Last minute Perugia: The War of the Salt

In the historical memory of the citizens of Perugia a particularly event is graven in indelible way: the War of the Salt. It was an event from the enormous symbolic course that modified the popular habits, mentality and of the historical urban setting.

The story begun when in 1540 the pope Paolo III imposed to the citizens of perugia to purchase the salt from the pontificates salty, at double price in comparison to the cost of the preceding supplies. The justification of such disbursement was that the papal troops, busy in the struggles against the heretics, the Lutherans and the Turks, needed maintenance that had to be guaranteed at every cost. For the city of Perugia, the economic repercussions that looked out upon it, if had accepted such imposition, would have been serious. Please notice that, to the epoch, the salt was not only a necessary seasoning, but also a precious tool for preserving the food for a longer time.

Initially the citizens of Perugia, to not undergo the hateful blackmail, responded trying to limit the consumption of the salt avoiding even to use it in the preparation of the bread. Still today it is very diffused in the territory the use of the ''filone sciapo'', a quality of bread prepared without the addition of the salt.

Contemporarily the authorities of Perugia started negotiations with the Pontifical State, trying to make to recede the pope from its intentions.  Any attempt to come to a solution by pacific way, it didn't bring to any result. So they arrived to the direct clash.  The 5^th June 1540, the city lost every type of control on the territory, event symbolically represented by the entry in Perugia of Pierluigi Farnese.

To guardianship of the pontifical control on the city of Perugia it came so made to erect the Rocca Paolina, whose planning was submitted to Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane. For its construction were dispossessed and flatten a big number of residences, among which numerous buildings were of ownership of the powerful family Baglioni.  

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