41. Spello, recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is a town of about 8,500
inhabitants. It is situated in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the lower
southern flank of Mt. Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 km (6 mi) SSE of
Assisi.
It was founded by the Umbri tribe, but has many Roman remains: the city walls, the
gates and the remains of an amphitheatre, located outside the urban core along the
via Centrale Umbria.
During Roman times, it was called Hispellum, and was protected by city walls; the town
was much bigger than the current one. Over the centuries it gained considerable
importance, so as to be declared "Splendissima Colonia Julia"; it was devastated by the
barbarians loosing much of the prestige it had reached. In a later period, after having
been part of the Duchy of Spoleto, Spello became an independent town with its own
laws. In 1389, when it was under the Papal State, the town was ruled by the Baglioni
family until the mid-sixteenth century; Spello then followed the fate of the rest of the
region.
In the streets of this beautiful Umbrian village, many events are held throughout the
year, such as the “Floral festival of Corpus Christi” in the months of May-June. On the
eve of Corpus Christi, the participants gather together to create, in under 24 hours, a
real works of art made with fresh flowers; these works can be seen during the
Saturday, until the procession of Corpus Christi on the Sunday morning.
