Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
€
A nice place in which to hang out, grab a small meal, and look over the bridge
and the gorge is bar/
gelateria
La Portella
9
(Via Del Ponte, after Piazza Campello
and before Hotel Gattapone).
Walk up the stairway to the left of the entrance to
reach a terrace half-hidden by greenery. Sit on a swinging chair, have some gelato
(or a beer when the upstairs taps are open), and enjoy a sunset over the valley. The
gelato and snacks can be had for under
€
5.
€€
In the same building as Hotel Aurora, tucked behind the walls of a 12th-
century Franciscan convent and St. Apollinare's Church, is
Ristorante Apollinare
5
(Via S. Agata, 14;
%
0743-45863; www.ristoranteapollinare.it).
It's long on
atmosphere, both in its timbered ceiling and stone walls. The food is tasty and
creative. I particularly liked the chef 's renowned pumpkin gnocchi with pigeon
(
€
12). Also recommended is the tomato ravioli stuffed with apples and nuts
(
€
11). Most
primi
run
€
10 to
€
14;
secondi
are
€
9 to
€
16.
€€€
You can eat in front of the cathedral at a restaurant named for a card
game. The
Tric Trac
(Via Arlingo, 10;
%
0743-44592; www.trictrac.it),
in
Piazza del Duomo, is an old artists' hangout that is jam-packed at festival time.
The menu changes weekly, but you can usually find a grilled guinea hen for
5
15
or a kitchen salad piled with the freshest ingredients for
€
11, or in winter, a thick
lamb stew for about
€
€
15. In late 2006, keep your eyes open for a medieval grill
opening next door.
5
(Piazza Garibaldi, 24;
%
0743-40236)
is considered by many to be the finest restaurant in town. Even
if you're not a truffle connoisseur, once you try an Umbrian pasta or risotto with
fresh grated local truffle (
€
15-
€
17) you're likely to be converted. Truffled meat
dishes go for
Known as
the
place to go for truffles,
Il Tartufo
€€€
22. The location in the lower town is a bit inconvenient
for those staying in the historical center, but if you want to try the best, it's worth
the trip.
WHY YOU'RE HERE: THE TOP SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
The three main attractions of Spoleto's
Duomo
€
15 to
€
(Piazza del Duomo;
%
0575-
23991; free admission; 8:30am-12:30pm and 3:30-7pm)
are (1) the glowing
mosaics on the facade, (2) Filippo Lippi's
Life of the Virgin
fresco, and (3) the orig-
inal marble floors. The Duomo is a reconstruction of the original structure
destroyed in 1155 by Barbarossa. The facade features late-12th-century
Romanesque stained-glass windows and mosaics that glow in the late-afternoon
sun. The portico was a late-Renaissance add-on meant to bring the church into
the “modern age.”
Filippo Lippi painted the
Life of the Virgin
fresco in the 1460s. Visitors can
view the recently restored work in the dome above the altar for no charge, a rar-
ity in Italian church restoration projects. The circular rainbow and the bright gold
sun in the
Coronation of the Virgin
in the center of the work give the fresco a New
Age feel; I always expect, on seeing it, to find a unicorn and a dolphin frolicking
in the background. The colors and texture of the clothes, and the vivid figures,
practically leap off the walls. Take a close look at the scene of the Virgin's death:
The painter's self-portrait and a portrait of his son are in that panel.
55
