Streets of Spello: Wandering Italy’s Most Colorful Medieval Village

Streets of Spello: Wandering Italy’s Most Colorful Medieval Village

Spello is a compact medieval village in Umbria, listed among Italy’s most beautiful towns and villages. Founded by the Umbrians and later promoted to the Roman colony Splendidissima Colonia Julia, it still keeps its Roman walls, monumental gates, and a historic core threaded with flower-brimmed alleys.

The Streets of Spello Are the Destination

Here the lanes are not just a way to see the town – they are the show. Many rest directly on Roman foundations, so an uphill stroll from Porta Consolare places two millennia side by side: ruins on the left, medieval townhouses on the right. Because the village climbs Monte Subasio, every slope ends in a view – Assisi framed from the belvedere near Via Cappuccini, rolling hills glimpsed from the terrace of Monastero di Vallegloria along quiet Via Giulia. Still, what brands these streets in memory are their flowers: geraniums cascading from balconies, terracotta pots massed on doorsteps, stone glowing honey-pink at dusk.

Curved Stone Street in Spello Adorned with Flower Pots

Flower Power: Spello in Full Bloom

From mid-May to early August, Spello stages “Finestre, Balconi e Vicoli Fioriti,” a friendly contest that turns shutters, drainpipes, and even lampposts into riotous bouquets—look for the plaques that mark past champions. The real crescendo, though, arrives on Corpus Domini weekend with Infiorata: through the night artists kneel on the cobbles, laying petal mosaics at least twelve metres long until, at dawn, a 1.5-kilometre carpet of living colour unrolls across town.

Flower Pots in Full Bloom on a Sunny Street in Spello

A Walking Tour – Spello’s Most Impressive Streets

  • Via Consolare → Via Cavour → Via Garibaldi form one continuous spine. Enter at Porta Consolare, pass San Lorenzo where the name shifts to Via Cavour, and emerge above Piazza della Repubblica on Via Garibaldi.
  • Via Borgo S. Sisto 4 branches off in a flutter of potted blooms – one of Umbria’s most photographed corners.
  • On parallel Via Sant’Angelo lies Vicolo dei Baci, the “Alley of Kisses,” its stone arches shading a bench or two; if the mood suits, you can stay in a recently renovated apartment furnished with vintage pieces.
  • Follow Via delle Torri di Properzio to Porta Venere’s twin towers and a sudden panorama of the Umbrian plain, or wander the hushed length of Via Giulia toward the Vallegloria monastery and its olive-striped slopes.

This is only a glimpse of Spello’s alchemy. When you visit, don’t cling to the main thoroughfares – slip into the side alleys and shaded courtyards where rosemary scents the air and neighbours trade greetings across flower boxes. That is where the village catches its breath, and where you will too.

Vicolo dei Baci or the Alley of Kisses in Spello
Pink Bougainvillea Hanging Over a Stone Alley in Spello
Steep Cobblestone Street with Flowers in Spello, Italy
Cat Sitting on a Cobblestone Street in Spello, Italy
Peaceful Stone Alley in Spello Illuminated at Night
Purple flowers in a pot on a narrow cobblestone street in Spello, Italy
Sunlit Alley in Spello with Colorful Flowers and Stone Houses
Flower Pots on a Stone Balcony in Spello with a View
Flower-Lined Alleyway in the Heart of Spello
Hanging Flower Basket on a Stone Wall in Spello
Staircase Street with Vibrant Flowers in Spello’s Old Town
Hanging Garden of Flowers on a Stone Street in Spello, Italy
Elevated Alley with Arched Passage and Greenery in Spello
Window with Shutters and Flower Box in Spello, Italy
Flower-Covered Alleyway in Spello’s Historic Center