Spello
Spello is a town that occupies the south-eastern sector of the province of Perugia, in the Umbrian Valley. It is located at an altitude of 280 m sea-level and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
The territory of the municipality extends into mountain, hill and plain. The town rises, together with the nearby Assisi, on the western slopes of the Mount Subasio, in the Umbria-Marche Apennines; it borders to the north with Assisi, to the north-east with Valtopina, to the south and south-east with Foligno, to the south-west with Bevagna and to the west with Cannara.
Spello was founded by the Umbrians, a population that dominated the Umbrian regional area along with the Etruscans; in Roman times, the town was called Hispellum and registered with the tribe Lemonia.
Later it was declared “Colonia Giulia” by Julius Ceasar and “Splendidissima Colonia Julia” by the emperor Augustus, with whom the town is allied during the Bellum Perusinum of 41-40 B. C.
After the victory of Augustus, Spello received part of the territory previously ruled by Perugia, therefore its domain extended until the Fonti of Clitunno. The town was called “Flavia Costante” by Constantine: the ancient Spello was considered one of the most important cities in Roman Umbria.
The arrival of the Barbarians reduced Spello from a populous city in a poor village. During the Lombard and Frankish eras the town was included in the Duchy of Spoleto, and then passed under the Papacy rule; but during the Middle Ages, Spello gained its prestige back, becoming a free Municipality, with its own laws. From 1516 until 1648, the city was placed under the rule of the Baglioni family.
Since 1772, Spello has been integrated in the diocese of Foligno.
The town, a very popular tourist destination in Umbria, is famous worldwide for the Infiorata, and event that takes place every year on the occasion of the Corpus Domini: the streets of the village are filled with beautiful artistic carpets made of petals of flowers and leaves, so beautiful to deserve the award of an annual prize for the best composition.
