Spello (in Antiquity: Hispellum) is an ancient town and comune (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia in eastern-central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Mt. Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 km (6 mi) SSE of Assisi. The old walled town lies on a regularly NW-SE sloping ridge that eventually meets the plain. From the top of the ridge, Spello commands a good view of the Umbrian plain towards Perugia; at the bottom of the ridge, the town spills out of its walls into a small modern section (or borgo) served by the rail line from Rome to Florence via Perugia. History Populated in ancient times by the Umbri, it became a Roman colony in the 1st century BC. Under the reign of Constantine the Great it was called Flavia Constans, as attested by a document preserved in the local Communal Palace. Main sights The densely inhabited town, built with stone, retains its medieval aspect; the town is enclosed in a circuit of medieval walls built on Roman foundations, including three Roman Late Antique gates (Porta Consolare, Porta di Venere and the "Arch of Augustus") and traces of three more. The town incorporated the remains of an amphitheater. Among the churches of interest in the town are: Santa Maria Maggiore (known from 1159): The Church was probably built over an ancient temple dedicated to Juno and Vesta. The façade has a Romanesque portal and a 13th-century bell tower, while the pilasters next to the apse have frescoes by Perugino (1512) as well as the later Spello Pietà by the same artist. The most prominent artwork are the Pinturicchio frescoes in the Baglioni Chapel. The Umbrian artist was called to paint it around 1500 by Troilo Baglioni, after he had just finished the Borgia Apartment's decoration. The cycle include an Annunciation, a Nativity and a Dispute with the Doctors, plus four Sibyls in the vault. Sant'Andrea (known from 1025). Church with 14th-century frescoes and an altarpiece by Pinturicchio. San Lorenzo (12th century): Church where San Bernardino da Siena began his sermons in 1438. San Claudio (11th century or earlier), an elegant example of Romanesque architecture with a rose window on the asymmetrical façade. The interior has 14th century votive frescoes from the Umbrian school. It is said to have been built on the remains of a Paleo-Christian cemetery. Tega Chapel (14th century),