Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in Spoleto or
outlying areas? And your thoughts on visiting Spoleto?
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2084 posts
We visited Spoleto for a day last September by train when we stayed in Perugia. Easy bus ride from the train station into the historic center. It's a nice town and we felt satisfied with our day trip walkabout. The Lippi frescoes in the cathedral are extraordinary, and the walk across the bridge was neat. We're history/art buffs and we did the castle at the head of the bridge, but honestly you could give that a skip IMO. Had a coffee in a little cafe overlooking the valley and countryside afterwards. Can't help out on restuarants as we are confirmed cheapos and always head for the bargain basement cuisine-wise, but I do remember a nice lambchop on a piazza somewhere in Spoleto. We also visited Assisi and Gubbio. Assisi was very nice and so was Gubbio..smaller and "medievaler" to my recollection. Have fun.
Posted by
New York, NY
13 posts
Hi Lynn,
I spent 6 weeks in Spoleto a few years back, singing in the Festival. If you are going during this time, the town will be packed, but very lively. It is a typical town for the Umbrian region, with beautiful medieval buildings, a gorgeous church with a recently restored fresco by Filippo Lippi, and fantastic views of the countryside from the aqueduct. Outside of the festival, things are pretty quiet and it's a nice place to go for a break from the fast-paced sight seeing of the big cities. I stopped by for a day last May...seems there's a lot of construction and scaffolding all over the town, which was a bit disappointing from a "viewing" standpoint. But, it is still beautiful nonetheless.
Ristorante Apolinare is a main-stay in the town, and the food is fantastic. It's a good place for the "nice dinner." La Barcaccia serves up tasty strangozzi, and seems to be one of the few places open during riposo. I also remember pretty good pizza at Paolo's on the corso. Just down the street from Paolo's, also on the corso, was a bar/caffe that served a drink called the Trittico...a mixture of 3 liquors of which the only one I remember specifically is limoncello. But, it was pretty tasty, and a drink unique to Spoleto.
If you haven't already, I would post your question on chowhound. It's a foodie website with an Italy forum; very helpful people.
Enjoy!