Italy

A stunning medieval town, Perugia is a land of taste and flavour with a never-ending stream of tradition. Nature is fundamental to the Umbrian - cuisine is deliciously simple. With a hip student vibe, the heart of the city beats at Piazza IV Novembre, a meeting point for thousands of years.

Before the 20th century

Prehistoric remains, conserved largely in the Archaeological Museum in Perugia, reveal a human presence in this region as far back as the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods.

Perugia's recorded history has certainly been lively. The Umbrii tribe inhabited the surrounding area and controlled land stretching from present-day Tuscany into Le Marche, but it was the Etruscans who founded the city, which reached its zenith in 6 BC. It fell to the Romans in 310 BC and was given the name Perusia.

St Benedict was born in Norcia in AD 480 and, a few centuries later, the Benedictine monastic order was founded at San Pietro in Perugia.

One of the first religious buildings in Umbria, the church of Sant'Angelo, was built in Perugia between the 5th and 6th centuries.

During the Middle Ages the city was racked by the internal feuding of the Baglioni and Oddi families and violent wars against its neighbours. In the mid-13th century Perugia was home to the Flagellants, a curious sect whose members whipped themselves as a religious penance. In 1538 the city was incorporated into the Papal States under Pope Paul III, remaining under papal control for almost three centuries. It was during this time as a Guelph city that it warred against many of its neighbouring towns.

Perugia also has a strong artistic and cultural tradition. In the 15th century it was home to fresco painters Bernardino Pinturicchio and his master Pietro Vannucci, who was to teach Raphael. The city also attracted the great Tuscan masters Fra Angelico and Piero della Francesca.

Modern history

Towards the end of WWII, the Nazis abandoned Perugia and the Allies advanced, which was welcomed with open arms on 20 June 1944.

In 1932, Benito Mussolini set up the Università per Stranieri (University for Foreigners) to improve the image of Italy abroad, which worked quite well. When WWII ended, the university developed extensively. Nowadays, it is incredibly popular offering courses in language, literature, history, art, music and architecture, to name a few.

Recent history

Since 1973, Perugia has held the annual Umbria Jazz Festival. Every July, the town comes alive during one of the most important venues for jazz in Europe.

Despite the network of roads built over recent years, Perugia has not yet bowed to the tyranny of tourism and an astonishing amount of the landscape appears to have remained unchanged for centuries.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Perugia's weather is relatively pleasant all year round, with no extreme highs or lows, perfectly complementing the relaxed Provincial experience. Winters can get a wee bit chilly, but that's about as uncomfortable as it gets. Although summers can be a bit sticky, they rarely find their way over 30°C (86°F). An average yearly rainfall keeps the fields green and tops the scale as summer moves into autumn.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

It's a steep climb from the train station, so a bus is recommended. The city bus costs 0.80 and takes you to Piazza Italia in the historic centre. If you haven't bought a ticket, you can buy one on the bus for 1.50. Buses 6 and 7 are the most immediate, but buses 11, 13 and 15d will get you to Piazza Italia. Buy your ticket from the kiosk in front of the train station, in Piazza Italia, or at one of the many tabaccherie (tobacconists). An airbus connects Piazza Italia with Aeroporto Sant'Egidio.

By car, follow the Centro signs up the hill to Piazza Italia. Most of the city centre is closed to normal, nonresidential traffic, although tourists may drive to their hotels to drop off luggage. Perugia also has six paid car parks. The free car park is located at Piazza Cupa. For general parking information, contact SIPA (tel: 075 572 19 38).

For a taxi, call: 075 500 48 88. A ride from the city centre to the main train station will cost about 10.00.

Getting there and away

Aeroporto Sant'Egidio offers flights to Milan all year. A taxi one way or round trip to Sant'Egidio costs 25.00. Sulga buses coincide with the three daily Alitalia Milan flights.

By bus, intercity services leave from Piazza dei Partigiani. Sulga heads from Partigiani to Rome and onto Fiumicino airport. Heading to Perugia from Fiumicino, cross the street from the international terminal. Sulga also operates a Perugia to Florence service once daily (except Sunday) in each direction. APM and SSIT buses leave from Piazza dei Partigiani for Deruta, Torgiano, Assisi, Todi, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino, Lake Trasimeno towns and Norcia.

By road, leave Rome via the A1 at Orte, follow the signs for Terni and take the S3B-E45 for Perugia. From the north, exit the A1 at Valdichiana and take dual carriageway S75B for Perugia. The S75 to the east connects the city with Assisi.

By train, Stazione Fontivegge is on Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 1.5km (1mi) west of the city centre and accessible by bus from Piazza Italia.