Umbria, Perugia, Perugia
Perugia is a lively medieval walled hill town with historic buildings, people-filled squares, and modern shops. It has a vibrant student population being host to a university and Italian language schools and has a vibrant program of events and festivals.
It is pleasant wandering down the main piazza and around the narrow streets and lanes exploring the alimentary (food) stores and specialty shops, following the old walls or marvelling at the architecture.
A series of escalators lead up from the base carpark of Perugia to the town at the top and the following attractions are worthy of a visit:
The Corso Vannucci is the main pedestrian street and is lined with elegant shops, bars, and eating places.
Piazza IV Novembre is the heart of Perugia. It's a large, open square with a beautiful fountain, the Fontana Maggiore, adjacent to the Duomo, the Palazzo dei Priori, and medieval buildings with shops and bars.
The Fontana Maggiore, made of pink and white stone, is decorated with intricately carved panels showing the months of the year, astrological signs, Aesop's fables, mythical monsters, and more.
The Palazzo dei Priori, where the town councilors used to meet, has some beautiful 13th century frescoes and wooden furniture. It houses the National Art Gallery of Umbria and three other museums.
The Rocca Paolina is a fortress built by Pope Paul III over the houses and buildings he destroyed. You can wander through the underground remains of the streets and houses. There are also art exhibits held in the building.
Etruscan remains include the 3rd century BC Etruscan well, the Etruscan Arch (one of the city gates), and remains of the massive Etruscan wall around the city. There are also remains of the Roman wall and Roman city gates and the Tempio di Sant'Angelo, a 5h century Roman temple.
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