Perugia

Perugia, Italy

The Palazzo dei Priori glows in warm sunset light across Piazza IV Novembre, framed by the Fontana Maggiore's steps in the foreground.

Perugia is a lively Umbrian hill city of Etruscan walls, medieval squares and students, a quieter alternative to the big Italian names.

The place

Perugia is the capital of Umbria, a hill city of about 160,000 people in central Italy, with the Tiber running through the valley below. The old centre sits on a ridge roughly 490 m above sea level, which explains much of what a visitor feels here: steep lanes, long flights of steps, sudden views over farmland, and a breeze when the plain is baking. It lies between Rome and Florence and works well as a base for a slower look at the Italian interior. The historic core is compact and largely pedestrian. Its social heart is the long main street, Corso Vannucci, which leads to the square where the Palazzo dei Priori and the cathedral face the Fontana Maggiore, and the evening stroll, the passeggiata, still fills it. Perugia is also a student town. The University of Perugia and the University for Foreigners bring young people from many countries, so bars and cafés stay busy outside the tourist season, and the city feels lived-in rather than staged. Music and ideas are part of its identity: Umbria Jazz takes over in July, the International Journalism Festival arrives in April, and chocolate has its own festival in October. Expect crowds and higher prices at those times. Expect the climb as well: the railway station is down in the valley, and reaching the centre means a bus, a lift or escalators. Summer afternoons are hot on the stone, while winter can be properly cold at this height.

Its story

Perugia's written history begins with the Etruscans, though Umbrian people had settled the hill before them. As Perusia, it belonged to the Etruscan league of cities, and Roman historians mention it when Rome campaigned against that league. A long truce followed, but Perusia later joined a wider war against Rome and had to ask for peace. In the wars against Carthage it sided with Rome. The best-known episode of the ancient period is a siege: in the civil wars after Caesar's death, Lucius Antonius took refuge in the city and Octavian starved him out. Perusia burned, with only a couple of temples said to have survived, and its senators were put to death. The massive Etruscan terrace walls came through far better than the buildings above them, and lead sling bullets still turn up in the ground around the city. In the Middle Ages Perugia became a proud, independent commune and expressed that confidence in stone: the Palazzo dei Priori for its magistrates and the Fontana Maggiore for its water supply and its civic pride. Later the popes took firm control, and the Rocca Paolina, a fortress raised in the sixteenth century, was the sign of that authority. Painters followed the patrons. Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, belongs to this world and gave the local school of painting its best-known name. The city's emblem, the griffin, still appears on banners and coats of arms.

What to see

Culture

Perugia's culture is shaped by civic pride and a constant flow of students and visitors. The universities, the Academy of Fine Arts and the music conservatory keep the centre young, and the calendar is crowded with festivals. Umbria Jazz in July is the headline event, drawing musicians and audiences from across Europe. The International Journalism Festival in April brings reporters and editors into the old palaces. Sagra Musicale Umbra offers classical and chamber music in churches and halls, and Eurochocolate turns October into a sweet-toothed fair, now held in nearby Bastia Umbra. In September, UmbriaWine fills the historic centre with tastings and talks about local wineries. Religion remains part of daily life, and the churches of Perugia are working places of worship as well as galleries. Everyday manners follow familiar Italian habits: a greeting when you enter a shop, coffee drunk quickly standing at the bar, dinner starting late. Evenings on the main street are social, and noise from groups outside bars can carry up the narrow lanes, so light sleepers should ask for a quiet room. In any church, keep your shoulders and knees covered and your voice low, and do not photograph worshippers or walk around during a service.

What to wear

Perugia has no everyday regional costume today. Traditional dress appears in historic pageants and processions, where participants wear medieval and Renaissance-style outfits of wool, velvet and brocade in civic colours. The region's textile pride is in linen and hemp weaving. Perugian hand-woven cloths are known for blue patterns, sometimes including animal figures such as the griffin, and tablecloths and towels in this tradition are still sold in the centre. Day to day, Perugians dress smartly casual: dark jeans, jackets, scarves, leather shoes and well-cut coats in winter. Students add trainers and rucksacks. Beachwear looks out of place in the old town. As a visitor, wear shoes with grip, since the lanes are steep and paved in worn stone. Summer is hot, so choose light cotton or linen and a hat, but carry a layer for shaded stairways and cool church interiors. Winter at this height is cold and damp, so bring a proper coat and a scarf. For churches, shoulders and knees should be covered, and a light shawl in the bag solves the problem. Smart casual is enough for evening restaurants.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April, May and October, when days are warm and walking the hill is comfortable. July is hot and busy with Umbria Jazz, August can be very warm on the stone, and winter is cold and damp at this height.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly to Rome, or to Pisa or Bologna, which are served by low-cost airlines, then continue by train or coach. Trains run from Rome and Florence, often with a change from Rome. The station is in the valley, so the last leg is a bus, a lift or the escalators up to the historic centre.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

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