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Perugia Attractions
Piazza Italia is like a balcony hanging over the hillside at one end of town. From this airy square, sophisticated Corso Vannucci flows through the massive Palazzo dei Priori to Piazza IV Novembre, where the cathedral is a backdrop for the Fontana Maggiore, with elaborate panels and figures that Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni carved between 1278 and 1280. An especially entertaining time to stroll up the corso is in the early evening, when it becomes the stage set for one of Italy’s most lively and decorous evening passeggiate.
Perugia’s Medieval Pompeii
Beneath Piazza Italia is some remarkable underground scenery. Around 1530 the Perugians rebelled against Pope Paul III over a tax on salt—to this day, Perugian bread is salt-free. In retribution, the Pope demolished more than one-quarter of the city, and built his Rocca Paolina atop the ruins. After Italian unification in 1860, locals ripped the castle to pieces and built Piazza Italia on top. Today the vaults of the fort and the remains of medieval dwellings and streets it was built atop are in full view beneath the piazza. You can clamber through doorless entrances, climb the remains of stairways, walk through empty rooms, and wander at will through the brick maze. Enter the underground city daily (no admission fee) from the escalators that connect the lower-town’s Piazza Partigiani, with its car park and bus station, and Piazza Italia (daily 6:15am–1:45am).
11 Results
- Religious Site
Cappella di San Severo
Don’t be fooled by the modest 18th-century exterior; the 14th-century chapel inside contains a real treasure. Before young Raphael Sanzio made a name for himself in Florence and Rome, he settled briefly in Perugia, where in 1504 he painted the first of the many frescoes that would… - Historic Site
Casa Museo di Palazzo Sorbello
Just around the corner from the cathedral, this historic home provides a rare window into 18th-century Perugia. The mansion dates back to the 16th century, though it was purchased by the aristocratic Marchesi Bourbon di Sorbello in 1785, and is lavishly furnished with period… - Tour
Casa del Cioccolato Perugina
Some 3km (2 miles) southwest of Perugia, the Casa del Cioccolato is the home of Perugia's iconic chocolate factory. The creator of Baci ("kisses") started in 1907 selling sugared almonds and now pumps out 120 tons of the brown stuff a day, including 1 1?2 million… - Religious Site
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
For a major Italian city and provincial capital, Perugia has a pretty disappointing cathedral, at least from the outside. First raised in the early 14th century on the Gothic model of the German hall churches, it didn't take its present form until the 16th century. Unsure whether the… - Museum
Galleria Nazionale
The world’s largest repository of Umbrian art covers seven or so fruitful centuries and showcases dozens of artists, among whom two stand out in particular. Pride of place belongs to the altarpieces by Perugino, who was born nearby in Città della Pieve and spent much of his career… - Museum
Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’Umbria (National Archeological Museum of Umbria)
Etruscans stand out as the stars of the show among these ancient artifacts displayed in the former church, convent, and cloisters of San Domenico. Most riveting are the large tombs, brought from around the Tuscan/Umbrian region that 2,500 years ago was the heartland of an Etruscan… - Museum
Nobile Collegio del Cambio
The cubicles and fluorescent lighting of modern office life will seem all the more banal after a visit to the frescoed and paneled meeting rooms of Perugia’s Moneychanger’s Guild, one of the best-preserved “office suites” of the Renaissance. Perugino was hired in 1496 to fresco the… - Landmark
Palazzo dei Priori
One of the largest town halls in Italy, this palazzo was started in the 1290s and expanded in 1443. Inside are the Collegio del Cambio and the Galleria Nazionale . The far end of the building has the oldest facade, with an off-center main portal (opposite the cathedral), from which… - Historic Site
Pozzo Etrusco (Etruscan Well)
When the 3rd-century-B.C. Etruscans needed water, they sank a 5.4m-wide (18-ft.) shaft more than 35m (115 ft.) into the pebbly soil under Perugia. To support the cover over the well, they built two massive trusses of travertine that have stood the test of more than 2,000 years. You… - Religious Site
San Bernardino and San Francesco
The grassy lawn at the bottom of the Via dei Priori, a lounging spot for university students on sunny days, is bordered by two of the finest church facades in Perugia. On the left is the small Oratorio di San Bernardino, whose facade is layered with bas-reliefs and sculptures… - Religious Site
San Pietro
This Benedictine monastery at Perugia's edge, its pointed Gothic tower a city landmark, was founded in the late 900s. Inside the first courtyard is the Romanesque entrance to the monastery's San Pietro church. The church's old facade was uncovered in the 1980s, revealing 14th-century…
