Italy Travel And Hotel Guide

Hosting Italy’s leading international arts festival, the Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of Two Worlds), has been a double-edged blessing for Spoleto - crowds and commercialism being the price it has had to pay for culture. Having already rejected thirty other Italian locations, the influential arts guru Giancarlo Menotti plumped for the town in 1958, attracted by its scenery, small venues and general good vibes. The ensuing festivity is a great attraction if you’re into music, diversion or theatre, though the place forgoes a good part of its charm as a result. On top of the crowds, ticket prices for top companies and world-class performers can be off-putting, as can the jet-set, well-heeled cut of the audiences. Be warned too that while the festival’s in progress you can expect packed hotels, insanity in the restaurants and higher prices all round. At the same time there’s an Edinburgh-type fringe and plenty of fellow travellers (plus lots of film, jazz, buskers and so on). Organizers, moreover, are increasingly looking to more avant-garde acts and wacky shows to recover the artistic edge of the festival’s primeval days. Check out tickets and information from the tourist office on Piazza Libertà or the festival’s own box office at Piazza del Duomo (tel 0743.28.120).

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