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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Spello
Sleep 1–2 nights in Spello, not 3: the whole hill town is a half-day walk, and Assisi, Foligno and Monte Subasio fill the rest.
Spello is a small Umbrian hill town of about 8,500 people on the lower slopes of Monte Subasio, 10 minutes by train from Assisi and Foligno. Pinturicchio's frescoes in Santa Maria Maggiore, Roman gates and walls, and olive oil are the reasons to come; the town itself is the sight. It works as a quiet base for Assisi and the Subasio hills, or as a single night between Perugia and Spoleto.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds), Infiorata weekend if you dislike crowds
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Europe-wide emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the bar | €1.20–1.80 |
| Bruschetta with new olive oil | €5–9 |
| Plate of pasta or a pizza | €9–15 |
| House wine, glass / half litre | €4–6 / €8–12 |
| Bottle of local extra-virgin olive oil | €10–20 |
| Museum or church fresco entry | €3–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PEG · Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi
- About 20–25 min by car or taxi; or bus to Perugia, then train to Spello
- FCO · Rome Fiumicino
- Train to Rome Termini, then train to Foligno or Spello; 3–4 h total
- FLR · Florence Peretola
- Train via Florence Santa Maria Novella to Spello; about 3 h
Typical fares
- Train Spello → Assisi
- about €2.50, 10 min
- Train Spello → Foligno
- about €2, 5 min
- Taxi Perugia airport → Spello
- €40–50, 20–25 min
Get around
On foot inside the walls: the centre is a steep 15–25 min climb from the lower town, with stairways. Local trains link Spello with Assisi (about 10 min) and Foligno (about 5 min); Perugia is about 30–40 min. A morning shuttle bus runs from the new part through the historic centre. A car helps for Monte Subasio, Collepino and Villa Fidelia, but park below the walls.
See and do
Known for
- Pinturicchio frescoes in Santa Maria Maggiore
- Roman walls and gates
- Infiorata flower festival
- Olive oil and bruschetta
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Assisi | Local train from Spello to Assisi, about 10 min, then a walk or bus up to the basilica | About 45 min |
| Foligno | Local train, about 5 min | About 20 min |
| Perugia | Train to Perugia, about 30–40 min, then the minimetro uphill | About 1 h |
| Monte Subasio and Collepino | Car or taxi up the Subasio road; on foot from the upper gates for the lower paths | 20–40 min by car |
| Spoleto | Train towards Foligno then Spoleto, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Orvieto | Train via Foligno and Terontola, or via Orte; 1.5–2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Historic centre (upper town)
- Steep lanes and stairways; best for views and quiet, but you carry bags uphill. Some addresses are pedestrian-only.
- Lower town near the station
- Flat, 5–15 min walk to the gates; easier with luggage and for early trains.
- Countryside and agriturismi
- Olive groves below Monte Subasio; you need a car or taxi for every trip into town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Buongiornobwon-JOR-no |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsee-eh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| A table for two | Un tavolo per dueoon TAH-voh-loh per DOO-eh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Steep, uneven lanes and stairways: wear shoes with grip, and expect a climb back to any upper-town hotel.
- The centre is largely a ZTL and parking is limited; leave the car at the bottom and walk up.
- Infiorata (Corpus Domini, late May or early June) fills the streets overnight and books out beds: reserve months ahead.
- Small churches keep short, mid-morning-to-midday hours and close at lunchtime; check locally before walking up.
- Summer afternoons on the exposed upper lanes are hot; do the climb early or late.
Very safe for a town of its size; the real risks are steep, uneven lanes, summer heat on the climb, and pickpockets only in the Infiorata crush. Emergency number 112.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Spello yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pinturicchio frescoes in Santa Maria Maggiore
- Roman walls and gates
- Infiorata flower festival
- Olive oil and bruschetta
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Umbria regional tourism board: www.umbriatourism.it/en/
- Trenitalia (regional trains): www.trenitalia.com/en.html
- Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi airport: www.airport.umbria.it/en/
- Comune di Spello: www.comune.spello.pg.it/
- Wikivoyage: Spello, revision 4648507 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4648507
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Spello
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Spello: embassies are in Rome, and the US has a consulate general in Florence and Naples.
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on restaurant bills; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/spello). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.