Perugia sits on a hilltop above the Tiber valley, the capital of Umbria and a city that has been lived in since Etruscan times. Medieval palaces line its main street, students from all over the world fill its squares, and under a vanished Renaissance fortress lies a whole buried neighbourhood you can still walk through. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Perugia
- An Etruscan gate still standing: the Etruscan Arch dates from the 3rd century BC. The words Augusta Perusia were carved on it after Octavian, the future emperor Augustus, besieged and burned the city in 41–40 BC and later had it rebuilt.
- A well 37 metres deep: the Etruscan Well, dug in the second half of the 3rd century BC near the cathedral, supplied water to the hilltop town and can still be visited from below the street.
- A fountain by father and son: the Fontana Maggiore on Piazza IV Novembre was made in 1275–1278 by the sculptors Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. Its marble panels show the months of the year, the liberal arts and scenes from the Bible and Roman history.
- A university since 1308: Pope Clement V recognised Perugia's university with a papal bull on 8 September 1308. The city is also home to a university for foreigners, which has taught Italian to students from abroad since the 1920s.
- Raphael's teacher: Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, frescoed the hall of the money changers' guild, the Collegio del Cambio, around 1500. Perugia's main street, Corso Vannucci, is named after him.
- A chocolate kiss with a hidden message: Baci Perugina were created in 1922 by Luisa Spagnoli. She first called them cazzotto, a punch, and the famous love notes inside the wrappers were only added a few years later by the company's art director, Federico Seneca.
- A festival of chocolate: since 1993 Perugia has hosted Eurochocolate, a chocolate festival held in the autumn.
- Jazz on the hill: Umbria Jazz, first held in 1973, brings concerts to the squares and theatres of Perugia every July.
- A metro made of cable cars: the Minimetrò, opened in 2008, is a line of small driverless cabins pulled by a cable, linking car parks and the railway area below with the historic centre on the hill.
- A footpath on an aqueduct: Via dell'Acquedotto runs along the top of a medieval aqueduct built to bring water to the Fontana Maggiore. Today it is a raised pedestrian street with views over the rooftops.
The Salt War and the buried town
In 1540 Perugia rebelled against a new tax on salt imposed by Pope Paul III. The revolt, known as the Salt War, was quickly crushed, and the pope made sure the city would not rise again. Between 1540 and 1543 he had Antonio da Sangallo the Younger build a huge fortress, the Rocca Paolina, on top of the neighbourhood of the Baglioni, the family that had dominated Perugia. More than a hundred tower houses, churches and streets were demolished or swallowed up inside its walls. A popular story says that the people of Perugia answered by baking their bread without salt, which is why Umbrian bread is still unsalted. After Perugia joined the Kingdom of Italy in the 1860s, most of the fortress was torn down. Its lower part survives, and today escalators carry you through the old medieval streets buried inside it.
What to eat in Perugia
- Torta al testo: a flatbread cooked on a hot griddle, split and filled with cured ham, cheese or sautéed greens.
- Pane sciapo: Umbria's saltless bread, best eaten with salty salami, prosciutto or a drizzle of local olive oil.
- Black truffle: grated over fresh strangozzi or umbricelli, thick hand-rolled Umbrian pasta.
- Porchetta: whole roast pork with garlic, fennel and herbs, sliced into a bread roll at markets and food vans.
- Torcolo di San Costanzo: a ring-shaped cake with candied fruit, raisins, pine nuts and aniseed, baked for the feast of the city's patron saint on 29 January.
Good to know before you go
- The centre sits high above the station and the car parks. Use the Minimetrò or the escalators through the Rocca Paolina instead of walking up the steep roads.
- The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in the Palazzo dei Priori holds the best collection of Umbrian painting, with works by Perugino and Piero della Francesca.
- For the classic view over the Umbrian valley, go to the Giardini Carducci at the end of Corso Vannucci, especially at sunset.
- Assisi is a short train ride away, and Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal defeated a Roman army in 217 BC, lies to the west.
Explore Perugia with World City Trail
Our Perugia scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route takes around two hours, with about 33 minutes of walking, and leads you through the main sights of the historic centre.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
Play the Perugia scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.