Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
designs, the fountain was completed in 1278 by famous sculptors Nicola and Giovanni
Pisano. Bas-relief statues grace the polygonal basin, representing scenes from the Old
Testament, the founding of Rome, the seven 'liberal arts', the signs of the zodiac, and a
griffin and lion. The griffin is the symbol of Perugia and the lion that of the Guelphs, the
Middle Ages faction that favoured rule by the papacy over rule by the Holy Roman Em-
pire.
Museo Archeologico
MUSEUM
Nazionale dell'Umbria
(Piazza Giordano Bruno 10; adult/reduced €4/2; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, 10am-7.30pm Mon)
The
convent adjoining the Chiesa di San Domenico is home to a superior collection of
Etruscan and prehistoric artefacts - carved funerary urns, coins and Bronze Age statuary -
dating as far back as the 16th century BC. The
Cippo Perugino
(Perugian Memorial
Stone) has the longest Etruscan-language engraving ever found, offering a rare window
into this obscure culture.
Casa del Cioccolato Perugina
( 075 527 67 96;
www.perugina.it
;
Van San Sisto 207, Loc San Sisto; adult/reduced €5/4; 9am-noon
& 2-4pm Mon-Fri ; )
To visit the Wonka-esque world of Perugian chocolate, call ahead to
latch onto a 1¼-hour guided tour (in Italian or English, times vary). After visiting the mu-
seum, you'll wend your way through an enclosed sky bridge, watching as the white-outfit-
ted Oompa Loompas - er, factory workers - go about their chocolate-creating business.
Check the website for the calendar of three- to four-hour chocolate-making workshops.
Held at 10am and 3.30pm on Saturdays, they cost between €55 and €65. Drive through
the gates of the humorously nondescript factory entrance marked Nestlé, or take the bus to
San Sisto.
MUSEUM
Chiesa di San Pietro
(Borgo XX Giugno 74; 8am-noon & 3-6pm)
South of the town centre, past the Porta di San
Pietro, this 10th-century church's interior is an incredible mix of gilt and marble, and con-
tains a
Pietà
(a painting of the dead Christ supported by the Madonna) by Perugino. For a
glimpse into gardens past, take a stroll or picnic at the serene
Orto Medievale
(Borgo XX Gi-
ugno 74; admission free;
CHURCH
8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
gardens, behind the church.
