L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano Spello and its charming medieval architecture (Photo: Marco Saracco/ Dreamstime) N e s t l e d a b o v e the valley, on t h e s o u t h e r n slope of Mount S u b a s i o , l i e s the ancient hill town of Spel- lo, surely one of Italy's pret- tiest. Around every corner, down every winding street and alleyway, are stunning p h o t o s j u s t w a i t i n g t o b e 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 a r c h a e o l o g i c a l f i n d s i n Umbria. Spello was a Roman settle- ment once called Hispellum, h o m e t o w e a l t h y m i l i t a r y pensioners. Later, it was con- quered 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 apart- ment, with arched brick ceil- i n g s i n b o t h r o o m s , e v e n came with its own Roman ruin. A Plexiglas window set into the floor of the living room provided a clear view of a R o m a n a r c h a n d w h a t looked like a fire pit, uncov- ered when the owners were renovating. The main gate into town is Porta Consolare which dates from 41 B.C. Three statues w e r e a d d e d t o t h e g a t e ' s façade later, taken from an ancient sarcophagus discov- ered near the town's Roman amphitheater. The western gate is Porta Venere, a beau- tifully preserved gate from 27 B.C., paying tribute to the goddess Venus (Venere). The impressive gate is flanked by t h e u n i q u e 1 2 - s i d e d t w i n towers of Propertius, named for the Roman poet. Walking uphill on Spello's main street ( V i a C a v o u r , w h i c h t h e n b e c o m e s V i a G a r i b a l d i ) , you'll be rewarded with a p a n o r a m i c v i e w o v e r t h e rural countryside. On this ancient terrace, a Roman forum once stood. In July 2005, while con- t r a c t o r s w e r e d i g g i n g t o 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 contin- ued 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 sec- o n d - c e n t u r y v i l l a a n d i t s 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 m o s a i c s b y w a y o f r a i s e d walkways that crisscross the museum complex. Opened to the public in 2018, about 5 0 0 s q u a r e m e t e r s o f 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 color- ful, intact, and chockablock with human and mythical figures, animals, birds, geo- metric shapes, and military shields. The rooms without mosaics were likely service rooms or storage areas. A s w a s t h e s t y l e 2 , 0 0 0 years ago, the villa's rooms were arranged around a cen- tral courtyard, or peristyle, which once contained stat- ues, fountains, and aromatic plants and herbs. Each room is named after the figures and motifs that decorate its f l o o r s : t h e r e ' s t h e B i r d Room, Radiant Sun Room, Shield Room, and the Geo- metric Room, for example. It's also possible to see areas of brightly painted walls in s o m e r o o m s t h a t d i s p l a y fragments of sea or earth motifs. One of the most important and largest rooms is the ban- quet hall (Triclinium) whose floor depicts the four sea- sons, one figure positioned in each corner and carrying items to indicate which sea- son 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, rab- bits, and wild boar, as well as other imaginary and human f i g u r e s . O n e o f t h e m o s t interesting mosaics in this room depicts a servant with an amphora balanced on his shoulder, pouring wine into the cup of a guest: he care- fully pours the wine over a l a r g e u r n , p r e s u m a b l y t o catch any of the precious liq- uid that might spill over. This image is so unusual that archaeologists speculate the villa may have belonged to a w i n e m a k e r . A f t e r a l l , Sagrantino, harvested in the vineyards around Spello, is one of the most celebrated wines of Umbria. A r c h a e o l o g i s t s a l s o uncovered a room with inno- v a t i v e f l o o r h e a t i n g : t h e room had a double floor in which heated air, circulated through a lower chamber, w a r m e d t h e f l o o r o f t h e upper surface. Large translu- c e n t s c r e e n s s u s p e n d e d 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. Lucki- ly there are plenty of places to choose from in the town center. Recommended eating spots are Osteria de Dadà and Julia Ristoro Pizze- ria. Caffè Cavour has a lovely outdoor garden in the back, perfect for sipping a cappuccino while admiring the valley below. RITA CIPALLA ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES V i l l a o f M o s a i c s a d d s c o l o r f u l reasons to visit Spello Visitors to Spello's House of Mosaics use elevated walkways to view the elaborate and colorful mosaic floors that make up this second-century B.C. Roman villa (Photos: Dale Smith).

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