Last minute The Historical Centre of Perugia

The Historical Centre of Perugia

Perugia is still one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and still preserve unchanged its medieval atmosphere, being nearly intact also after the exceptional development that has suffered in last century. Its centre is one of the jewels of the Italian art history, boasting a conspicuous number of buildings and monuments that embellish the urban fabric making of it an unique city in its kind.

The Fontana Maggiore
Realised between 1275 and the 1278 based on the direction of Fra' Bevignate, is made by brothers Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, two maximum exponents of the Gothic sculpture of the period. It's constituted from two polygonal tubs in white and rose stone overlapped and surmounted from a third bronze tub above which three nymphs are holding an amphora from which water comes out.

The inferior tub is composed by twenty-five tiles and fifty bas-reliefs set at the centre and to the sides of the tiles. The smaller superior tub, has twelve sides and twenty-four whole figures. The bas-reliefs and the tiles too, constitute a symbolic load a lot of complex, not for what concerns reading the single elements, but in the reading of the whole together. There are represented the Prophets of the ancient Will, Saints, Apostles, Martyrs of the faith, Euliste, founder of Perugia, Rome, Augusta Perusia. Other images represent the months of the year, the arts, the works, hunting's scenes, agricultural jobs, biblical episodes and the zodiac.  

Palazzo dei Priori   
It's one of the most representative buildings of the Italian Gothic architecture, realised between the XIII and XV century. It introduces itself as an enormous parallelepiped refined by a suggestive order of mullioned windows that fully extends on the length's side of the building, continuing up to the secondary entrance. The main entracne leans out on Corso Vannucci, and directly introduces to the National Gallery of Umbria. You can enter into the second portal through a stairway that departs from Piazza IV Novembre, crossing which you arrive in the prestigious Sala dei Notari, a rectangular vaulted environment with paintings of the XIII century. Above of the portal are been inserted two bronze sculptures, real masterpieces of the medieval art realised by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1281, representing a snout and a lion.

The Duomo of San Lorenzo
It's situated on the opposite side of the Piazza IV Novembre, in front of the short side of Palazzo dei Priori. The main entrance is preceded by an ample stairway, sided by a high arcade. A second incomplete entrance opens on the right side and leans out on Piazza Dante.

The building was realised beginning from 1300, when basing on project of Frà Bevignate a pre-existing construction of the X century was widened. The new building was realised only at the beginning of 1345, and finished in the XV century.

The inside has three aisles and has notable interesting motives. The Chapel of San Bernardino is embellished by a beautiful "Deposition from the Cross", work of Federico Barocci of the XVI century, while in the apse there's a splendid wooden choir of Giuliano da Maiano and Domenico Tasso.

It's also possible to admire a work of Orazio Alfani and the "Madonna of the Graces", realised by a student of the Perugino.

Immediately after the entrance, on the right, there is the Andrea Baglioni Funeral Monument bishop of Perugia died in 1451.

The Rocca Paolina
Symbol of the ancient pontifical dominion, the Rocca Paolina has been the great military fortitude of the city, made erected in 1540 by pope Paolo III Farnese, above the populous medieval district, based on a plan of Antonio Sangallo il Giovane.

With its ample restored inside spaces, the Rocca today is an important centre of artistic and social life of the city. You can enter through a system of mobile staircases realised in the years '80s.

The Etruscan   Arc
It's one of the six city doors, the only one that haven't suffered substantial changes or remaking. It shows with all of its monumental character, revolt to the northern part of the city that looks toward Gubbio.  

Its construction is dated back to the III century B.C. and is constituted from two side towers of trapezoidal form built with big blocks of travertine placed dry. The façade is constituted by a single arcade, above which it is possible to read the writing AUGUSTA PERUSIA, added in Roman epoch, in the I century B.C., after the seizure of the city from August.  

The San Domenico Church   
In the panorama of the historical centre of Perugia, leaning out from one of its various terraces, it comes to the sight the complex of the San Domenico Church. This marvellous building, that surround the low houses of Via Cavour with all its massive structure, was one of the first ones to be realised during the preaching of Domenico di Guzman. The church and the convent, rose in fact beginning from 1234, few years after his death, wanted by the preaching monks that were recently established in Perugia.  

The project was perhaps realised by Giovanni Pisano and its construction lasted around one century and a half. The building repeats the motives of the best Italian Gothic style. Very suggestive is the apparent contrast among the heavy structure, especially in the façade, and the slender bell tower. The inside has three aisles, while in the apse finds place a splendid window, one of the amplest at world, with its twenty-three meters high and eight of width.