Perugia

Perugia is built in layers: an Etruscan arch of the third century BC still carries traffic, and under the Rocca Paolina, the fortress Paul III built in 1540 after crushing a revolt over the salt tax, lies an entire medieval quarter that was buried rather than demolished, its streets, doorways and houses now walked through on escalators rising from the lower town. The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria holds Perugino and Piero della Francesca. Perugina chocolate was founded here in 1907 and the Baci sweet with it. Umbria Jazz fills the centre each July.

What you actually see

• The buried quarter - medieval streets inside the Rocca Paolina, entered by escalator.
• The Etruscan arch - a third-century BC gate still in use.
• The Fontana Maggiore - a carved thirteenth-century fountain in the main square.
• The national gallery - Perugino, Pinturicchio and Piero della Francesca.

When to go

April to June and September to October; Umbria Jazz runs in July and Eurochocolate in October, both filling the city. Summer heat on the hill is heavy.

Honest expectations

The centre is high above the station and reached by escalators and a minimetro; driving in is restricted. Festival weeks are crowded and expensive.

Nearby

Assisi lies east; Lake Trasimeno is west.