Perugia: the medieval and cosmopolitan heart of Umbria

In this video, we take a pre-Covid trip to Perugia, the Italian region of Umbria’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, and famous for its pristine medieval centre.

Other than being the regional capital, Perugia is also the first city of the province of Perugia, located about 164km north of Rome and 148km southeast of Florence.

Known for its bustling university scene, today, Perugia is equally famous for its chocolate and its jazz festival, and is a great base from which visitors can explore the surrounding area, as trains from here run to all the major sightseeing hotspots, complemented by fast new roads and an extensive bus network.

In terms of its past, Etruscan, Roman and Medieval structural layers coexist, with Perugia’s Centro Storico (historic centre) featuring cobbled alleys, arched stairways and piazzas, framed by solemn churches and magnificent Gothic palazzi. The most important street is the Corso Vannucci, named after the region’s celebrated artist, Pietro Vannucci (c1450–1523), better known as Perugino, who was actually a native of Città della Pieve, near Perugia.

Perugino decorated the local Sala del Cambio with a series of frescoes, and eight of his works can also be seen in the National Gallery of Umbria. He was the teacher of Raphael, the great Renaissance artist who produced five paintings in Perugia (today no longer housed in the city) and one fresco. As for other cultural figures, Galeazzo Alessi is the most famous architect from Perugia.

View the original video here.

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