It was no ordinary weekend in Perugia.
The Umbrian capital’s streets were teeming with locals in medieval dress, its five rioni (districts) competing in sporting contests that included javelin throwing and archery. There were jugglers, stilt walkers, fire-eaters, musicians and dancers, the festivities culminating in a historical parade.
Marking the victory of Braccio Fortebracci at the Battle of Sant’Egidio on the 12th of July 1416, the Perugia 1416 festival turns the city into a living history exhibit
Perugia’s streets, monuments and buildings showcase centuries of architecture and art, from its Etruscan roots to its glory days as a medieval stronghold. I spent two days there exploring the city through the lens of its history.
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Perugia’s Historic Sites in a Nutshell
In a rush? Here are the places I visited in a weekend. You’ll see a little overlap between historical periods.
Etruscan Perugia
- Etruscan Well
- National Archaeological Museum of Umbria
- Etruscan Arch
Roman Perugia
- Archaeological Tour of Underground Perugia (beneath the San Lorenzo Cathedral Complex)
- Porta Marzia
- Roman amphitheatre
- Piazza IV Novembre
Byzantine Perugia
- San Michele Arcangelo
Medieval Perugia and beyond
- Palazzo dei Priori and Sala dei Notari
- Fontana Maggiore
- San Lorenzo Cathedral
- Collegio del Cambio and Capella di San Giovanni Battista
- Collegio della Mercanzia
- San Domenico Basilica
- National Gallery of Umbria
- Church of San Severo
- Rocca Paolina
- Via dell’Acquedotto
Explore Perugia’s Etruscan Roots
Peiresa, as it was then called, became one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan Federation around 500 BC. Sections of the rampart built by the Etruscans in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC survive in Perugia’s city walls today.
The Etruscan Well, also known as Pozzo Sorbello, is a remarkable feat of ancient engineering. Three underground springs still supply this well, which was built in the 3rd century BC and plunges to a depth of 37 meters.
My next stop was the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria (M.A.N.U.), which has a superb collection of Etruscan artefacts, notably funerary urns, with paint fragments still visible on some. Other highlights include the San Mariano Bronzes, Sarcophagus della Sperandio and stone carvings from the Cacni Tomb.
The Etruscan Arch, also known as Arco di Augusto, is a symbol of Perugia and was built over two thousand years. The Etruscans were responsible for the lower section, and the Romans built the upper section. It is crowned by a pretty 16th-century loggia.
Roman Sites in Perugia
The Romans arrived in 310 BC. This was a peaceful integration, but Perugia had the bad luck to shelter Mark Anthony’s brother during one of the civil wars. Augustus’s forces lay siege to the city, but it was one of Perugia’s residents who burnt the city to the ground.
The city surrendered to Augustus, and he rebuilt the city, naming it Augusta Perusia (no false modesty there). The city’s new name is still legible over the Etruscan Arch.
You have to search hard for what’s left of Roman Augusta Perusia.
Porta Marzia, at the entrance to Rocca Paolina, was the main southern gateway, was built into the city walls by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in the 16th century. With a little imagination, you can also make out the remains of a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre in the Borgo Bello district, and the Archaeological Museum holds a fine collection of Roman pieces.
The best place to see Roman Perugia is beneath the San Lorenzo Cathedral Complex on the Archaeological Tour of Underground Perugia, operated by the Museo del Capito. I loved this immersive tour that guides you through a maze of subterranean passages, where remnants of Etruscan, Roman and medieval architecture converge.
It’s a veritable Perugia time capsule. There’s part of the Roman Decumanus, scorch marks from the fire that devastated the city, and Etruscan remains, including carvings, a temple and a wonky column.
Perugia’s lovely Piazza IV Novembre was built over a Roman reservoir. This is the city’s beating heart and home to some of its most important buildings and monuments, including the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Palazzo dei Priori and Fontana Maggiore.
See Byzantine Influences at Tempio di San Michele Arcangelo
Perugia’s Byzantine heritage is less prominent than its Etruscan and medieval layers, but it offers one remarkable church.
Dating from the 5th or 6th century, the circular San Michele Arcangelo, also known as Sant’Angelo, is one of Italy’s oldest. It reused 24 Roman columns from the ancient temple, which it replaced.
Medieval Perugia
Perugia grew into a powerful city-state in the Middle Ages, and this medieval heritage is preserved in its art, architecture and urban layout. The most important buildings are around Piazza IV Novembre.
My first stop was Palazzo dei Priori, Perugia’s civic centre since 1297. Its main facade overlooks Piazza IV Novembre, and a flight of steps leads up to a Gothic portal and the Sala dei Notari, a room wallpapered in frescoes by an anonymous painter and once used for public assemblies and by the city’s notaries.
Fontana Maggiore is one of Italy’s most beautiful fountains. Designed by Fra Bevignate in 1280, its basins are adorned with bas-reliefs depicting biblical scenes, allegories of the months, and symbols of the city’s virtues and history. They are the work of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni.
Inside the sombre interior of the Gothic San Lorenzo Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo), a small chapel draws pilgrims from far and wide. The Chapel of the Holy Ring (Capella del Santo Anello) houses the “wedding ring” of the Virgin Mary, an onyx stone ring the Perugini took from Chiusi.
The cathedral is the first to admit that the story of the Holy Ring owes more to tradition than fact, but the ring is displayed with great pomp and ceremony twice a year, on 29th-30th July and 12th September.
Stretching from Piazza IV Novembre to Piazza Italia, Corso Vannucci is named after Perugia’s favourite son. Pietro Vannucci, better known as Perugino, was one of the most important painters of the Renaissance. With the help of his pupils, including Raphael, he wallpapered the hall and chapel of the Collegio del Cambio (Bankers’ Guild) on Corso Vannucci with frescoes depicting Christian virtues and Classical culture. It is one of the most beautiful Renaissance rooms in Italy.
Don’t miss the adjacent Capella di San Giovanni Battista (included in your ticket). This small chapel is smothered in frescos depicting stories from the life of St. John the Baptist by Giannicola di Paolo who was a student of Perugino.
Photography is not permitted inside either room.
Collegio della Mercanzia, a few doors along Corso Vannucci, is where the powerful Guild of Merchants conducted their business, imposing taxes, electing councillors and dishing out justice.
San Domenico Basilica at the southern end of the city was founded in 1305 and rebuilt in 1632. It is home to Italy’s largest stained-glass window, which bears the signatures of Fra’Bartolomeo di Pietro da Perugia and Mariotto di Nardo., and the tomb of Pope Benedict XI and terracotta by Agostino di Duccio.
Perugia’s Art Highlights
As an art lover, the National Gallery of Umbria (Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria) was on my Perugia list, and it didn’t disappoint.
Its rooms move chronologically through Umbrian art, from gilded medieval altarpieces to the Baroque and beyond. Paintings by Perugino and Pinturicchio, another Perugian native, keep company with Florentine works.
The Church of San Severo was given a Baroque makeover in the 1700s, but a chapel decorated with Raphael’s first major commission was left unscathed.
He started work on Holy Trinity with Saints in 1505, but abandoned it when he was summoned to Rome to complete the work on the Vatican Stanze. His master, Perugino, completed the fresco, painting the figures of the six saints in the lower level
There are more paintings by Perugino in the Benedictine complex of San Pietro (they are in the sacristy and above its door). This beautiful basilica is covered in frescoes and has beautifully carved wooden choir stalls.
Via dell’Acquedotto: One of the Best Things to See in Perugia
By the first half of the 19th century, the 4-kilometre aqueduct (Antico Acquedotto e Via Appia) that carried water from Monte Pacciano to Fontana Maggiore was no longer needed. The final stretch into the city was transformed into a pedestrian pathway, Via dell’Acquedotto.
This narrow street winds through pastel-coloured houses from Porta San Angelo to the historic centre. It’s a scenic walk and one of the best things to do in Perugia if you want a slower pace after a day of churches and museums.
A Weekend in Perugia: Practical Information
Getting there & getting around
Perugia’s main train station (Perugia FS) is a few miles from the historic centre and serves regional trains to destinations including Assisi, Spoleto, Lake Trasimeno, Arezzo and Florence.
You can check train times and fares here. As fares for these services are fixed, there is no need to book your ticket in advance.
The Minimetrò connects Perugia FS to the historic centre in ten minutes (alight at Pincetto station at the end of the line).
Perugia is also connected by bus. You’ll be dropped off at Piazzale Umbria Jazz, connected to the historic centre by the Minimetrò, or at the more centrally-located Piazza Partigiani.
Perugia has an airport (PEG), but flights are limited to a handful of destinations, most of which are in Italy.
The historic centre of Perugia is compact and walkable. Most sights are within a ten-minute walk of Piazza IV Novembre. San Pietro and Tempio San Michele Arcangelo are 20 minutes on foot from the central square. Just steel yourself for a few steep uphill climbs.
Where to stay
I loved my stay at Cozy Studio 308. It was stylish, clean and quiet, despite being a stone’s throw from Piazza IV Novembre. The hosts were friendly, helpful and responsive.
If this doesn’t meet your needs, take a look at these:
Sina Brufani: Fancy swimming over an Etruscan ruin? Then this is the hotel for you. This centrally-located 19th-century luxury hotel offers fabulous views over the Umbrian hills.
Hotel Morlacchi: This homely hotel set in a 17th-century building, just around the corner from the cathedral, has attracted great reviews, and it offers single rooms for solo travellers.
And that’s a wrap!
I hope this article helps you identify what to do in Perugia and you have the best weekend there. You can find out more about the Perugia 1416 festival here.
This historic city attracts a fraction of visitors descending on the tourist honeypots of Florence and Rome, and is all the better for this. And it is the ideal base for day trips by train to places like Assisi, Spello and beautiful Lake Trasimeno.
Happy travels!
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.