PERUGIA LIKE YOU LIVE THERE
First settled by the Etruscans more than 2,000 years ago, Perugia sits like a five-pronged stone crown high on a hilltop in the province of Umbria. Ancient, vibrant and often overlooked, this culturally rich capital city is one of Italy’s best-kept secret
Corso Vannucci
One of the most attractive features of Perugia is the downtown core, which is for pedestrians only. It’s something the city’s planners worked hard to make happen with the addition of the Minimetro line and multiple public escalators connecting to parking lots at the bottom of the hill — they knew the importance of protecting the historical (and anthropological) integrity of Perugia. That work has paid off. As soon as the sun begins to set, the sweeping medieval streets bustle with students, families and business people meeting up for a glass of Chianti or to share a pizza at one of the many open-air cafés. Eat at Ristorante Ferrari.
Luisa Spagnoli
A groundbreaking Perugian businesswoman, Luisa Spagnoli was the first person in the world to make knitwear from angora yarn, launching her eponymous line of affordable women’s sportswear in 1928. She also co-founded Perugina, a local chocolate company known internationally for its hazelnut “Baci” chocolates (“kisses” in Italian). Her boutiques are scattered throughout Italy, but there is something special about browsing through the bright shirts and skirts in the town where the fashion house was born.
Rocca Paolina
One of the most surprising features of this impressive fortified city is a second “city” underneath it. “You’re in a sort of medieval Pompeii,” says Marco Mellanca, a local Luxury Gold by Insight Vacations tour guide. “It’s a buried city only accessible by escalators.” The dark, subterranean stone corridors and vaulted halls are the remnants of the once-great Rocca Paolina fortress built in 1540 — and the modern city sits right on top of it.
Carducci Gardens
While the Carducci Gardens themselves are very pleasant, it’s the view they offer that’s the real prize. Umbria is known as the “green heart of Italy” and standing on the edge of the city looking out over the seemingly endless lush rolling hills and valleys, you understand why that is. The landscape is dotted with picturesque red-tile-roofed towns, including Perugia’s ancient and current rival, Assisi (now they only battle on the soccer pitch), made famous as the home of St. Francis.
Piazza IV Novembre
All roads seem to lead to the Piazza IV Novembre. Flanked by the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the elegant gothic face of Palazzo dei Priori, home of the National Gallery of Umbria and city hall, the square houses church and state as it does slack-jawed tourists and snogging students . Grab a gelato, pull up a step and get people watching.