Umbria - Italy - page 189

GOING FOR AN EVENING PROMENADE The passeggiata along central
Corso Vanucci lets you see and be seen, culminating in a mass chill-out on the
steps of the Duomo in front of the impressive Maggiore Fountain.
VISITING THE NATIONAL GALLERY Perugia's famed museum has
recently been renovated to better show off its medieval and Renaissance art col-
lection, including a display of hometown hero Perugino's greatest works.
ENJOYING THE TOP MEALS At Trattoria Di Borgo, you'll savor a multi-
course Umbrian banquet in the backyard garden. At Osteria del Gambero, you'll
find an excellent menu with all manner of truffle dishes and seafood.
MEETING THE PEOPLE At Perugia's Umbrian Jazz Fest or at the city's
Eurochocolate Festival, you'll mingle with Perugians. At an AC Perugia soccer
match, you'll look on as the Perugians seek to regain their ancient glory through
sports.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PERUGIA
Perugia has been an Umbrian capital since Etruscan times (around 700 B . C .).
Roman legions conquered the city and its trade routes in 309 B . C . Hoping to
regain its former power, Perugia backed Mark Antony in his battles against soon-
to-be-emperor Octavian. Bad bet: Perugia was burned to the ground in 40 B . C .In
what came across as a kind of early urban-renewal project, Octavian, after he
became the Emperor Augustus, rebuilt the city and called it Augustus Perusia.
Many of the city's walls, Roman aqueducts, and even Etruscan foundations are
still visible in the city today.
Perugia didn't rise to eminence again until the early Middle Ages, when it
became a free commune, then a city-state astride the same trade routes it domi-
nated in Etruscan times. The mid-13th to late 14th century saw the construction
of most of its significant landmarks, including the Duomo, the Fontana
Maggiore, the central Palazzo, and the Guild Halls. Perugia added military con-
quests to its economic prowess, seizing land as far north as Siena in 1358.
Like Florence, Perugia coupled this time of economic, military, and artistic
achievement with a morally bereft ruling family, the Baglionis, who made the
Medicis look like altar boys. The Baglioni men married their sisters and murdered
their brothers. As they began to spend most of their time fighting each other and
other families in town, they fell prey to an outside invader. Pope Paul III's forces
entered the city in 1538, destroyed the Baglioni palaces, and built a fortress above
the rubble (the streets and houses that the Pope's forces buried can still be seen
today in tunnels beneath the city). When Paul III came to Perugia for his post-
conquest victory parade, he took a page out of the Baglioni playbook and forced
the nuns of the city to line up and kiss his feet.
Perugia remained subdued under papal control until citizens began to revolt
during the Italian Unification campaign of the 1860s. The Pope sent the quaint
Swiss Guard from the Vatican to Perugia, where they massacred citizens and
looted the town.
The 20th century has seen Perugia rise again to a position of economic and
cultural significance. A variety of important industries now surround the town,
and several major universities are active within it, including the Università per