One of the typical small shops that line the streets

That we are staying in Eastern Tuscany and not in Umbria is an aberration of the map or a land grab since our part of Tuscany pokes into Umbria rather like a branch of a tree. As a consequence there are several major towns and cities in Umbria, which are much closer to us than others in greater Tuscany. One of these cities is Perugia, which is only 40 minutes away from our house, whereas it would take two hours to dive to Florence.

Like Arezzo, Perugia was one of the 12 confederate Etruscan cities and is now the capital of the region of the same name and greater Umbria. Perugia originated as a large walled city, very much as it Is today sitting atop of hill with panoramic views in every direction. Over the years, the city has expanded below the hill with a population of around 134,000. Because of the topography, the walled city is more elongated than round and from some vantage points the on the wall, one can see the walls following the contours of hill. There are 5 gates (or portas), which also define the city’s five suburbs.

Through the centuries, Perugia has been ruled, conquered, pillaged and ‘liberated’ by the Romans, the Papacy, various Italian titled families, the French, the Germans and was then liberated by the British 8^th Army, hopefully for the last time, in July of 1944, but you never know…

The city has a famous university, which was founded in the 14^th century. Today, Perugia is a centre of art and culture and chocolate. Baci, which is reputedly the most popular chocolate in Italy is produced by Nestles’ largest Italian factory in a suburb of the city, while each year the city celebrates the Eurochocolate Festival in October. There is also an Umbrian Jazz festival in July.

On arrival, we enjoyed a typical Tuscan lunch, in the Piazza Mattiotti of toasts topped with tapinades, marinated tomatoes and mushrooms, cold cuts followed by a thick tubular pasta called paccheri with an eggplant cream sauce, and a hamburger. Suitably fuelled and armed with an excellent city guide leaflet, we took the Porta Santa Susanna circular tour of one part of the city, beginning and ending at the Piazza dei Priori and taking in numerous holy buildings and churches.

(Click on photos for larger images and correct aspect)