Perugia

Perugia, is located in the center of the Umbria region in central Italy, approximately 2 hours north of Rome,  It is a city that was built by the Etruscans more than two thousand years ago and pre-dates the Roman times.  It is here that one finds one of Italy's most important archaeological museums the Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell'Umbria, and one of the most important squares in the whole of Italy, Piazza Grande

Perugia has quite a large population of about 140,000 and sits on a 500 meter (that's about 1600 feet) high hill overlooking a vast expanse of rolling and very beautiful Umbrian countryside, including the Val d'Umbria on its east side.

Visitors to Perugia still enter the city via one of the seven gateways, two of which have the status of monuments: Porta d'Augusto and Porta San Pietro. A city full of historic sites: the Palazzo dell'Università Vecchia, Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, the Cathedral, the Fontana Maggiore, the St Francis Complex, the Oratorio of St Bernardino.

Not to be missed is the fortress which encircles the oldest part of the city, a medieval Pompei, brought to light thanks to a series of excavations. The events held in Perugia are of International importance, such as Eurochocolate, event dedicated to chocolate with 9 days of open air tastings, and Umbria Jazz, one of the most famous Jazz festivals in the whole of Europe.