Italy Perugia Tours

Perugia is the capital of Umbria, built on a hilltop in central Italy between Rome and Florence, part of a landlocked region often folded into a wider Italy Tours route through the country's less-visited center. Its position, roughly 500 meters above sea level, gives the old town sweeping views over the Umbrian countryside from nearly every angle.

Etruscan settlers built the first walls here well before Rome rose to power, and stretches of that original fortification, including the monumental Etruscan Arch, still stand at the edge of the medieval center. Perugia later became a free medieval commune before passing to the Papal States, a history layered into its stone lanes and hilltop piazzas.

Etruscan Gates and Medieval Squares

The Etruscan Arch, also known as the Arch of Augustus after later Roman modifications, dates to the 3rd century BC and remains one of the more intact Etruscan city gates in Italy. Piazza IV Novembre forms the heart of the center, anchored by the Fontana Maggiore, a 13th-century fountain carved with reliefs of the months, saints and Biblical scenes by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. Facing it, the Palazzo dei Priori has served as Perugia's town hall since the 1290s and houses the National Gallery of Umbria, with works by Perugino, Piero della Francesca and Fra Angelico. The University of Perugia, founded in 1308, ranks among Italy's oldest, and its historic core sits just uphill from the square.

The Rocca Paolina and Underground Streets

Beneath the modern city lies the Rocca Paolina, a 16th-century fortress that Pope Paul III built directly over an entire medieval neighborhood, burying its houses and streets rather than demolishing them. Escalators now carry visitors up through these preserved underground lanes into the center, a route that doubles as an unusual walk through a buried quarter of the city.

Chocolate, Jazz and University Life

Perugia hosts Eurochocolate each October, one of Europe's larger chocolate festivals, drawing on the city's long association with Perugina, the confectioner behind the Baci hazelnut chocolates first produced here in 1922. In July, Umbria Jazz brings international musicians to the same squares for ten days of concerts. Two universities, including one founded specifically for foreign students, keep the city younger than its medieval streets might suggest, with a large student population filling its bars and cafes outside festival season.

Assisi and the Umbrian Hill Towns

Perugia works well as a base for the smaller hill towns scattered across Umbria. Assisi, birthplace of Saint Francis and home to the Basilica di San Francesco with its Giotto frescoes, sits about 25 minutes away by car or train. Todi, Spoleto and Gubbio, each with their own medieval centers, are all within an hour's drive, making Perugia a reasonable base for several days of day trips through the region.