Now available on MHz Choice!

Don Matteo Season 10 continues in Spoleto – a medieval town approx. 50 miles from Gubbio, where the first eight seasons were filmed. Must be nice to have a variety of medieval towns to choose from! Spoleto, like Gubbio, boasts of ancient history and architecture – it has some surrounding walls built by the original Umbri tribes around 500 BC. The opening montage in this season’s first episode offers a glimpse of some of the stunning places in and around this mountain jewel.  Emphasis on the word ‘some’ – it’s a treasure trove!

1. Under a green canopy, Don Matteo is biking along the Via Giro dei Condotti, a popular hiking path that leads to:
2. That amazing bridge, the Ponte Delle Torri (Bridge of the Towers). 264 feet high and 760 feet long. First a Roman acqueduct, it was rebuilt in 1350 to ease transportation between the hill area and the developing Spoleto. Can you believe those graceful arches – or that drone shot of him?
3. The long shot of Spoleto shows the Rocca Albornoziana (Albornoz Castle) on the top right of the frame, with the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta just left of center and the tower of San Gregorio Maggiore to the right.
4. Don Matteo then rides through a 2,000-year old Roman arch, built in 23 AD with local limestone in honor of Emperor Tiberius’ two sons. It’s call Arco di Druso e Germanico.
5. Winding through ancient, hilly streets…
6. Finally, biking down the staircase leading to the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

Here’s a little more about Spoleto – written by an American couple from Chicago who toured Spoleto because of their familiarity with the Don Matteo series – and guess who they ran into?

Blogging in Italy: Spoleto and Don Matteo