Perugia

Perugia is the Regional County Seat of Umbria in the center of Italy. The city is about 172 km from Rome, 151 km from Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area.

The history of Perugia goes back to the Etruscan period; Perugia was one of the main Etruscan cities and it’s known for the defensive walls around the historic center.

The gateway to the acropolis is the Rocca Paolina, a historical-architectural complex one of a kind, the “container” of the medieval city hidden inside. Crossing it with the escalators you go up to the heart of the city, where Perugians and students love to meet. From the thirteenth-century Fontana Maggiore (made of marble, with bas-reliefs depicting the zodiac signs and scenes from the Bible) an enchanting path starts in the historic center, full of treasures: museums, churches, monuments, palaces, medieval towers as well as significant modern and contemporary artistic expressions.

Homeland of artists such as Perugino, Pinturicchio, Galeazzo Alessi, Vincenzo Danti, Guglielmo Calderini and Gerardo Dottori, the city was the destination – especially during the Italian Renaissance – for the artistic training of important personalities such as Raffaello Sanzio, Pietro Aretino, Piero della Francesca and Luca Signorelli.

The art and history of the city will take you among the notes of Umbria Jazz, the Sagra Musicale Umbra, the rich theatrical season set in suggestive locations: from the Morlacchi Theater, to the eighteenth-century Teatro del Pavone, to the small experimental theaters and even in small squares.

The city is also known for its University: the historic Academy of “Belle Arti”, the Music Conservatory and the University for Foreigners, with students from all over the world, define its strong international vocation.