RELAIS DELL'OLMO

Perugia, the great "Arce Guelfa", is located in the center of the region, with the 5 historical districts enclosed by the Etruscan walls. The huge bastions, made of square boulders and framed 22 centuries ago, are still visible for long stretches. When the city of Rome was little more than a camp for huts, in Etruscan Perugia there were 7 doors, including particularly impressive, the Pulchra or Augusto Gate. Entering the city of Perugia from Porta San Pietro, rebuilt outside by Agostino di Duccio in 1475, the Basilica of San Domenico meets right. In the cloisters and in the nearby convent, the important National Archaeological Museum of Umbria was ordered. Then you reach Piazza del Sopramuro, where the fifteenth-century palace of the Old University, aligned with the Palace of the Captain of the People, is aligned. Continuing after a short climb, one of the important squares of Italy opens: the Piazza Grande in Perugia (Piazza IV Novembre), dominated in the center by the Fontana Maggiore dating back to the 200's. In the square, opens the superb monumental complex that beyond at the fountain, it also includes the Cathedral and the splendid Palace of Priors. At the far end of Corso Vannucci there is a famous garden-lookout tower that was created above the base of the Rocca Paolina, the fortress erected by Pope Paul III in 1540. This basement encloses, as under a huge bell, a whole neighborhood of the old city, a dead city, a kind of Medieval Pompeii that has been brought to light and whose visit is extremely fascinating. The climbs and stairs of Perugia are usually steep, both those dating to the more remote ages and those drawn in recent times. For example, the ramp of Via delle Prome, starting from the Arch of Augustus, leads to the highest point of the city, where stood the fortress of Porta Sole erected in the fourteenth century by the Gattapone and later destroyed with the fury of the people. Even the most fleeting visit to this art center of history and culture should not neglect the complex of San Francesco, and the Oratory of San Bernardino: a masterpiece by Agostino di Duccio, which covers the façade of bas-reliefs of enchanting grace and finesse of modeling, he made a small poem of Renaissance sculpture. Among the most important events that are organized in the city, the Umbria Jazz music festival deserves a special note, which each year attracts important names from the national and international music scene. Moreover, the famous gastronomic event of Eurochocolate, held in October, is entirely dedicated to the universe of cocoa and chocolate. Finally, in Perugia, the main place for children, is Città della Domenica, the first amusement park in Italy. !