On the lovely train journey from Perugia to Spoleto via Assisi, two lesser known places are Spello and Trevi. As a generalisation Spello is treated by the guidebooks as a nice sort of place to stay for a couple of nights if you want to avoid the crowds and Trevi is only mentioned for the view of it, an inaccessible hilltop village.
Certainly accessibility can be a downside to this village, which is quite delightful once you get there. It is now trying to take its place in attracting tourists but it seems to assume that they are car-riding creatures. Buses between the station and the town are geared to the educational community - not to visitors. <[em>written summer 2006] In particular there is no bus down from the town between 07.00 and 10.50 - not a lot of use for the 10.00 train! Taxi then? They have to come from Foligno and it costs €30 to get the short distance to the station. The hill is so steep that walking down with luggage would be hard enough for fit young people. Just to rub in the point, the Tourist Office has NO information on trains when its computer is down!
OK - so why go there? The simple reason is that this really is the epitome of a hilltop village. Moreover, for the time being it's peaceful enough to stroll round its wonderful atmospheric streets without crowds. If you're lucky enough to be there when the organ is being played at San Francesco Church, don't miss going.
