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Via Flaminia - Spoleto, historic center starts behind this building on the left. That's the place where medieval wall with gates used to be.

Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi in Spoleto is closed to cars. That's the street where at No. 49 the Hotel Cavaliere is Located. During daytime Corso Garibaldi is rather boring unless you are interested in a few shops located there.

Closer to the evening, Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi (Spoleto) becomes more enlivened.

Behind this rather unremarkable entrance is one of the best places where to eat in Spoleto. It is called Osteria del Trivio. It is located on via del Trivio, about 500 yards from Hotel Cavaliere.

Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi is one of the gateways to the historic center of Spoleto. As you move up the hill very quickly you will see streets and buildings like on this photo.

Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto entrance to the hotel's complex.

Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto - inner court. On the left is the actual entrance to the hotel.

Hotel Cavaliere (Spoleto, Italy) - reception desk.

The lobby area with bar at the Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto (Italy)

This area also belongs to hotel - it is located behind it and can be reached through a small overpass across a narrow back street.

There is a place to relax and take some sunbath.

While travelling in Tuscany this year we decided to stop and explore Spoleto. The town is located in Umbria but it happened to be on our way back from Tuscany to Rome. Cavaliere Palace Hotel (corso Garibaldi, 49, 06049 Spoleto, Italy - see it on map) was our choice for lodging. There were several reasons for our decision. One of them was our preference for quiet places. Another one was the location of the hotel in the historic center of the city.

It is easy to find and reach the hotel. On our way to Rome from Tuscany we took SS3 - strada statale 3 also called via Flaminia. This road goes through places very close to the route of the old via Flaminia (called today strada regionale 3 or SR3), an ancient Roman road connecting Rome to Rimini (located on on the coast of the Adriatic Sea). From exit "Spoleto" on SS3 we continued on Spoleto's own via Flaminia and quite quickly, without any turns approached a big square with the building with two arches. That's the place where the gates and medieval wall surrounding the ancient town used to be.

Keep in mind that if you need to get to the hotel, you have to leave the car at one of the parking lots outside the historic center and proceed on foot since the center is closed for cars. Cavaliere Palace Hotel is located on corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 49 - one of the main streets into Spoleto's center. It is just five-minute walk from the building with the arches which separates the historic center from the rest of the town. But on a hot day to walk with the suitcases to the hotel is not very entertaining. This is certainly an inconvenience, but there is no way around it. (Later we got a parking permission from the hotel to park our car free of charge in via Flaminia for the time of our stay in Spoleto.) By the way, Corso Garibaldi leads you up the hill, and we were lucky that the ascend was gentle at least till the hotel doors.

The deeper the street goes into the ancient town the steeper it becomes. Very quiet, vacant and even sleepy during the daytime, Corso Garibaldi becomes alive, crowded with young and not so young people coming to shop, to walk and simply to hang around during evening hours. Sometimes you can meet even a street musician playing a flute. But at about 11 PM it is empty again with one or two late passersby.

The entrance of the hotel is marked with a stone arch. A long passage takes you into a court yard with small tables, chairs and potted flowers. This court yard serves as a reception hall for the hotel. The reception desk is just in front of the entrance with a small bar and a couple of tables and armchairs next to it. The stairs and the escalators run from the court yard to the upper floors.

The architecture of the hotel, reminding more a small fortress than a house, is not surprising. It was built in the 17th century and belonged to Cardinal Accoramboni of the Valnerina. The building was constructed according to the traditional plans of the 17th century mansions with court yard, marble stairs, vaulted ceilings painted with beautiful frescoes, big but secure windows with double shutters and inner garden hidden from the eyes of passersby's.

Cavalier Palace Hotel was renovated two times. The first renovation of the building was made in 1933. But only recently it was turned into hotel. The goal of the last renovation was to preserve the spirit and beauty of ancient architecture, paintings and its style and give to visitors the maximum of modern conveniences.

I think the owners successfully achieved these goals. The glamour of past centuries shows especially in the halls on the second floor - one hall serving as an entrance to the restaurant and two others as a restaurant itself. (In the summer of 2010 restaurant was closed but part of it was used as a breakfast room). The halls retain many features and decorations of the old building: sculptures, frescoes, paintings on biblical themes and even a piece of the 17th century wall of the building. (During the restoration it was left untouched as a relic on the second floor).

From the second floor you can get to Cavalier Palace Hotel solarium and garden. Both of them are at the back of the building. Solarium is a big terrace which connected with the main building by a small bridge passing over a narrow and quiet side street. The place is attractive and enjoyable with chaise longues and sun umbrellas. The garden is well kept with chairs and tables here and there very attractive and rare find in historic center of Spoleto.

There are 29 rooms in the hotel, plus two deluxe rooms on the noble (second) floor. We reserved a deluxe double room for the total of €358 for three nights using "stay 3 and pay 2" promotional rates (actual rates were €179 per night, 2010 prices). It was promised that in a deluxe room we would sleep under the frescoed ceiling. It turned out to be true. The high, vaulted ceiling in our room was beautifully painted. The room itself was about 325 sq. feet (30 sq m) with a small entrance hall from which two doors open to the bathroom and to the room. The room was furnished with art decor furniture: king size bed, two armchairs with a small table, a good size wardrobe (but not big enough if you are going to stay a week, and you are not alone), a stand with a TV set, a working desk with a chair and a round mirror over it. Two big windows nicely appointed with silk curtains gave the room very rich and attractive look. It was quiet during the night and daytime despite the fact that room's windows looked onto corso Garibaldi.

The bathroom was nice and clean with marble floors and walls, but small. There was everything that you need: bathtub with shower, toilet, bidet, single sink with mirror (which is not convenient if two people occupy the room). But anyway, the bathroom itself was not big enough for two people washing hands together.

The service produced a good impression: polite, prompt and ready to serve, starting with every day change of towels in the bathroom and finishing with explaining directions to the places of interest and restaurants.

I would stay in this hotel again and can definitely recommend it to anybody who is planning to spend some time in Spoleto.

This large garden, a rare find in historic center in Spoleto, also belongs to the Hotel Cavaliere. It is green and quiet.

Inside Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto. All amenities are modern and well maintained.

Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto - main staircase to upper floors.

Hotel Cavaliere is rather large - corridors like this lead to guest rooms.

Luckily, the second floor of the Hotel Cavaliere retains many of the features and decorations of the old building. This is the hall with the entrance to the restaurant (on the left - in summer 2010 the restaurant was kept closed).

This large and nicely decorated hall has been used as a restaurant (when it is open) or as a breakfast area when another space dedicated for that purpose is full.

There are few rooms like this (No.1 deluxe double) - as some other places on the second floor of the Hotel Cavaliere it still retains some features of the old decor.

Ceiling in room No. 1, Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto, Italy.

Another view on deluxe room in Hotel Cavaliere. It is decorated with nice furniture. The room is in good conditions.

Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto - bathroom. It is small but attractively finished and functional.

Another photo of the bathroom in Hotel Cavaliere Spoleto.