Hello, Spello!

We had an adults-only outing to Spello today, and it was absolutely delightful!  Spello is a small town that is mainly constructed with the local pink & white stone.  This may be the stone that's used for Saint Clare's church in Assisi; regardless, it's very similar in look.

The doorway of the first church we saw...

The detail work was lovely!

A beautiful day...

Part of the monastery at the top of the hill

The stone -- the pink was really gorgeous!

My parents looking cute!

This was in the window of a bread shop; unfortunately, they didn't sell the cute shapes of bread....

A palazzo, which used wood (unusual in this part of Italy, at least)

The well in the palazzo

The arcade was beautifully preserved & maintained

Isn't the dragon lamp ferocious?

My dad being a model in the doorway

One of the few glimpses of the valley

This appeared to be the doorway of a house, but the portico was a little shrine.

Fall has come, and with it new colors!

Hey, wait! I didn't know we were in Atlanta!

The town is adorable; an interesting feature are the many alleys that are beautifully filled with planters of all sizes and descriptions.  It brings such a soft touch of nature to a city that has very little green space.  Interestingly, the wall surrounds the town to the extent that there's really very limited opportunity to catch a glimpse of the valley; those that there were were beautiful!

Michael & I were speechless when we saw Pinturicchio's frescoes.  Google Pinturicchio and Spello along with photo, and you'll only get a sort-of idea of how amazing they were.  The chapel was so well-preserved and absolutely lush with fresco.  Pictures weren't allowed, but even if they were, there's no chance of capturing the intensity of color, detail, and so on.  A definite must-see.

After wandering around for a while, we had an amazing lunch.  I don't want to make you drool on your  computers, so I can't describe it further.  Suffice it to say that I don't really need dinner....

Our best to you,

Alexandra