SPOLETO, the capital of the above delegation, on the side of a steep hill above the Maroggia, 61 miles N.N.E. of Rome. It consists of narrow, crooked streets, lined with houses, not very well built. In a commanding position stands the cathedral, an edifice erected in the time of the Lombard dukes of Spoleto, and still retaining some traces of its original Gothic architecture in five pointed arches, which are now supported by Grecian pillars, introduced by Bramante. In the interior are many interesting monuments and works of art. There are in the town several other churches, a citadel, originally built by Theodoric, king of the Goths,
a town-hall, and a fine palace, belonging to the Ancajani family. Spoletum is the seat of a bishop, and has a college, manufactories of hats and woollen cloth, and some trade in corn, wine, and oil. It occupies the site of the ancient Spoletium, which does not seem to have existed before the Romans established a colony here in 240 B.C. In the second Punic War, after the battle of Lake Trasimenus, Hannibal made an assault on the town, but was repulsed with vigour, and the colony remained faithful to the Roman cause throughout the whole of the war. While the Western Empire continued, Spoletium remained a large and flourishing town. It was partly destroyed by the Goths; but under the Lombards it became the capital of a duchy, which continued to exist independently till the 12th century. There are some interesting Roman remains at Spoletum. Pop. 8500.