The regional capital, Perugia is an ancient city located in the central-northern area of Umbria. Its historic center rises on high hills overlooking the right bank of the Tiber River. Of Etruscan origin, it later became a prosperous Roman municipality known as Augusta Perusia.
Perugia boasts an immense artistic and cultural heritage, the result of its glorious past. In every corner and in the city’s squares, one can admire monuments that bear witness to centuries of history, art, and culture. These include the Etruscan Arch, or Arch of Augustus, a monumental gate of the ancient Etruscan city walls later restored in Roman times; the Etruscan Well; and Porta Marzia, the second monumental Etruscan gate, incorporated into theocca Paolina, a fortress commissioned by Pope Paul III in 1540.
Overlooking Piazza IV Novembre, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, are the Palazzo dei Priori—an elegant Gothic building housing the National Gallery of Umbria, which preserves masterpieces of Italian art from the Middle Ages to the 18th century by artists such as Piero della Francesca, Benozzo Gozzoli, Beato Angelico, Pinturicchio, and Perugino. Also noteworthy are the Sala dei Notari; the Collegio del Cambio, the former seat of the money changers’ guild, featuring Perugino’s renowned fresco cycle; the Chapel of St. John the Baptist with 16th-century frescoes; the Collegio della Mercanzia; the Cathedral of San Lorenzo with the adjoining Chapter Museum; and the magnificent 13th-century Fontana Maggiore by Fra Bevignate da Perugia, adorned with bas-reliefs by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
