SPOLETO AND TREVI |
SPOLETO The Duomo is one of Spoleto's finest sights. Begun in the twelfth century, the delicate-looking cathedral is set against a backdrop of hills and valleys. The Duomo is an amalgam of styles, and boasts an apse frescoed by Fra Filippo Lippi, whose tomb lies in the church. Spoleto's Roman ruins include a Roman theatre , just off Piazza della Liberta. An archeological museum next door houses statues and artefacts found locally. There are also two Roman arches visible, the Arco Romano and the Arco di Druso, and a Casa Romana or Roman house - an atmospheric spot with attractive mosaics.High above the town is the Rocca , a Papal fortress which was used as a prison until the 1980s. Guided There are some good surviving frescoes , including one that portrays Arthurian-type chivalric myth. As well as original and restored features, you can also see where the former cells were, if you fancy a twinge of horror .By taking a left before you reach the Rocca, you find yourself on a panoramic walk which encircles the summit.. A massive bridge spans the chasm, the Ponte delle Torri . Built in the fourteenth century, and defended by towers (hence the name), this functioned as both a bridge and aqueduct. Spoleto Festival lasts for a fortnight and takes place at the end of June and beginning of July..The programme is very good quality, and the Festival attracts big names from the arts world. The Festival in cludes opera, classical and modern music, ballet and modern dance, visual arts and cinema. |
TREVI Immersed in olive plantations, Trevi offers evidence of its Roman period in the mighty town walls (1st century BC) that encircle the historical centre; and the period of the Middle Ages can be seen in the three city gates: Porta del Bruscito, Porta del Cieco, Porta S. Fabiano, and the archway, Arco del Mostaccio. Leading from the walls that enclose the town is the Passeggiata, a magnificent avenue of 800 metres on level ground, that gives a striking panorama onto the valley below. Among the most interesting religious buildings are the church of Sant’Emiliano (12th century), with the altar by Rocco da Vicenza (1522) and 16th-century frescoes attributed to Francesco Melanzio. Also worthy of a visit is the Gothic church of San Francesco from 1200; and in the 15th-century Palazzo Comunale, town hall, is the Pinacoteca art gallery with a Madonna by Pintoricchio and a Incoronazione di Maria by Lo Spagna. The church and the Pinacoteca, make up the Raccolta d’Arte di S. Francesco, a collection set up in 1996 in a part of the ex-Convento di S. Francesco. The Raccolta includes the Museo della Civiltà dell’Ulivo that is the first public museum dedicated to olives and olive oil in Europe, which was created to give value to Trevi's centuries-old tradition. In the vicinity worthy of a visit is the church of the Madonna delle Lacrime, which was erected in 1487 to commemorate a miracle and that has a fresco by Perugino. In the hamlet of Bovara is the oldest olive tree in Umbria, 9 metres high and reckoned as 1700 years old. It is known as the tree of Sant’Emiliano because in 304, the future patron saint of the town, was tied to it and martyred. |
|
|
|
Copyright © 2008 Umbria Driver. All rights reserved. |