Is Perugia worth visiting? The question is asked less than it should be, because Perugia sits in the shadow of two more famous neighbors. Assisi (20km east, Francis of Assisi, international pilgrimage) and Orvieto (60km south, cathedral, underground city). Between these two, Perugia, a university city of 165,000, the capital of Umbria, with an Etruscan city wall that predates Rome's, a Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria that is the finest regional art gallery in central Italy, and a historic center of extraordinary visual quality, gets less than its share of international attention. The answer to the question is yes: Perugia is worth visiting, and visitors who approach it with the attention it deserves consistently report that it exceeded their expectations. This is partly because expectations are calibrated low by the comparison with Assisi and Orvieto. It shouldn't be.
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The Historic Center
The Perugia historic center occupies a limestone ridge at 450 metres, the highest point is Piazza IV Novembre with the Fontana Maggiore (1278, one of the finest medieval fountains in Italy, sculpted by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano) and the Palazzo dei Priori (the civic palace, began 1293, one of the grandest civic buildings of medieval Italy, housing the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria). Corso Vannucci runs from the piazza to the Palazzo dei Priori, a broad pedestrian street lined with cafes and shops that functions as the Perugino's living room in the evening during the passeggiata (traditional evening stroll). Below the historic center, the Rocca Paolina (a Papal fortress built in 1540 by Pope Paul III, now traversable via escalators) incorporates a medieval neighborhood demolished to build it, walking through the underground streets of the absorbed medieval quarter is one of the most atmospheric experiences in central Italy.
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The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in the Palazzo dei Priori is the most important art museum in Umbria, a comprehensive collection of Umbrian painting from the 13th to the 18th century, dominated by Perugino (Pietro Vannucci, 1448-1523, who was Raphael's teacher and took his nickname from Perugia), Pinturicchio, and Fra Angelico. The Perugino rooms are the heart of the collection, the soft light, gentle figures, and landscape backgrounds that characterise his work are shown here in an exceptional concentration. Ticket €8. Allow 2 hours.
Questions: Is Perugia Worth Visiting?
What is the Perugia Chocolate Festival?
Eurochocolate is an annual chocolate festival held in Perugia in October, the largest chocolate fair in Europe, attracting approximately 1 million visitors over 10 days. Perugia is the home of Perugina (the company that produces Baci Perugina, the famous Italian chocolate-hazelnut pralines with the love-note inside the wrapper). The Nestlé-owned factory is on the outskirts of the city. During Eurochocolate, the historic center becomes an open-air tasting ground. The festival is simultaneously extraordinary (the concentration of chocolate from all over the world in medieval streets) and insanely crowded. Book accommodation months ahead if you want to attend.
How many days do I need in Perugia?
Two days. Day 1: the historic center (Piazza IV Novembre, Fontana Maggiore, Palazzo dei Priori exterior), the Rocca Paolina underground (1 hour), the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria (2 hours), the passeggiata on Corso Vannucci. Day 2: the Etruscan walls and Arco Etrusco (3rd century BC, intact, extraordinary), Assisi day trip (20km, 30 minutes, the Basilica di San Francesco with Giotto's cycle). Perugia as a base for Umbrian day trips: Assisi (20km), Orvieto (60km), Spoleto (65km), Todi (40km).
Is Perugia a university city?
Yes, the Università degli Studi di Perugia (founded 1308) and the Università per Stranieri di Perugia (for foreign students learning Italian, founded 1926) together bring approximately 35,000 students to a city of 165,000. The student presence creates the cafe culture, bookshops, and evening bar scene that gives Perugia an energy that other Umbrian cities of comparable size lack.
Curiosità su Perugia
Perugia era nel medioevo una delle città più violente d'Italia, i conflitti tra le fazioni dei Baglioni (signori della città) e i loro rivali producevano uccisioni di massa nel centro storico (historic center) con regolarità impressionante. Il "Matrimonio Insanguinato" del 1500, quando i Baglioni uccisero quasi tutti i maschi adulti della famiglia rivale degli Oddi durante un banchetto di nozze, è uno degli episodi più brutali della storia rinascimentale italiana. Perugino e Pinturicchio dipingevano le loro Madonne dolcissime mentre le strade della città si macchiavano di sangue con regolarità biennale. Questo contrasto, la dolcezza della pittura umbra e la violenza della vita politica che la finanziava, è uno dei paradossi più affascinanti dell'arte italiana del Quattrocento. Vedi anche: Umbria · Assisi · Orvieto.
