Umbria - Italy - page 197

games are played at the 28,000-capacity Curi stadium south of the city center.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketone.it.
A DAY TRIP FROM PERUGIA: IN SEARCH OF CERAMICS
If you've been admiring the colorful ceramics in Italy, hold off on making any
purchases and make a special side trip to Deruta (20 km/13 miles south of Perugia
by car; you can also take a € 3 30-min. bus ride from Perugia). Since the 12th cen-
tury it has served as a center for the creation of glazed terra cotta. Today there are
over 300 ceramic manufacturers in town whose bowls, plates, ladles, and other
goods are shaped and glazed here and then shipped to all parts of Italy (in fact, it's
a pretty good bet that that bowl you admired in Venice, Milan, or Rome was actu-
ally created here). Consequently, you'll find a greater variety in Deruta than any-
where else in Italy, at a much lower cost. You can simply walk from store to store
along the Via Tiberina, or go to one of the big players, like the family of Ubaldo
Grazia (Via Tiberna, 16; % 075-9710201), which sells both traditional Deruta
patterns (with the dragon motif, a design popular since the Renaissance) as well
as quirkier contemporary offerings.
NIGHTLIFE
With its large university population and a world-famous jazz festival, Perugia has
the critical mass to support a lively entertainment scene of pubs, discos, and live
music venues for people of all tastes. Check out www.perugiabynight.com for a
good listing of current entertainment options.
The Contrapunto Jazz Club

(Via Scortici, 4; % 075-5733667) not only fea-
tures regular live entertainment but also boasts an outstanding view of the coun-
tryside north of Perugia. The terraced patios are a good place to grab a beer at the
end of a day, or to gather with friends to hear some music. The club is located
across Piazza Fortebraccio and around the corner from the Foreigner's University,
so it attracts an international crowd.
If you're just looking for a beer, check out one of Perugia's Irish pubs: Rob Roy
(Via Fabretti, 95; % 075-5724682), Shamrock Pub (Piazza Danti, 18; % 075-
5736625), or Sullivan's Pub (Via Bovaro, 2; % 075-5720207). Rob Roy is often
jammed with students (especially during happy hours), because the university is
just around the corner.
Kadinsky's Pub (Via dal Pozzo, 22; % 075-5728130) is a more sophisticated
scene, with local art showings, parties, and music events. It has some good drink
specials, and you can order pub grub from its always open kitchen. Kadinsky's is
usually open 9pm to 2am.

5

ORVIETO
To the average traveler, Orvieto is a wine. To the connoisseur of art, it's the site of
a great painting: Signorelli's Last Judgment. An almost perfectly preserved
medieval hilltop town, Orvieto contains more than enough attractions to merit
the status of “must see” on even the most hurried tour of Umbria.
Signorelli's soaring fresco (seen on the walls and ceiling of the city's Duomo)
has something of the up-and-down quality of Orvieto itself. In it, you witness the
turbulent life of people on earth, accompanied by the rise of some (to heaven) and
the descent of others (to hell).