Perugia - Capital of the region
After leaving Milan, we spent a day touring Perugia. We learned about the city’s historical centre which seemed more intact and larger in scale than others we have visited. The old town is perched on a hilltop, surrounded by both Etruscan and, later, medieval walls. It’s believed the Etruscans founded Perugia in the 6th century B.C.
After getting the car parked we rode a series of escalators into the old town. Although we found ourselves heading uphill again, at least we some help doing it this time!
A fantastic part of the escalator ride was that it took us through the large scale foundations of the Rocca Paolina. In 1540, during the reign of Pope Paul III, Perugia was the last free city in Italy. On its defeat, and as a sign of papal dominion, the Pope commissioned the construction of the fortressed city of Perugia.
To construct the Rocca Paolina, over a hundred houses, as well as churches and monasteries were destroyed and used as building material and substructures for the fortress. As you ride the escalator, you begin to see the imposing foundations that supported this fortress.
Perugia's public square, the social core of the city, has the Maggiore Fountain. The fountain was constructed to celebrate the autonomy of Perugia. On any one of its twenty-five sides are sculptures of prophets and saints, signs of the zodiac, and scenes from Roman history. Perugia is a university town, and in the public square there were lots of young people milling around and soaking up the sun.
Just off the main square, we decided to wander though the twisty turny medieval streets to find the aqueduct. We passed by several interesting arches that were rediscovered and rebuilt in the past century as the city was modernizing its road infrastructure. You can get a better sense of how large in scale these arches are when you stand next to them.
The Roman aqueduct was really interesting to see. It was rebuilt in medieval times to continue to bring water into the town center. Today it is used as a pedestrian pathway and it includes access to houses with addresses on Aqueduct Way. Unbelievable!
As we continued to follow the ancient city walls, we came upon what we think is the largest gate in Perugia, the Arco Etrusco o di Augusto or the Augustan Arch. It was built in the 3rd century BC and restored by Caesar Augustus in 40 BC after his victory in the war of Perugia. Caesar's name, carved in the stone above the gate, can still be seen today.
By the Etruscan Arch we happened upon an abandoned area, the Porta del Sole, where an elderly man was gardening in the shadows of these arches. We learned these arches held the foundations of an earlier fortress built by a Cardinal in 1373 as proof of papal dominance over the town. The fortress was built on the highest hill and loomed large over the city for several years until the citizens of Perugia destroyed it in an uprising. We felt like Indiana Jones as we roamed around the area - we could see where construction of pathways and tunnels into the foundations of the wall had begun.
As we explored the city on our way back to the main square, we passed a small well that we learned has quite a history. We ended up spending an hour exploring this well. The Etruscan Well , often referred to as the Pozzo Sorbello (the name of the family whose palace it sits in front of), is in a small piazza. You can see the top of the well as it sits on the square just like it has for centuries and, if you like, you can venture inside the well,.
The Etruscans built the well in the 3rd century BC, probably as a defense against sieges by their enemies. The well is about 36 meters deep – the top 16 meters are 5.5 meters wide before it narrows in width to 3 meters. We toured the well, gaining access through a tunnel that has been in place since medieval times.
After getting the car parked we rode a series of escalators into the old town. Although we found ourselves heading uphill again, at least we some help doing it this time! A fantastic part of the escalator ride was that it took us through the large scale foundations of the Rocca Paolina. In 1540, during the reign of Pope Paul III, Perugia was the last free city in Italy. On its defeat, and as a sign of papal dominion, the Pope commissioned the construction of the fortressed city of Perugia.
To construct the Rocca Paolina, over a hundred houses, as well as churches and monasteries were destroyed and used as building material and substructures for the fortress. As you ride the escalator, you begin to see the imposing foundations that supported this fortress.
Perugia's public square, the social core of the city, has the Maggiore Fountain. The fountain was constructed to celebrate the autonomy of Perugia. On any one of its twenty-five sides are sculptures of prophets and saints, signs of the zodiac, and scenes from Roman history. Perugia is a university town, and in the public square there were lots of young people milling around and soaking up the sun.Just off the main square, we decided to wander though the twisty turny medieval streets to find the aqueduct. We passed by several interesting arches that were rediscovered and rebuilt in the past century as the city was modernizing its road infrastructure. You can get a better sense of how large in scale these arches are when you stand next to them.
The Roman aqueduct was really interesting to see. It was rebuilt in medieval times to continue to bring water into the town center. Today it is used as a pedestrian pathway and it includes access to houses with addresses on Aqueduct Way. Unbelievable!
As we continued to follow the ancient city walls, we came upon what we think is the largest gate in Perugia, the Arco Etrusco o di Augusto or the Augustan Arch. It was built in the 3rd century BC and restored by Caesar Augustus in 40 BC after his victory in the war of Perugia. Caesar's name, carved in the stone above the gate, can still be seen today.
By the Etruscan Arch we happened upon an abandoned area, the Porta del Sole, where an elderly man was gardening in the shadows of these arches. We learned these arches held the foundations of an earlier fortress built by a Cardinal in 1373 as proof of papal dominance over the town. The fortress was built on the highest hill and loomed large over the city for several years until the citizens of Perugia destroyed it in an uprising. We felt like Indiana Jones as we roamed around the area - we could see where construction of pathways and tunnels into the foundations of the wall had begun.
As we explored the city on our way back to the main square, we passed a small well that we learned has quite a history. We ended up spending an hour exploring this well. The Etruscan Well , often referred to as the Pozzo Sorbello (the name of the family whose palace it sits in front of), is in a small piazza. You can see the top of the well as it sits on the square just like it has for centuries and, if you like, you can venture inside the well,.
The Etruscans built the well in the 3rd century BC, probably as a defense against sieges by their enemies. The well is about 36 meters deep – the top 16 meters are 5.5 meters wide before it narrows in width to 3 meters. We toured the well, gaining access through a tunnel that has been in place since medieval times.
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