Etruscan walls and an exquisite medieval heart: this is Perugia, the ideal city for lovers of art and gastronomy. Let’s discover together the best the Umbrian city has to offer!
A stroll in the historic centre
Between medieval streets, breathtaking views and many delicacies to taste, Perugia can offer so much to tourists, who can visit the city by foot, even in a single day. Aside from its medieval history, Perugia has always been innovative as well: it was the first Italian city to build escalators to reach the historic downtown core by foot.
The Palazzo dei Priori
Palazzo dei Priori is one of the symbolic buildings of Perugia. Built between 1200 and 1400, today the building hosts the municipal offices and the National Gallery of Umbria, where you can find the masterpieces of Perugino. The palace is built in Gothic style and it is located in Piazza IV Novembre, where you can also admire another symbol of the city: Fontana Maggiore.
The Church of San Michele Arcangelo
The Church of San Michele Arcangelo, built between the 5th and 6th centuries AD, is one of the oldest churches in Italy. Also known as il tempietto (“the little temple”), the church was erected on the ruins of a Roman temple and it has a characteristic circular shape. That the church bears the name of Saint Michael, the warrior archangel, is not by chance: churches built near the city walls are usually dedicated to this Saint, who would protect the city.
The Rubesco wine of Lungarotti
The Umbrian capital doesn’t lack in culinary attractions. We forbid you from leaving without having tried at least 3 Perugia specialties: strangozzi or strozzapreti, a type of homemade fettuccine pasta typical of Umbria, paired with truffle or alla norcina; Perugia artisan chocolate; and Rubesco wine.
Only 8kms from Perugia, in the town of Torgiano, you’ll find Tenuta Lungarotti, founded by Giorgio Lungarotti at the beginning of the ‘60s, in the heart of one of the smallest wine-making areas of Italy.
It all started with “Rubesco”, the most representative wine of this winery whose name comes from Latin rubescere, “to blush.”
Today, the sons and grandsons of the first workers who started the company with the founder still work here, a fact that expresses the familiar bond that gets passed from one generation to the next.