which may or may not be built over Roman foundations.

View of the hills and storm clouds around Spoleto from the Ponte delle Torri