The Arrival at Spoleto of Leo III and View of the City – tempera on canvas, 192×290

The painting, exhibited in the hall of honour at the Piano Nobile in Palazzo Collicola, was given in 1636 by Cardinal Fausto Poli when he was appointed citizen of Spoleto.

The Cardinal was born in Usigni in Valnerina, he became a munificent protector of the diocese of Spoleto holding important positions in the service of Urban VIII Barberini; the Pope put him in contact with artists active in the many enterprises he and his family promoted, such as painter Guidobaldo Abbatini, who authored the work presented here and worked in Rome in the circle of Bernini.

The large canvas depicts a historical event occurred in 799 when Pope Leo III, who had escaped a conspiracy hatched by Curia dignitaries against him, was saved in the capital of the Duchy of Spoleto by the French Duke Guinigisio.

In the painting’s lower half, the Spoletan people are preceded by the notables in front of St. Peter’s door and welcome the Pope who arrives on his horse, surrounded by a large following. In the upper half there is a view of Spoleto depicted within its ancient walls, while on the right, the painting is dominated by Monteluco and its hermitages. The Ponte delle Torri is curiously omitted from the representation, allegedly to not interfere with the narration.

The work is interesting for the 17th-century iconography of the city of Spoleto, which underlines the interest in the topography of the client who, in addition to having the Dutch cartographers Iohannes and Cornelius Bleau create the map of Umbria, that is, the Duchy of Spoleto, also commissioned a topographical map of the city for the Vatican Galleries.

The view of the city shows the original road network and most of the monumental buildings enclosed within the medieval walls, including some architectural features that were later altered, such as the convent of San Simone and the original fountain in Piazza del Mercato, that have come down to us only through this map.