GORGACCE

Perugia is the capital of Umbria, it was once one of the great Italian city states but proximity to Rome meant that it was absorbed into the Papal States in the mid 1500’s. Papal rule did no favours for the town other than that the lack of investment and high taxes meant that today the city centre has very few new buildings. Today Perugia is famous for chocolate production and a lively jazz festival held in July. This beautiful city is often overlooked for several reasons: its proximity to more famous Assisi; the unattractive urban sprawl below the city and the one way system into the centre that seems designed to keep visitors out.

Sat Nav systems mean that the city centre is no longer so daunting in a car. You can also download a free pdf of a walk around Perugia from this website. It has detailed instructions on how to reach a car park in the city centre. In 2008 a monorail opened that takes people right into the centre from a large car park below the centre. It closes at 2120 Mon -Sat and 2030 Sundays so unfortunately it’s not really suitable for going out in the evening.

I recommend the downloading the walk if you really want to see the sights in Perugia’s centro storico.
http://www.tuscanyumbria.com/perugia-walk.html

What to see:

Rocca Paolina
When Pope Paul III sent his army into Perugia he ordered the building of a fortress over the houses of the ex-ruling family, the Baglioni. Instead of completely demolishing the houses, the Pope had their roofs removed and brick barrel vaults were built over the tops of the walls. The medieval streets and houses then became the store rooms to the enormous fortress built above. Upon the unification of Italy in the 1860’s, the Perugians tore down the hated symbol of oppression and new buildings were built on the site. This is why the buildings in piazza Italia date back to this period. Today you can walk through the underground city and marvel at the huge barrel vaulted ceilings overhead. When an escalator system was built to bring pedestrians into the city centre, the underground city was incorporated into it. Thousands of people enter Perugia through the underground city every day!

Palazzo dei Priori
Still the seat of local goverment today, this impressive medieval building is also home to the Galleria Nazionale dell’ Umbria. The gallery is home to a fine collection of Renaissance and medieval art. Highlights are altarpieces by Piero della Francesco and Fra’ Angelico as well as several paintings by Pietro Vannucci (Perugino). In a separate part of the building, don’t miss the frescos by Perugino in the the Collegio del Cambio, the money changers’ guild. You can buy a day ticket that gives you access to all the sights in Perugia much more cheaply than buying individual tickets.

Piazza IV Novembre and the Fontana Maggiore
The central piazza in Perugia. The cathedral (Duomo) and Palazzo dei Priori face each other across the square. The centre is dominated by the Fontana Maggiore, a beautifully carved medieval fountain.

Etruscan Well
The city’s main source of water in Etruscan times, this enormous well is an impressive piece of engineering. The true depth is unknown as the bottom has never been cleared of submerged debris.

San Severo
This chapel has frescos started by Raphael as a young man. Raphael was a student of Perugino and you can see the influence of his teacher in his painting, this is the only documented work of his in Perugia but it is possible that he helped on the Collegio del Cambio frescoes. He was summoned to Rome by the Pope having completed only the top half of the painting. He died in his mid-thirties without returning to finish the fresco and a very old Perugino was asked to complete the work. The work on the bottom half is much poorer quality, Perugino was clearly in decline.

Etruscan Arch
The northern entrance to the city, this is a truly impressive arch with large Etruscxan stone blocks at the bottom, Roman stone work higher up and a Renaissance loggia on top.

Medieval Aquaduct
The medieval aquaduct, now a walkway, it used to bring water into the town to supply the fountain. I assume the water was then used by the city, it would have been a shocking waste of resources otherwise!

Oratorio di San Bernardino
The facade of this church is decorated with beautiful carvings showing scenes from the life of San Bernardino, a popular Sienese preacher.

The National Gallery of Umbria, Perugia: Paintings by Perugino, Piero della Francesca. and other renaissance artists.

The new Mini-Metro public transport system in Perugia.