Home Sweet … Spoleto?

Where oh where should our experiment begin? Tough question, but we found the answer last fall! 

Most folks have heard of Tuscany, that land resplendent with postcard-perfect vistas, amazing food and wine, and enough of la bella vita (the beautiful life) to bring in over 52 million tourists in 2023. Heavy hitters such as Florence and Siena, world famous wine production, and endless charming villages create the bucket list for many seeking the Italian dream. 

We adore Tuscany. Our “home” in Italy, as we spuriously think of it, is the extraordinarily beautiful hilltop town of Montepulciano. We’ve based there for years, stay in the same small apartment. The owner and family have become friends, we know the rhythms of the neighborhood, we can walk the small streets, visit the same restaurants and be welcomed back by owners and staff. It’s truly like being able to go home in ways; things do not change rapidly in Italy like they do here. 

But back on track…    We knew Montepulciano was not particularly our choice for this experiment. Why, you say?? We’ve watched tourism explode there; we’ve seen prices rise with the increasing number of tour groups and day trippers, as well as the crowding that goes with them. Off-season and nights bring the old Montepulciano back, but a lot of the appeal for long-term residency had faded. She’s still a precious jewel, however, and nothing will keep us away from visits in that beautiful area of the Tuscan Val d’Orcia.  

They could certainly be cousins, these two unforgettable regions. Umbria is a continuation of Tuscany’s deep green vistas intersected with mountains that lessen their grip as they transform into hills. But there is less cultivation here, the landscape is wilder, more forested and raw. Hilltop towns rise like beacons, and while I can’t offer numbers, I’d guess there are as many if not more than in Tuscany. 

Many have heard of Umbria’s capital Perugia (think chocolate!), as well as Assisi, the home of St. Francis and a bull’s eye for about every tour bus that traverses across Italy. You might know of lovely Orvieto, too, and her exquisite cathedral. Can you name any others? Probably not, and neither could we save for a sprinkle of villages we’d visited in past years. 

Our eyes were opened one evening while watching one of the Italian real estate YouTube shows we like. The host gave a little primer while walking through Spoleto; we looked at each other and smiled. This town seemed to have all we felt was important: mid-size, not over-run with tourism, a rich history, a “lived-in” and alive Italian town, centrally located, and a train station. Our upcoming trip to Sardinia was now going to be capped with a final five days in…drum roll please…Spoleto. 

We fell in love pretty quickly; all of the above was intact. There were plenty of eateries, along with real-life shops and markets; the piazzas were alive with locals; modern conveniences were easily accessible outside of the old center; art, history, and culture were extraordinarily rich; quiet parks and walkways with dreamy views were plentiful. We agreed – this was the town for our experiment.  

Folks have lived on this location for thousands of years. Records show Spoleto to have been an organized township as far back as the 7^th century BC, while Romans liked it so much, they renamed it Spoleteum. There are some great Roman ruins to be found, including an amphitheater, an intact house resplendent with mosaic floors, and a most impressive aqueduct-turned-footbridge. 

The citizens are a strong lot as well – they can claim their ancestors sent Hannibal and his angry elephants packing when they attempted a siege during the Punic Wars. 

Spoleto has numerous other historic offerings including ornate churches and basilicas, the elegant Teatro Caio Melisso (circa 1667), and the Rocca Albornoziana, the impressive fort that towers over Spoleto and the surrounding countryside. The Rocca guarantees a “wow” effect as one sees it come into view from the highway. 

There’s a lot more to say about Spoleto, but that’s a big part of the purpose of this blog…documenting our almost-three month stay as we try on life in Italy. 

The end game, of course, is to see if we have a clearer vision on whether picking up and moving to Italy for a portion of our lives is what we want/desire…or not. Honestly, we really don’t even know what hypothesis to make at this point! Time will tell. 

Stay tuned for the adventure!