When we set out this morning, it looked as if our umbrellas would get as much use as Tom's camera today; we could see nothing but clouds overhead in all directions. As we neared Spoleto, though, we spotted a patch of blue sky that just kept growing, and so did our smiles.
Most of Spoleto's centro storico is off limits to cars, so be parked in a lot outside the walls and took a series of moving sidewalks up the incline to Piazza Liberta, which overlooks the ancient Roman theater (every town seems to have one!) Then it was on toward the Piazza del Mercato, or Market Square, which we entered through the first-century Arco di Druso, once a triumphal entry to the Forum, the town's civic square. Adjacent to the arch are the remains of an ancient temple, now the church of San Ansano, which incorporates elements of the temple, and whose underground crypt contains some lovely frescoes.
We made our way to the Duomo, which sits in a large piazza at the bottom of a set of broad, gently descending stairs. The porticoed facade and adjacent campanile are stunning, and we entered the cathedral through its designated Holy Door for the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis. The artistic highlights of the church are Fra Lippi's apsidal frescoes, which depict scenes from the life of Mary in vibrant colors. One side chapel contains one of only two existing letters written by St. Francis, and another a fresco by Pinturicchio depicting the Madonna with nearby Lake Trasimeno in the background.
From the Duomo, we walked uphill to the base of the hilltop-dominating Rocca, or fortress. We took the path at the base of the fort to see the Bridge of the Towers, which spans a deep gorge, probably dates from the 13th-century, and was likely constructed on the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Whatever its origins, it remains an impressive (and visually striking) engineering feat today.The clouds had begun to gather again, and light rain fell as we took in the bridge and retraced our steps through town to our car. The umbrellas did come out, but the camera got a much better workout than they did in Spoleto!
From Spoleto, we were headed northeast to Norcia, via the Valnerina, the "little valley of the Nera", where the sun was shining and skies had again turned blue. This was a continuation of the scenic area we were so taken with yesterday afternoon, so we'd just decided to go where the spirit led today. The valley is dotted with hill towns, their warm ocher hues glowing warmly in the surrounding deep green.
Before even driving up the steep hill to the town of Vallo di Nera, we were taken with the way it looked from the valley floor far below. Once we began to wander around its narrow, stepped lanes, we were completely captivated. This was a perfect fortified town, in more ways than one, it seemed. Once inside the walls, there was no car traffic at all, and none of the rock-paved, gently stepped streets was more than six feet wide. We came upon a group of six very young children (including big brothers with little sisters by the hand) wandering and playing in the lanes on their own. They were perfectly safe from vehicular menace and it seemed as if their home town was their own three dimensional play village -- and ours! We were so taken by a scene which seemed too lovely to be real.
Back on the valley floor, we reached Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict and his twin sister, St. Scholastica. (Twin saints -- I bet they were still a handful!) The duomo, dedicated to Benedict, fronts a large piazza, with a statue of Benedict in the center. The saints' actual birthplace is reputed to be in the crypt below the cathedral, but evidently there's some dispute about that.
As we walked through town, there was no doubt about the importance of Norcia's two other claims to fame -- pork products and truffles. Shops lining the streets off the piazza offer many varieties of both. We did buy some salami with truffles and a truffle and herb mix for pasta sauce. (Tom's dinner last night has triggered a powerful craving for truffles!)
We headed back home via a road high above the Nera Valley for today's last wonderful views -- and photo ops.
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