{"id":871,"date":"2021-08-12T04:20:10","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T04:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/?p=871"},"modified":"2021-08-12T04:20:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T04:20:10","slug":"city-of-arts-perugia-in-the-heart-of-umbria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/2021\/08\/12\/city-of-arts-perugia-in-the-heart-of-umbria\/","title":{"rendered":"City of arts Perugia in the heart of Umbria"},"content":{"rendered":"

The heart of Umbria harbours a very special city. Perugia, both capital of the region and of the eponymous province, can look back on a long history that goes back as far as the Early Iron Age. And this very history becomes palpable between the hilly historic centre and the newer, flat buildings. It is filled with ups and downs, like the landscape surrounding it, and leads to monumental churches and spectacular museums through narrow alleyways. Furthermore, the city of arts Perugia is home to massive festivals and events known far beyond Umbria. Find out what you absolutely have to see and experience in Perugia!<\/p>\n

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Perugia from the Iron Age to the Papal States<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to find Perugia\u2019s roots we need to travel back in time rather substantially; to the 9th<\/sup> and 8th<\/sup> century BC, to be precise, when the Villanova culture established their first settlements on the city grounds during the Early Iron Age. Contrary to legend, Perugia does not have Greek roots. It was likely founded by the Umbri before becoming Etruscan. Perusna, as it was known then, was one of the twelve confederate cities of Etruria. It became Roman in the Third Samnite War in 295 BC, gained civil liberties after the Social War of 91 to 88 BC, and was burnt to the ground after the Perusine War. Even though Augustus had the city, now called Augustus Perusia, rebuilt, it never managed to retain its former glory.<\/p>\n

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The end of the Western Roman Empire saw many rulers, including Ostrogoths, Lombards and Byzantine. Perugia eventually received its modern name during the Middle Ages. It finally managed to cut ties with the Roman emperor in 1198, was protected by Pope Innocence III and ruled by Guelf merchants. Perugia was the only Umbrian trade centre that, at the time, managed to gain a level of power and influence similar to that of the era\u2019s large city states in Tuscany. All of this ended in 1540 when Pope Paul III put the Papal States into power after the so-called \u201cSalt War\u201d (the Perugini refused to accept a new salt tax). A massive fortress on Colle Landone reflected the new dominance, old districts on the foothill were buried, academia almost came to a standstill. Things stayed like that despite brief interludes and several uprisings until its incorporation into the newly founded Republic of Italy in 1860.<\/p>\n

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Perugia\u2019s churches<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"San

\u00a9Bigstock.com\/Lenor<\/p><\/div>\n

Perugia\u2019s highly eventful history left its mark on the cityscape. You will find most of the sights in the mountainous historic centre including a mass of churches. And they saw quite a few changes over the course of the centuries:<\/p>\n

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  • Cathedral:<\/strong> Cattedrale di San Lorenzo is a latecomer. It was only completed in 1490 showcasing an unusually Gothic character during the Renaissance period. The raw external walls might have remained unfinished, yet the Cathedral gained a number of portals, annexes and even a campanile over the following centuries. The inside of the hall church, however, is caught somewhere between Late Renaissance and early baroque, highlights being Federico Barocci\u2019s astonishing \u201cDeposition from the Cross\u201d, and the Holy Ring in a gilded tabernacle.<\/li>\n
  • Tempio di San Michele Arcangelo:<\/strong> Very few buildings survived the times as well as this early Christian church from the 5th<\/sup> or 6th<\/sup> Partially demolished and used as a military fortress, a number of restoration attempts in more recent times unearthed the old pillar structure and several frescoes.<\/li>\n
  • San Domenico:<\/strong> The Dominicans turned the bestowal of a small parish church into a colossal, three-nave hall church. However, it had to be fully rebuilt other than the Gothic exterior walls and the Renaissance cloister due to a structural collapse of the central nave in 1614. You will discover one of the largest Gothic windows ever in the slightly elevated choir.<\/li>\n
  • San Pietro:<\/strong> The first structures on this site might date back to the 10th<\/sup> century, but the current building was only established around 1600 as part of a Benedictine monastery. The longhouse structure carries early Christian features, the pillars evoke the memory of a pagan temple, while the choir with its Gothic and Late Renaissance endowment pulls off a stunning Venetian style.<\/li>\n
  • Oratory of San Bernardino:<\/strong> You\u2019re probably wondering why we\u2019re introducing you to a small chapel when there are so many churches to discover. Well, the Franciscan oratory outright wows with its incredibly ornamental, elaborate fa\u00e7ade relief. The bright depictions on the temple-like marble fa\u00e7ade simply need to be seen. Inside, the early Christian sarcophagus of the beatified Giles of Assisi, a companion of Saint Francis, serves as an altar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Museums and secular buildings<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Fontana

    \u00a9Bigstock.com\/Artem Bolshakov<\/p><\/div>\n

    Sure, Perugia\u2019s churches alone are genuinely spectacular, but the city of arts has so much more to offer. Time to take a look at a few more sights dedicated to the city\u2019s fascinating history.<\/p>\n