Hi everybody, today another Italian hidden gem, Perugia, one of the main Etruscan cities in the past and now known for its universities.
You can reach this city with trains, about 1 and a half hour/2 hours from Florence or 2 and a half hours from Rome.
I will start from Rocca Paolina (Fortress Paolina), built between 1540 and 1543 by order of Pope Paolo III. More than a hundred houses were destroyed in order to build this fortress many of which belonged to the Baglioni family, a leader family in the rebellion against the Pope. The fortress was destroyed through the years and now only the underground part remains; you can visit it thanks to a system of escalators that run through the fortress. The stairs starts from piazza Partigiani, that you can reach by bus, and will lead you to Piazza Italia. From there walk south and reach the Carducci gardens, a little park. This garden is dedicated to Giosuè Carducci a famous Italian poet who wrote a poem inspired by the breathtaking view that can be seen from here. In the garden you will find a bronze bust of Carducci and of others famous artists from Perugia.
From there go back to piazza Italia and proceed until the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, the Italian national paintings collection of Umbria region, which hosts paintings of the Umbrian School of painting ranging from the 13th to the 19th century. All the painting are exposed in 23 halls and are divided in 7 sections, each corresponding to a specific time in history. So we have the 13th and 14th century hall where we can find, among all the pieces of art, 5 marble sculptures by Arnolfo di Cambio and the painting "Madonna col Bambino" by Duccio di Buoninsegna. Then we have a hall for the Late Gothic, one for the Early Renaissance, where in the hall n.19 we can admire some marble sculptures among the very few remaining examples of the Perugian sculpture, one for the 13th century in Umbria and Marche regions, one for the Late Renaissance, one for the Priori chapel and one for the goldsmith's art. The ticket costs 6.50 euros but for more information visit the official page of the Galleria.
Just outside the Galleria, in Piazza IV Novembre there is the Perugia Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo), built between 1345 and 1490. The outside is decorated with white and pink marble but the real treasure is inside. On the left side there is St. Joseph's chapel dedicated to the Sacred Ring, the relic of the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary. It is protected by an iron gate with 14 locks and it is shown to the public twice a year, in July and September. On the right side a sarcophagus which contains the remains of Pope Martin IV. For more information visit the official site of the Perugia Cathedral.
Outside the Cathedral, in the middle of the square, there is the Fontana Maggiore (main fountain), built
between 1277 ed il 1278 in a workshop and then placed in the square. In the center there is a bronze bowl decorated with a bronze statue of nymphs from which the water runs. On the 25 sides of the basin there are 50 bas-reliefs and 24 statues.
On the other side of the Cathedral there is the Etruscan Well, from the second half of the 3rd century b.C. It was used as a tank and it testifies the advanced technology and the knowledge of hydraulic engineering of the Etruscans. That's not the only example of Etruscan remains, if you go in via Rocchi you will see the Etruscan Arch, one of the 7 entrance into the walls of Perugia, built in the second half of the 3rd century.
Hope you enjoy this tour of Perugia, comment down below any suggestion or question!
