Perugia (Umbria)
Perugia is the most important Umbrian city, situated in an elevated position on the Tiber valley, near Lake Trasimeno and the most important streets leading to Lazio, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. The ancient Perusia was an Etruscan city and a rich commercial centre. It was under the Romans from IV century a.C., destroyed by the Ostrogoths and headquarter of the duchy of the Longobards in VI – VII century. It became property of the church from VIII until XIX century. Today Perugia spreads from the central street, Corso Vannucci, with steep little streets and alleys descending to the new part of the city. It’s in this central street that we can find monuments of great artistic and historic importance such as the Palazzo dei Priori (Prior Palace), gothic building whose construction lasted from 1293 to 1443. Inside we find the Sala dei Notari (Room of Notaries), with frescoes of the IV century, the Collegio del Cambio with frescoes of Antonio Masi and Perugino and the Galleria Nazionale (National Gallery) containing works of Benozzo Gozzoli, Beato Angelico, Pietro della Francesca and Perugino. In Square IV November there’s the amazingly beautiful Fontana Maggiore (Major Fountain) built in 1278, with bas-reliefs and little statues. Other important places to visit in Perugia are the Arco Etrusco o Augusteo (Etruscan or Augustan arch) II century a.C., the Porta Marzia of II-I century a.C. giving access to the Rocca Paolina, the church of Sant’angelo and the basilica of San Pietro and of San Domenico. It is very suggestive to walk from Piazza Italia to the Punto di Vista (Point of View), place were there’s a wonderful view of the city and the Umbrian valley. Perugia is also an important cultural centre; here you can find the most important Universities of the region, the Italian University for Foreign Students and the academy of art. Among the manifestations organized in Perugia, there are some events which are very famous and known all over the world like Umbria Jazz, Eurochocolate, and the Sagra Musicale Umbra. All this makes Perugia the cultural and artistic centre of Umbria. In Perugia you can find accommodations in hotel, Bed and Breakfast, and in the surrounding hills or near lake Trasimeno you can enjoy the relax in a country house or in a holiday house.
Festivals / Events: Umbria Jazz - Eurochocholate - Spoleto Festival - Giostra della Quintana - Ceri Festival - Trasimeno Blues - Infiorata of Spello.