6/4/2024 Exploring Spoleto and Umbrian Folk Music
Twenty-three years ago, I fell in love with Spoleto during the breathtakingly beautiful worldwide annual music, art, and performance festival founded by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958.
I lugged my suitcase and backpack over a narrow cobblestone walkway up the Apennine Mountains to a magnificent five-star hotel with a phenomenal view of the Ponte delle Torri (bridge) built in 1350 - almost 775 feet long and 300 feet high, formed by 10 powerful arcades.
Ponte delle Torri (bridge)
Music emanated from all corners of the town, from Teatro Caio Melisso, the Basilica of Sant’ Eufemia, and the Samudra Indian dance troupe. My favorite performance was the Gregorian chant at midnight in a 13th-century church with perfect acoustics from New York City and Philadelphia choirs. It was magical.
Today, banners are everywhere for this upcoming festival. Unfortunately, we will depart before it begins, and there will only be three local venues for performances.
(Two views from front and back).
When Cardinal Maffeo Barberini was elected pope in 1623, he took the name of Urban VIII. Detailed sculptures outside and inside the cathedral showcase the Barberini Bees, papal tiara, and keys.
The papal tiara and keys are generally closely
followed by the bees of the Barberini family,
which are integrated
with the same papal tiara and keys.
The church apse is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and its frescoes comprise four main scenes: the Annunciation, Christ’s Nativity, the Dormitio Virginis (Mary’s death, but literally her “sleep”),
and the Crowning in Glory.
Spello, located in east central Umbria (not to be confused with Spoleto), is an ancient, walled, flower-obsessed hilltop town enclosed in a circuit of medieval walls built over Roman foundations. It is famous for colorful flower decorations and annual flower festivals.
Alley walls are festooned with flowers and local obituaries.
The Venus Gate.
During the downhill hike to Venus Gate, I asked Julia if she was the trip experience leader for this same tour last October when my friends Diane and Sheila traveled with Overseas Adventure Travel for the first time.
She remembered them immediately.
When I offered to buy Julia a drink while we waited for the others, she suggested 226 Duesei beer mixed with red wine (her favorite and my first attempt)—a kind of spritzer. Then I messaged Diane and Sheila a photo of her. It made their day.
Our visit concluded in the musician's home, where we enjoyed hilarious traditional Umbrian folk tunes (Donkey music). For dinner, we had wonderful local dishes at Osteria de Dada, a nearby restaurant.
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