Current Time in Perugia, Italy

Perugia is the capital of Umbria, the landlocked region in the center of the Italian peninsula often called the Green Heart of Italy. Situated on a high hilltop overlooking the Tiber Valley at an elevation of around 450 meters, with a population of approximately 165,000, Perugia is the largest city in Umbria and one of the most important medieval and Renaissance cities in central Italy. Known for its extraordinary Etruscan and medieval heritage, its prestigious universities, its annual chocolate festival, and its vibrant cultural scene, Perugia is a city of character, beauty, and genuine intellectual life.

Perugia's origins are Etruscan: it was one of the twelve main cities of the Etruscan League, and Etruscan remains are visible throughout the city, most impressively in the Arco di Augusto — the massive city gate with its Etruscan base surmounted by Roman and Renaissance additions — and in the Etruscan Well (Pozzo Etrusco), a third-century BC cistern of impressive size discovered beneath the medieval city. Under Roman rule the city became an important municipium, then fell into long centuries of medieval turbulence under various overlords, including the papal states, various powerful local families, and eventually direct papal control from the sixteenth century onward.

The historic center of Perugia, clustered around the central Piazza IV Novembre, is one of the finest ensembles of medieval and Gothic architecture in Italy. The piazza is dominated by the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, whose unfinished Gothic exterior belies the important art treasures within, including the famous Perugino altarpiece and the reliquary of the Virgin's wedding ring — an object that pilgrims came from across Europe to venerate. The Fontana Maggiore, a magnificent two-basin marble fountain designed by Fra Bevignate and carved by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano in 1277–1278, is one of the great masterpieces of Italian medieval sculpture, its bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the Old Testament, the months of the year, and classical subjects in a richly allegorical program.

The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, housed in the Palazzo dei Priori — one of the most impressive Gothic civic palaces in Italy — contains the finest collection of Umbrian painting from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries, including major works by Duccio, Gentile da Fabriano, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, and Perugino — Pietro Vannucci, known as il Perugino, who was born nearby and whose serene, harmoniously composed altarpieces represent the summit of Umbrian Renaissance painting. Perugino was also the teacher of Raphael, who spent several formative years in Perugia and left a significant Deposition in the city.

The Università degli Studi di Perugia, founded in 1308, is one of Italy's oldest universities. The Università per Stranieri di Perugia, founded in 1925, is Italy's oldest university dedicated to teaching the Italian language and culture to international students, and it draws thousands of students from around the world each year who come specifically to learn Italian in the country's center. This international academic presence gives Perugia a cosmopolitan character unusual for a city of its size in central Italy.

Perugia is internationally famous for Eurochocolate, held each October — one of the world's largest chocolate festivals, drawing over a million visitors to the city for ten days of exhibitions, tastings, demonstrations, and spectacular chocolate sculptures. Perugina, the chocolate company founded in Perugia in 1907 and famous for its Baci chocolates (chocolate kisses with hazelnuts and love notes), remains one of Italy's best-known confectionery brands. Perugia is also an important center for jazz, hosting the celebrated Umbria Jazz festival each July, which is one of Europe's leading jazz events.

Perugia is connected by rail to Florence, Rome, and Assisi, and is served by the San Francesco d'Assisi Airport with connections to several Italian and European cities. The city's medieval streets, monumental Piazza Maggiore, extraordinary art gallery, and lively university culture combine to make it one of the most rewarding and most underrated cities in central Italy.