Perugia is a beautiful medieval village nestled in the heart of Umbria, Italy. Here you can experience charming walks between amazing old palaces, theaters, monuments, churches, and so many other beautiful buildings.
Perugia has been founded between X and XI century by the Etruscans, and since 295 B.C it became a part of the Roman Empire. You can still feel and experience all this historical heritage admiring Perugia’s astonishing city center.
Discover Fontana Maggiore, a beautiful medieval fountain
Located in IV Novembre square, between Palazzo dei Priori and Saint Lawrence Cathedral, the Fontana Maggiore is a beautiful Gothic fountain connected to an aqueduct that has been receiving water from the Pacciano mount for the past 800 years.
Fontana Maggiore was built in 1275 by Nicola Pisano and his son. It consists in two main marble polygonal and concentric tanks with a bronze basin above. 50 bas-relief and 24 statues decorate this beautiful example of Gothic architecture depicting the months of the year, zodiacal signs, scenes of agrarian and feudal culture, liberal arts, the Bible and Roman characters.
IV November square and its fountain welcome hundreds of young students especially at night since Perugia is a significant university city in Italy.
Find the main religious building of Perugia, the Saint Lawrence Cathedral
Saint Lawrence Cathedral was started in 1345 and finished in 1490. You will be amazed by its unique exterior decoration made of white and pink marble that unfortunately has never been completed.
The main door in the picture is the side entrance of the cathedral, facing IV Novembre square and Fontana Maggiore. This location is pretty uncommon since main entrances usually face main squares.
Along the side facade you can also admire a pulpit designed by Galeazzo Alessi in 1568 and cosmatesque mosaics, a typical Medieval Italian decoration made of stonework inlays. The Cathedral main entrance consists of a baroque portal facing Piazza Dante.
Go inside and admire the decor!
Saint Lawrence Cathedral consists in a twice nave and two aisles of the same height which define this cathedral as an Hallenkirche, which means “hall church”, a typical religious building with main nave and aisles of approximately same height.
Here you can admire several significant piece of Italian art as the frescoes by Pinturicchio and a painting by Perugino, two famous Italian artists during Renaissance Era. Saint Lawrence Cathedral also contains beautiful side chapels with marble sarcophagus and a beautiful golden reliquary.
The most significant artwork here is the Deposition from the Cross by Federico Barocci that you can find on the right nave in the chapel of Saint Bernardino.
Don’t miss the Cathedral museum where you can find other beautiful artworks of Medieval and Renaissance Era.
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Enjoy Perugia city center and its astonishing view of buildings and nature
Perugia city center is located on an acropolis, high of about 450 meters. This location offers several astonishing views.
At two minutes walk by IV Novembre square, near Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, you will experience one of its best panoramas.
In this area located just over one of the several city arches you will find a lot of stands where you can buy typical products, souvenirs and clothes. Here you can relax sitting on a wooden bench taking a sunbath during one of the very common sunny Italian days.
Find out also restaurants and bars nearby and enjoy the typical meat and vegetables dishes of Umbria.
Conclusion
Although Perugia is a little city, you can fully enjoy your holidays,surrounded by young people and lead to many different cultural events. Indeed, Perugia hosts one of the most significant Jazz Festival in Italy, the Umbria Jazz Festival which takes place twice a year in winter and summer and draws thousands of visitors.
History
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