Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia, Italy | Image credit: Piero M. Bianchi/Getty Images
The capital of Umbria — the central Italian region known as Italy’s “green heart” — Perugia is one of the country’s best-preserved medieval cities. Established by the Etruscans (a pre-Roman civilisation), Perugia became one of Europe’s most important centres for textile production during the Middle Ages, exporting their embroidered textiles to the royal courts of Europe. That all changed in the 1500s when the Perugians rebelled against the pope’s tax on salt. As punishment, the pope forbade the city’s citizens from selling their textiles, plunging them into poverty.
“We were relegated to oblivion from the 1500s until Italian unification,” explains Marta Cucchia, who runs the Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti, a textile workshop founded by her great-grandmother about a century ago. “The city has its medieval walls intact because we didn’t have the Baroque or any other kind of development. We were frozen in 1540 and remained that way until the unification of Italy. Now we have a completely authentic medieval city, so now it’s an advantage.”
The other thing Perugia is famous for? Chocolate. Perugina Baci are the most famous chocolates produced here, but the city is full of chocolate shops and artisan makers. Yet despite its charms, it remains off the beaten path.
“I find that it’s not well known, which in a way is good because there’s no mass tourism. It’s remained authentic,” says Cucchia, who I met on my first trip to Perugia. During my most recent visit, I returned to the atelier to get her local tips. Read on for the best hotels and resorts, the best things to do, where to shop, where to eat, and when to go to this enchanting destination, which I consider one of the best cities to visit in Italy.
Perugia, Italy
Borgo dei Conti gives you a taste of the bucolic Umbrian countryside just 30 minutes outside the city.
Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti keeps the tradition of weaving textiles on antique looms alive.
Augusta Perusia sells a wide selection of artisanal chocolates.
Osteria a Priori serves traditional Umbrian dishes in an informal setting.
Punto di Vista is a local favourite spot for aperitivo with panoramic views stretching all the way to Assisi.
Best hotels & resorts
Sina Brufani
The city’s grand dame was established in 1884 and staying there feels like stepping into a time capsule. The rooms and suites are replete with antiques and oil paintings, and Collins’ Restaurant serves traditional Umbrian dishes in a formal, wood-panelled room with a telephone booth outside it. The indoor pool has a glass floor that reveals Etruscan ruins underneath.
Book your stay at Sina Brufani via Booking.com
Book your stay at Sina Brufani via Agoda.com
Borgo dei Conti
Guest room in Borgo dei Conti | Image credit: Relais & Chateaux
Located in the countryside about 30 minutes from Perugia, this Relais & Châteaux hotel has just emerged from a sensitive renovation. Originally built in the 19th century as a private villa, it has two restaurants, a fabulous spa, an outdoor pool and cinema, and a 50-acre park that guests can explore on foot or by bicycle. Some rooms have wood-beamed ceilings, while others feature original frescoes.
Book your stay at Borgo Dei Conti Resort Relais & Chateaux via Booking.com
Book your stay at Borgo dei Conti via Agoda.com
Castello di Reschio
Occupying a thousand-year-old castle on a massive 3,700-acre estate in the countryside about 45 minutes from Perugia, this luxury hotel is owned — and was designed by — a count. Much of the furniture is bespoke and created specifically to blend in with the antiques sourced from markets around Italy. The subterranean spa is a highlight.
Book your stay at Castello di Reschio via Tripadvisor.In
Vocabolo Moscatelli
A member of Design Hotels about 45 minutes from Perugia, this intimate boutique hotel set inside a 12th-century monastery combines contemporary art and sleek, modern furnishings created by local makers with original stone walls. The restaurant serves creative cuisine that brings global flavours to this very traditional area while sourcing ingredients as locally as possible, including vegetables grown in the on-site garden.
Book your stay at Vocabolo Moscatelli via Booking.com
Book your stay at Vocabolo Moscatelli via Agoda.com
Best things to do
Admire medieval art at the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria
“The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria has a special place in my heart because there are original medieval tablecloths from the 14th and 15th centuries,” says Cucchia, explaining that this museum inside the historic Palazzo dei Priori is a treasure trove of medieval art. “In my opinion, it’s a must-visit spot to understand the history of the city.”
See how Umbrian textiles are made at the Museo Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti
Giuditta Brozzetti founded this atelier inside a deconsecrated church in the 1920s in order to help local women earn a living by weaving textiles. Today, thanks to Cucchia’s dedication, it’s one of the last remaining ateliers using antique looms to weave traditional Umbrian textiles. Make an appointment for a guided tour with Cucchia or one of the weavers who work with her to learn how they’re keeping this tradition alive and buy or commission one of her pieces.
Learn about stained glass at the Studio Moretti Caselli
Studio Moretti Caselli in Perugia, Italy | Image credit: Laura Itzkowitz/Travel + Leisure
Established in the 19th century by Francesco Moretti, this family-run workshop has created stained-glass windows for churches, private homes, and other places over the course of its history. “Inside it has one of the most beautiful works in Umbria, in my opinion. It’s a life-size stained glass window that depicts Queen Margherita,” says Cucchia. “Every time I go there, I stand in front of it for half an hour contemplating this incredible thing.” Now a museum/workshop, it’s open by appointment.
Get lost in the narrow lanes around Piazza IV Novembre
“On Sunday afternoons, when I can, I wander around the narrow lanes and discover incredible things,” says Cucchia, explaining that it’s one of her favourite things to do in Perugia. “Three years ago, I discovered an area where there was a terracotta factory in the early 1900s and there was the house of the owners with a whole collection of terracotta. Even after 50 years, I still discover new things.”
Best shopping
Materia Ceramica
Artisan Maria Antonietta Taticchi paints all the ceramics by hand in this little shop on Via dei Priori. Having studied ceramics in Deruta (a nearby town famous for pottery), she creates one-of-a-kind plates, bowls, lamps, and other objects depicting the Umbrian countryside and villages.
Cioccolateria Gelateria Augusta Perusia
Left: Chocolates from Augusto Perusia; Right: Interior of Pasticceria Sandri | Image credit: Laura Itzkowitz/Travel + Leisure
This artisanal chocolate shop makes a wide variety of pralines, truffles, and chocolate bars. You can sit and have a gelato or a cup of thick, rich hot chocolate in the shop, then fill a box with an assortment of delicious chocolates to take home with you.
Best nightlife
Priori Secret Garden
Cathedral of San Lorenzo at night | Image credit: Gary Yeowell/Getty Images
Many of the city’s bars cater to Perugia’s large student population, but this rooftop bar atop the four-star hotel of the same name is a great place to go for an aperitivo or after-dinner drink. According to Cucchia, the hotel “has been nicely renovated with vintage furniture.”
Punto di Vista
When the weather is good, this casual bar is one of the city’s top spots for an aperitivo with a view. Cucchia loves this bar for its “marvellous view of the plains leading to Assisi.”
Best restaurants
Osteria a Priori
“Osteria a Priori has always distinguished itself with its emphasis on slow food. They only use local products, like beans from the lake and lentils from Casteluccio” Cucchia says. “When I have visitors, I bring them there because I know we’ll eat well.”
Ristorante Il Giurista
Interior of Ristorante Il Giurista in Perugia, Italy | Image credit: Laura Itzkowitz/Travel + Leisure
Tucked away on a narrow street just off Piazza IV Novembre, this cosy restaurant with vaulted brick ceilings serves authentic Umbrian dishes like prosciutto from Norcia and umbricelli pasta with wild boar ragu. There’s a whole section of the menu dedicated to black truffles, which pair well with a nice Sagrantino di Montefalco, a full-bodied red wine produced nearby.
Bottega del Vino
“Aside from the location, which is great because it’s near the cathedral with a nice window that looks out onto Piazza IV Novembre, they have great cuisine — very fresh, though a bit less Umbrian than Osteria a Priori. It’s an enoteca so there are rivers of wine and also live music,” Cucchia raves, calling this wine bar/restaurant her favourite place for an evening out.
Pasticceria Sandri
Opened in 1860, this historic pasticceria is run by the fifth generation of the Schucani family. The long, narrow café with frescoed ceilings, Art Nouveau counters, and chandeliers has cases of pastries and artisanal chocolates as well as sandwiches and other savoury items. Grab a seat outside or at the back of the shop, have an espresso and a pastry standing at the bar, or buy some chocolate to bring home.
Best time to visit
Aqueduct of Perugia, Italy | Image credit: Christiana Stawski/Getty Images
“Usually September is a beautiful time of year, but if you don’t mind the cold, my favourite month is November because the air is fresh and the sunsets are incredible, with orange contrasting against the black contours of the trees,” says Cucchia.
In terms of events, the big ones you might want to plan a trip around are the Umbria Jazz Festival, which takes place in Perugia every July, and the EuroChocolate Festival, which happens in the fall.
How to get there
Street in Perugia, Italy | Image credit: Laura Itzkowitz/Travel + Leisure
San Francesco d’Assisi Airport is the closest airport, but it’s mostly served by short-haul flights from elsewhere in Europe. If you’re coming from the US, it would make more sense to fly to Rome or Florence and then take the train or rent a car and drive to Perugia (expect the journey to take two to three hours).
How to get around
The historic centre of Perugia is very compact and walkable, but it’s built on a hill so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk up and down steep roads and stairs. Much of the historic centre is a limited traffic zone, so if you rent a car you’ll have to park it outside the old city walls.
Minimetrò and Buses: The Minimetrò connects the historic centre to the Academy of Fine Arts, shopping centres, and the stadium. Tickets cost EUR 1.50 (THB 54) and are valid for 70 minutes on the minimetrò and buses.
Taxi: Radio Taxi Perugia is the city’s taxi company. From San Francesco d’Assisi Airport to the historic centre, there’s a fixed rate of EUR 35 (THB 1,270) (plus possible surcharges for luggage), but usually fares are calculated based on time and distance travelled. Download the itTaxi app or call +39.075.5004888 to hail a taxi.
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All currency conversions were done at the time of writing
(Feature Image Credit: Piero M. Bianchi/Getty Images)
This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com
Related: The Most Beautiful Places To Visit In Italy
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The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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Written By
Laura Itzkowitz