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HISTORY
SPOLETO
Spoleto is a small, lovely and attractive
city in the Umbria region, the green heart of Italy, placed
in the southern edge of the Umbra valley and on the Via
Flaminia.
The city rises partly leaning on the Sant' Elia hill, dominated
by the Fortress of Albornoz, and connected by the huge "Ponte
delle Torri" (Bridge of the Towers) to the slopes of
the woody Monteluco (804 mt a.s.l.), and partly in plain,
on the left of the Tessino torrent (but nowadays the buildings
expansion is also on the right of the river).
Of very ancient origin, rich of memories and artistic beauties,
the name of Spoleto perhaps result from the ancient Greek
"Spolitos" (spao and lithos), that it means "detached
stone". (...)
(...) From the year 1500 B.C, Spoleto was inhabited by the
people of the Pelasgi or Cyclops, then by the Umbrians people.
From the year 241 B.C., the city was a flourishing and rich
Roman colony, called Spoletium, then, in 90 B.C., it was
transformed in Roman Municipium with the Julia law, and
always staying loyal to Rome. In 217 B.C., the city rejected
the attack of Hannibal's army.
In the 4th century A.D., the city was invaded by the barbarians
then, from the year 569 A.D. circa, Spoleto began to be
a flourishing seat of one of the most powerful Longobards'
Dukedoms: the first duke was Faroaldo I in 576 A.D.
From the year 776 till 887, the Dukedom was dominated by
the Frankishes of the Carolingian’s empire; then there
was a period of independence, followed by fights and disputes,
later influenced by the German emperors and the Roman Church.
In the year 1155, for punishing its resistance, Frederick
Redbeard ransacked and destroyed the city with a fire. (...)
...) In the year 1198, the pope Innocenzo III acquired Spoleto
from its last Duke Corrado di Lutzen and, in the year 1201,
obtained from the Emperor Ottone IV, the disclaimer to every
right of the Holy Roman Empire over the city and its Dukedom.
Later, there were some disagreements, and this Emperor took
again possession of Spoleto and its Dukedom in the year
1210.
In the year 1231, the pope Gregory IX obtained, from the
Emperor Frederick II, the definitive recognition of the
Papal State sovereignty over the city, that maintained a
certain administrative freedom; the Dukedom of Spoleto was
definitely abolished in the year 1247. (...)
(...)In the year 1997, Spoleto was seriously damaged by
a strong earthquake. (...)
(...) Nowadays Spoleto is an important tourist and cultural
center, with many professional institutes, Institute of
art, Center of studies for the Early Middle Ages, various
cultural institutions (Accademia spoletina, Teatro Sperimentale),
theaters (Nuovo, Caio Melisso) and museums (Civico, Pinacoteca
comunale). (...)
(...) Every year, in Spoleto there are some congresses,
conferences and manifestations of great cultural interest,
such as the "Week of the Studies on the Early Middle
Ages"; and the "Festival of the Two Worlds"
on June-July. This Festival was founded in the year 1958
by Gian Carlo Menotti: he intended to approach, for compare
them, the more magical and meaningful moments of European
and United States of America culture.
History of Umbrian
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