Italian Culture and History :
Perugia
With its Etruscan walls, a gorgeous Medieval center, Perugia is not only a city for the gluttonous (re: chocolate), but for artists and art lovers alike.
This splendid capital of the Region of Umbria is also a culture capital par excellence, and the seat of two important universites: UniversitàdegliStudi, founded in 1308, and the University for Foreigners, the foremost in Italy.More well-known, though, is old Perugia, surrounded by two perimeter walls. The exterior of the two, from the Medieval Age, remains intact over an expanse of a few kilometers, and along it one encounters several different entrances or portals, including the Cassero di PortaSant’Angelo.
The interior wall is the Etruscan perimeter (the Etruscans built seven different portals through which to enter), characterized by the large masses used in its construction. Nevertheless, not many monuments dating back to this ancient epoch actually remain, and most of the older urban core that is still extant harks back to the Middle Ages.
The interior wall is the Etruscan perimeter (the Etruscans built seven different portals through which to enter), characterized by the large masses used in its construction. Nevertheless, not many monuments dating back to this ancient epoch actually remain, and most of the older urban core that is still extant harks back to the Middle Ages.
The historic center, in fact, is a certified 14th-Century borgo, and one of the prettiest in Italy.
Entering from the Porta San Pietro, one will find the Gothic Basilica of San Domenico, on the inside of which are statues and works by esteemed local artists – among these the wooden choir stalls stand out.
In the architectural complex of San Domenico, the cloisters and the convent host the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria.
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