Property for sale in Perugia

If you are looking for a property for sale in Perugia, please read the following area guide

Perugia Perugia is the regional capital of Umbria, it was once one of the great Italian city states but proximity to Rome meant that it was absorbed into the Papal States in the mid 1500’s. Papal rule did no favours for the town other than that the lack of investment and high taxes meant that today the city centre has very few new buildings. Today Perugia is famous for chocolate production and a lively jazz festival (Umbria Jazz) held in July. Its typical steep streets offer unexpected glimpses of ancient houses and the surrounding distant green hills.

When Pope Paul III sent his army into Perugia he ordered the building of a fortress (Rocca Paolina) over the houses of the ex-ruling family, the Baglioni. Instead of completely demolishing the houses, the Pope had their roofs removed and brick barrel vaults were built over the tops of the houses. The medieval streets and houses then became the store rooms to the enormous fortress built above. Upon the unification of Italy in the 1860’s, the Perugians tore down the hated symbol of oppression and new buildings were built on the site. This is why the buildings in Piazza Italia date back to this period. Today you can walk through the underground city and marvel at the huge barrel vaulted ceilings overhead. When an escalator system was built to bring pedestrians into the city centre, the underground city was incorporated into it. Thousands of people enter Perugia through the underground city every day.

The Palazzo dei Prioriis still the seat of local government today, this impressive medieval building is also home to the Galleria Nazionale dell' Umbria. The gallery is home to a fine collection of Renaissance and Medieval art. Highlights are altarpieces by Piero della Francesca and Beato Angelico as well as several paintings by Pietro Vannucci (Perugino). In a separate part of the building, don’t miss the frescos by Perugino in the Nobile Collegio del Cambio,the money changers’ guild.
The central piazza of Perugia is called Piazza IV Novembre. The Duomo (Cathedral) and Palazzo dei Prioriface each other across the square. The centre is dominated by the Fontana Maggiore, a beautifully carved medieval fountain.

The city’s main source of water in Etruscan times was the Etruscan Well, iit is an impressive piece of engineering. The true depth is unknown as the bottom has never been cleared of submerged debris. The chapel of San Severo has frescos started by Raphael as a young man. Raphael was a student of Perugino and you can see the influence of his teacher in his painting, this is the only documented work of his in Perugia but it is possible that he helped on the Nobile Collegio del Cambio frescoes. He was summoned to Rome by the Pope having completed only the top half of the painting. He died in his mid-thirties without returning to finish the fresco and a very old Perugino was asked to complete the work. The work on the bottom half is much poorer quality; Perugino was clearly in decline.The Etruscan Arch is on the northern entrance to the city, this is a truly impressive arch with large Etruscan stone blocks at the bottom, Roman stone work higher up and a Renaissance loggia on top. The Medieval Aquaduct,, now a walkway, used to bring water into the town to supply the fountain. The facade of the Oratorio di San Bernardino Bernardino is decorated with beautiful carvings showing scenes from the life of San Bernardino, a popular Sienese preacher.

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