Walking Tour of Perugia’s Old Centre

Perugia is the provincial capital of Umbria; it is an ancient Etruscan centre and a modern day University seat of learning. Like many towns in the mountainous, wooded province it is situated on top of a hill, stemming from the historic need to locate your towns in an easily defensible position. Today this means that wherever you walk around the town you are greeted by spectacular views across the Umbrian landscape.

Arriving in Perugia
If you are not already staying in the centre, it can be a nightmare for drivers so your best bet is to park outside town at Ponte San Giovanni railway station and take the local train into the centre.

Day Tour of the Old Town Centre (3 hours)
The best place to start your walk is from the old subterranean street at the top of the escalators at St Anna Railway Station. These are 400 yards away on the left and make reaching the dizzy heights of the centre easier (look out for the scala mobile signs).

The subterranean street and Porto Marzo make for an interesting exploration, while you still have the energy on this hilly tour. When you exit back into the light you will be alongside Piazza Italia and on Corso Vannucci. The Gardino Carducci is on the left and from this point you can see gorgeous views of the distant Apennines, Mount Subassio and Assisi. Follow the busy Corso Vannucci, full of designer clothes shops and stores with tasty Umbrian foodstuffs until you reach the large IV November Piazza at the other end. This is where you will find the main galleries packed with Renaissance art and sculpture:

• Collegio del Cambio
• Sala Del Collegio di Mercanzia
• Sala dei Notori
• National Gallery of Umbria
• Fontana Maggiore, 700 year old fountain
• Duomo di San Lorenzo

Passing the Duomo on the right you will reach the Etruscan Well, a massive underground construction that kept the city supplied with water. Then take a pleasant wander around the little alleyways of the northern sector, visiting the Raphael painting in the San Severo Church.

These narrow streets eventually lead you to Piazza Scotti and more wonderful views of the city across the valley. Take the steep steps down into Piazza Braccio Fortebraccio and the impressive Etruscan Arch and Universita per Stranieri. Here join the curving Via Cesare Battisti, which takes you back into the old centre and looks down on the old aqueduct.

At this point you walk along Via Stella onto the main Via dei Priori, here you can walk down the hill once more to the Etruscan Porto Trasimeno and Oratorio di San Bernardino or return back onto Corso Vannucci and a well earned drink before heading back to the car park.