jmct714

I'm considering Spoleto as a base for an upcoming trip to Umbria. In my pre trip information gathering, I've come across many mentions of an abundance of scaffolding. Some say they hardly noticed it, while others have said it was a major distraction and diminished their enjoyment of the town.

Most of these discussions have been pre-2010. Can anyone who has been to Spoleto more recently share their impressions?

Thanks in advance

uhoh_busted

I remember some construction, but it didn't really bother us that much. There was none around the Duomo piazza. None around the Tower bridge (which we enjoyed hiking across for the views of the surrounding countryside) May have been some in town? We were there a year ago.

baldrick

Was there 3 weeks ago and haven't seen any scaffolding on significant historical buildings...

kybourbon

Any time I've been to Italy, there has always been scaffolding or cranes somewhere. When buildings/monuments are that old, they have to be refurbished.

jmct714

Great, thanks so much for the feedback. It's very helpful and appreciated.

Yeah, I would expect to see some construction going on, of course. It's not something I'd typically be concerned about, but some of the comments I read made it seem as if it was difficult to even negotiate around it. Glad that's not the case!

Jean

ditto kybourbon's comment. In recent years, there is often a screening material covering the scaffolding that is printed with a photo of the building being refurbished so you don't feel as though you've completely missed out on seeing a facade and how it relates to its location and surroundings. I don't remember ever having trouble walking around scaffolding.

vespacurves

I often avoid visiting European locations that are undergoing refurbishment. Fortunately, I travel frequently enough to make that an option. I've noticed some people feel it shouldn't bother other people, but I actually travel to look at architecture. It's a complete waste of my money and time to visit places that I can't take in as a whole, visually. It hardly compensates to see a curtain with a picture of the building on it. I think it is very clever to put them up so that tourists can take photos where it is hard to tell the difference, but it is not the same as actually seeing an architect's work.

I can understand people saying it doesn't bother them, but it sure the heck disappoints other people, and since Umbria has so many other towns that don't have a lot of scaffolding and are just as pleasant and with good restaurants as Spoleto, I don't see the harm in going elsewhere (unless of course your main interest is to see the interior artwork).