Spoleto was situated on the eastern branch of the Via Flaminia which forked into two roads at Narni and rejoined at Forum Flaminii near Foligno.The Ponte Sanguinario of the first century BC still exists. The Forum lies under today's marketplace.  Located at the head of a large, broad valley, surrounded by mountains, Spoleto has long occupied a strategic geographical position. It appears to have been an important town to the original Umbrian tribes, who built walls around their settlement in the 5th century BC, some of which are visible today.
The first historical mention of Spoletium is the notice of the foundation of a colony there in 241 BC. After the Battle of Lake Trasimeno(217 BC) Spoletium was attacked by Hannibal who was repulsed by the inhabitants. Spoleto suffered during the civil wars of Gaius Mariua and Sulla. The latter, after his victory over Crassus confiscated the territory of Spoleto(82 BC). From this moment it became a municipium
The foundation of the episcopal see dates from the 4th century: early martyrs of Spoleto are legends, but a letter to the bishop from Pope Liberius in 354 constitutes its first historical mention. Owing to its elevated position Spoleto was an important stronghold during the Vandal and Gothic wars; its walls were dismantled by Totila
Under the Lombards Spoleto became the capital of an independent duchy (from 570), and its dukes ruled a considerable part of central Italy. In 774 it became part of Holy Roman Empire.
In 1155 it was destroyed by Frederik Barbarossa. In 1213 it was definitively occupied by Pope Gregory IX. After Napoleon´s conquest of Italy, in 1809 Spoleto became capital of the short-lived French department returning to the Papal states after Napoleon's defeat, within five years. In 1860, after a gallant defence, Spoleto was taken by the troops fighting for the unification of Italy.
The Festival die due mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) was founded in 1958. Because Spoleto was a small town, where real estate and other goods and services were at the time relatively inexpensive, and also because there are two indoor theatres, a Roman theatre and many other spaces.It is also fairly close to Rome, with good rail connections. It is an important cultural event, held annually in late June-early July.
The festival has developed into one of the most important cultural manifestations in Italy, with a three-week schedule of music, theater and dance performances. For some time it became a reference point for modern sculpture exhibits, and works of art left to the city by Alexander Calder and others are a testimony to this.
In the United States, a parallel festival —Spoleto Festival USA— held in Charston South Carolina was founded in 1977. The twinning only lasted some 15 years. In February 2007, the city administrations of Spoleto and Charleston started talks to re-unite the two festivals, that would climax in Spoleto. The opening ceremony of the festival in Italy, had taken place 27 June 2008.
In 1992, the Spoleto arts Symposium was initiated with the purpose of bringing talented people from all around the world to study in Spoleto. Now in its 15th season, programs exist for studying opera, cooking, jazz, writing, and a kids camp.
In 18.June until 04.July you can visit the Jazz festival of the two worlds in Spoleto |
