Nestled above the valley, on the southern slope of Mount Subasio, lies the ancient hill town of Spello, surely one of Italy’s prettiest. Around every corner, down every winding street and alleyway, are stunning photos just waiting to be taken.
The recent discovery of a Roman villa, which opened to the public in 2018 in a contemporary building just outside the town gates, gives visitors another reason to visit this cultural and historic gem. The discovery was one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds in Umbria.
Spello was a Roman settlement once called Hispellum, home to wealthy military pensioners. Later, it was conquered by the Lombards and then it became part of the Duchy of Spoleto. In 1238, it was again conquered, this time by Frederick II, and ruled by Perugia. In 1600, the village had about 2,000 inhabitants and about 100 churches. Today, its narrow medieval streets, adorned with flower-filled balconies and hanging pots, share the space with Roman walls and ancient gates.
Tourism is a key industry for this small town of about 8,500 residents. There are charming places to stay, a variety of restaurants and wine bars in which to enjoy local specialties, and plenty to do. Our small rental apartment, with arched brick ceilings in both rooms, even came with its own Roman ruin. A Plexiglas window set into the floor of the living room provided a clear view of a Roman arch and what looked like a fire pit, uncovered when the owners were renovating.
The main gate into town is Porta Consolare which dates from 41 B.C. Three statues were added to the gate’s façade later, taken from an ancient sarcophagus discovered near the town’s Roman amphitheater. The western gate is Porta Venere, a beautifully preserved gate from 27 B.C., paying tribute to the goddess Venus (Venere). The impressive gate is flanked by the unique 12-sided twin towers of Propertius, named for the Roman poet. Walking uphill on Spello’s main street (Via Cavour, which then becomes Via Garibaldi), you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view over the rural countryside. On this ancient terrace, a Roman forum once stood.
In July 2005, while contractors were digging to build a new parking lot just outside Porta Consolare, they unearthed one side of a Roman villa. The parking lot never materialized, instead, a team of archaeologists took over and excavation continued for the next 11 years. For a decade, the dig site was under a temporary domed structure to prevent it from the elements. Today, the second-century villa and its richly decorated rooms can be viewed in situ as part of the new Villa dei Mosaici di Spello (House of Mosaics of Spello). Visitors view the mosaics by way of raised walkways that crisscross the museum complex. Opened to the public in 2018, about 500 square meters of mosaics have been recovered to date.
The entranceway to the Roman villa has been lost, but 20 rooms remain, 10 of which contain magnificent mosaic floors that are colorful, intact, and chockablock with human and mythical figures, animals, birds, geometric shapes, and military shields. The rooms without mosaics were likely service rooms or storage areas.
As was the style 2,000 years ago, the villa’s rooms were arranged around a central courtyard, or peristyle, which once contained statues, fountains, and aromatic plants and herbs. Each room is named after the figures and motifs that decorate its floors: there’s the Bird Room, Radiant Sun Room, Shield Room, and the Geometric Room, for example. It’s also possible to see areas of brightly painted walls in some rooms that display fragments of sea or earth motifs.
One of the most important and largest rooms is the banquet hall (Triclinium) whose floor depicts the four seasons, one figure positioned in each corner and carrying items to indicate which season is represented. Autumn, for example, is portrayed by a young man with a scythe in one hand and wheat sheaves in the other. The images of the four seasons are joined by animal representations, such as panthers, deer, rabbits, and wild boar, as well as other imaginary and human figures. One of the most interesting mosaics in this room depicts a servant with an amphora balanced on his shoulder, pouring wine into the cup of a guest: he carefully pours the wine over a large urn, presumably to catch any of the precious liquid that might spill over. This image is so unusual that archaeologists speculate the villa may have belonged to a winemaker. After all, Sagrantino, harvested in the vineyards around Spello, is one of the most celebrated wines of Umbria.
Archaeologists also uncovered a room with innovative floor heating: the room had a double floor in which heated air, circulated through a lower chamber, warmed the floor of the upper surface. Large translucent screens suspended above many of the rooms show what the villa might have looked like 2,000 years ago.
Completing the museum complex is an educational center where kids can create their own mosaics and a gift shop that sells mosaic kits, books, stationery, puzzles and other related items.
You’ll have worked up an appetite by this point. Luckily there are plenty of places to choose from in the town center. Recommended eating spots are Osteria de Dadà and Julia Ristoro Pizzeria. Caffè Cavour has a lovely outdoor garden in the back, perfect for sipping a cappuccino while admiring the valley below.
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