What to see in Spello, between the flower display and Pinturicchio

spello it is a municipality of theUmbria well known for its splendid historic centre, for the works of Pintuicchio and for the flower festival which every year, on the day of Corpus Christi, attracts many tourists.  spello Umbria. It is located approximately 219 meters above sea level, therefore in a very favorable position for the flora, and is located on the slope of Mount Subasio, above the Topino tributary. It is only 4 kilometers from Foligno and about 35 kilometers from the Umbrian capital, Perugia. Spello is also culture, thanks to its heritage of museums, art galleries and ancient villas. Here you are what to see in Spello in half a day or even in two days.

Spello what to see

1 Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and Pinturicchio

Founded in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth century, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Spello it has a facade dating back to 1644 built on the occasion of the expansion of the building. Note the architrave, the doorposts with a beautiful frieze and acanthus spirals of the portal, the work of stonemasons active between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. XII-XIII between Foligno e Bevagna and partly attributable to Spoleto workers. The church is in the shape of a Latin cross and has a nave with a cross roof. In the second half of the XNUMXth century it was equipped with seven altars and a rich stucco decoration. On the altars, numerous works attributable to the century. XVII. To the right of the entrance, marble altar Gaius Titienus Flaccus (now used as a stoup) already present in Santa Maria Maggiore from the XNUMXth century, next to the marble baptistery, in the shape of a pyx, by Gasparino from Val di Lugano (1509-1511).

Spello Pinturicchio

Along the left wall opens after the second left altar, the Baglioni Chapel, commissioned in 1500 by Troilo Baglioni to the artist Bernardino di Betto ditto the Pinturicchio (Perugia, around 1452 – Siena, 11 December 1513). It has a floor rich in majolica decorations Deruta from 1566. The chapel is entirely decorated with frescoes by the artist, starting from the vaulted ceiling with the sibyls Tiburtine, Eritrea, European, Samia sitting on thrones; on the left wall, the Annunciation with self-portrait and signature of the artist. On the back wall, Adoration of the shepherds and arrival of the Magi on the right wall Dispute between doctors in the Temple.
Also along the left wall, note the Renaissance sandstone pulpit Simone da Campione (1545). The main altar covered by the ciborium (or tribune) in caciolfa stone Rocco by Tommaso da Vicenza (1515). In the rounds; eight terracotta heads of Giandomenico da Carrara: Prophets (1562). On the pillars flanking the apse are two works by Perugino, to the left "Pietà, Saint John the Evangelist, and the Magdalene”, removed from an unknown location (work dated 1521) and on the right “ Madonna with Child, Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Blaise”, removed from an unknown location (work dated 1521).

2 Spello decorated with flowers

In the days leading up to Corpus Christi a spello Perugia is witnessing a true general mobilization of large teams of Infiorators, who disperse along the slopes of Subasio, across the fields and plains of the green Umbrian valleys. Visiting Spello in this period is very experiential. During the flower harvest, other citizens and especially the older ladies spend the evenings on the cool ground floors, separating the petals according to the various colors and finely chopping the fragrant herbs.

On the eve of Corpus Christi, since early afternoon, the streets of spello interested in the route of the Procession are closed to traffic and literally invaded by groups of citizens and visitors of all ages. First of all, adequate lighting systems are set up and tested protection systems (rainproof and windproof structures) are then set up on the sections of road involved, to prevent unpredictable adverse weather conditions from disturbing or compromising the work of the workers. Inflorators. After these preliminary operations, the drawing begins on the road surface, using the most disparate techniques for this purpose: from freehand drawing to dusting, from the metal mold to the cardboard form.

Once the drawings have been made, according to different techniques, we finally proceed to deposit the colorful petals, in order to give the desired chromatic shades and obtain the desired artistic effects. During the afternoon and throughout the night of the Saturday preceding the festival, the inflorators work on the streets, bent to the ground, to design, place and arrange millions and millions of petals capable of producing those magical masterpieces that smell of ancient and modern art, full of of emotional and cultural suggestions, connected to the themes of religious tradition and also of the most lively current affairs.

The works last the whole night and only at 9,00 in the morning are the streets covered with a single polychrome and scented carpet: a unique spectacle to behold. Suffice it to say that in a single floral itinerary, on average, around 70 Infiorates are created including carpets - each from 12 to 15 meters in length, with a minimum surface area of ​​15 m25 - and large paintings - from 90 to 700 mXNUMX. The uniqueness of the character of the event is certainly given by the execution technique which consists in the exclusive use of vegetable elements not treated with chemical or preservative agents or with artificial or pulverized dyes; in this way the petal, placed on the road surface, (it cannot be glued) reigns supreme in an engaging set of colors and scents. The execution of the works takes place directly on the road surface not subject to any treatment: the subjects and decorations are always renewed, they are linked to the great tradition of Umbrian painting, from the Renaissance to the XNUMXth century, and sometimes the figurative discourse also opens up to the greatest testimonies of modern art. With the passage of the Sacred Procession led by the Bishop carrying the monstrance, an experience of extremely high artistic commitment, of civil, cultural and human solidarity, of ethical and religious tension which takes the form of a dazzling harmony of colours, ends. Source Municipality of Spello.

Spello what to visit

3 Spello Civic Art Gallery

La Spello Civic Art Gallery it is located in the historic center, in Piazza Matteotti. Since 1994 it has been hosted in Palace of the Canons, a sixteenth-century building adjacent to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The visit to the museum will allow you to come into contact with the history of the city through its precious testimonies. The collection was born in 1916, when prior of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maggiore brought together a first group of works chosen from the most significant pieces preserved in Santa Maria Maggiore and in the oratories dependent on it. Added to this were objects previously acquired following post-unification state ownership.

The current visit itinerary, divided into seven rooms, is inspired by chronological and typological criteria that allow us to appreciate the relationships between spello and the other artistic centers of theUmbria over the course of centuries. In addition to the numerous paintings, fabrics and sacred furnishings, there is one of significant interest Wooden Madonna from the XNUMXth century (although mutilated by the theft of the child in 2008), the Deposed crucifix from the early fourteenth century, Processional cross in gilded silver by Paolo Vanni from 1398 , Madonna and Child attributed to Pinturicchio. Coming from the adjacent church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the latter invites you to visit the Beautiful Chapel, a wonderful work frescoed by the same artist.

4 Emilio Greco permanent collection

La permanent exhibition by Emilio Greco it was set up to pay homage to the artist on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the first exhibition in Spello, protagonist of Incontri per le streets in 1983, and recipient of honorary citizenship in 1985. Following this, the artist donated a large selection of works to the municipality. The collection is divided into three rooms according to the chronological order of the works, including graphics, lithographs, etchings, drawings and a selection of sculptures in bronze, plaster and resin, dating from the mid-900s to the end of the XNUMXs. 'XNUMX. Without a doubt of the museum itinerary, the work Nestled, represents the most suggestive one. Continuing the visit to the museum, the visitor's attention cannot help but be attracted by the female figures proposed by the artist, frequent above all in his production of portraits created between the mid-XNUMXs and the early XNUMXs.

5 Villa Fidelia

Villa Fidelia it is located not far from the historic center of spello, near theRoman amphitheater and Romanesque church of San Claudio. The ancient Roman settlement on which the villa stands consisted of a large sacred area, in which the so-called temple of Venus, Theater and Spas. The original structure was built in the XNUMXth century by Acuti Urbani accounts of San Lorenzo. In the 700th century, the villa passed to Donna Teresa Pamphili Grillo which transforms and expands the residence built by the Urban and to implant the Italian garden. Upon his death, the property first comes to the Sperelli accounts and, subsequently, to the very rich landowner Gregorio Piermarini, which carried out notable transformations and expansions between 1805 and 1830. After various events, in 1923, the villa was purchased by the engineer Decio Costanzi which divides the complex by selling the oldest part to Missionary Sisters ofEgypt and the remaining part, including the Casino, the gardens and the annexes, Province of Perugia.

The most relevant aspect of Villa Fidelia is made up of the extraordinary external arrangements that gave rise to the Vesuvian garden entrance, al gallop, Italian garden and park with cypress grove. The garden called "Vesuvian"The barocco located near the entrance, it is designed on a steep inclined plane that leads to the entrance door of the casino. Bordered on the long sides by a double row of majestic cypresses, it is made up of rounded terraces connected by sinuous stairways which alternate short grassy spaces with box hedges expertly shaped into singular shapes. The protagonist of the composition is the beautiful exedra fountain, located in a central position, equipped with a statue depicting it Diana, goddess of the hunt, and closed at the top by the elegant backdrop that hides the cistern, adorned with niches and surmounted by the clock. Juxtaposed in this singular garden, in the twentieth century, the large riding track with its circiform shape was built.

The oldest plant is the Italian garden, dating back to the 150th century, located at the back of the casino. The garden, of a narrow rectangular shape stretching over XNUMX metres, is currently divided into four large main flowerbeds doubly bordered by box hedges and in turn divided into four smaller flowerbeds. THE parterres internal grassy areas were totally occupied by rose gardens. A large quantity of citrus fruit pots adorn the edges of the garden which in spring is enriched with their heady scent. The edge facing upstream is tree-lined with rows of cypresses, the main protagonists of the composition which also includes the beautiful park and the dense holm oak grove. In the villa they were hosted Queen Joanna e King Boris of Bulgaria during their honeymoon in 1930. The villa hosts theatrical performances, concerts and opera events in its park. Since 2003 it has hosted temporary exhibitions.

Spello and surroundings

6 Mosaics of Villa Sant'Anna

In July 2005, just outside the walls of spello, remains of a monumental complex of considerable size have come to light. Subsequent archaeological investigations identified seven environments, probably relating to the central body of one villa or of an public building di late imperial age.
A first environment of the Villa Sant'Anna preserves almost entirely the mosaic flooring in three colors (white, pink and black), depicting geometric elements. In a second room the flooring is preserved, also in polychrome mosaic, and remains of the polychrome frescoed walls. The flooring, covering approximately 140 square metres, features a modular scanned decoration commonly known as "cushion" with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic representations. Inside the oval cushions there are figures of wild animals (panther, deer, wild boar, duck etc.) and fantastic animals.
At the center of the room emerges a drinking scene with two naked male figures in profile. The character on the left holds an amphora on his shoulders from which he pours the wine into a cup held by the character on the right; the wine falling from the glass is collected in a crater placed on the ground. Other characters, always made with black tiles, are arranged symmetrically holding vegetal elements or attributes linked to the world of agriculture, probably depicting the four seasons.
A third environment presents a geometric flooring with larger tiles. It is most likely the peristyle whose entire length of 24,50×5 m is known.
The fluidity of the drawing and the chromatic rendering, especially in the larger room, testify to the high technical quality of the workshop, whose workers could have come from Rome to meet the needs of a particularly wealthy client and a specific social position. The villa can be dated to the beginning of the 4th century AD, towards which the materials returned from the excavation would also seem to point.

What to do in Spello

7 Subasio municipal theater in Spello

Il Subasio civic theatre it is located within the historic center of spello, not far from the remains ofArch of Augustus. It is an elegant neoclassical style building, built in 1787 based on a project by Alessio Lorenzini, characterized by a horseshoe plan developed in three tiers of boxes for a total capacity of 200 spectators. Remarkable is the rich stucco and pictorial decoration which shows ancient Latin mottos. The headquarters of Subasio Theater it was previously used as a meeting place for members of theAcademy of the Quiet and then restored and transformed into a place for shows directly managed by the academics.

8 Spello hotel

Hotels, guest houses, holiday homes where to sleep in Spello.