The capital of Umbria and the largest city in the region, Perugia is totally underrated. If you ask us, it’s a great place for a city break and the perfect jumping off point to explore some of the more rural parts of the enchanting region known as Italy’s Green Heart.
Perched on a hill, Perugia has a frozen-in-time quality, as the historic center has essentially remained the same since the Middle Ages. Wandering through the city center, you can admire the Medieval architecture, then duck into the Collegio del Cambio to see beautiful frescoes by Perugino and visit the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, which contains Medieval and Renaissance art by Beato Angelico, Pinturicchio, and Perugino. It’s no wonder we chose it as our base for our week long Umbria tour.
The best reason to visit Perugia, though, is for the food. Perugia has a large student population, but it doesn’t get a ton of tourists, so you won’t find the kind of tourist trap restaurants common in Rome, Florence, and Venice. Instead, you’ll find casual spots that cater to the student population with cheap eats, as well as more formal restaurants that serve the local cuisine, which is heavy on meat, vegetables, and legumes like lentils and chickpeas.
Perugia is also famous for chocolate. You’re probably most familiar with the Perugina brand that makes baci (now owned by Nestlé), but there are also some great artisan chocolatiers worth visiting.
These are the places where the Via Rosa team loves to eat and drink in Perugia.
