The Giro della Rocca is what the inhabitants of Spoleto call the panoramic walk around the Rocca Albernoz. The walk is not very long (about 1 kilometer), but offers a number of stunning views of the valley and the Ponte delle Torri crossing it. At the moment (2020) the bridge is not open.
Giro della Rocca Spoleto
The “Castle Walk” starts at the Piazza Campello and offers views over most of the city’s monuments. Turn right and you will immediately encounter part of the ancient city walls.
Continue your walk till you come to the Ponte delle Torri. Just before this bridge there is a niche in the castle wall. From here the bridge was under constant surveillance. Later the toll keepers would use this space.
The building across the bridge is the Fortilizio dei Mulini. This is where the aqueduct that fed the two municipal mills ended. From this point the water was led acrosse the bridge.
From the Fortilizio dei Mulini several paths lead into the mountains. One of these is called the Giro dei Condotti and inspired Franciscus of Assisi to write that he had never seen anything equally breathtaking. “Nihil jucundius vidi valle mea spoletana“, the words are inscribed in marble at the Monteluco belvedere.
The most beautiful panorama can be seen from the so-called Sedia del Papa, or Papal Chair. This is a throne, hacked into the rocks, and is located at the point where the Colle Sant’Elia is closest to the mountain.