SATURDAY
Morning
High on a hilltop, the landlocked capital of Umbria is a picturesque layer cake of Etruscan, medieval and belle époque architecture, perfectly preserved within two crumbling miles of ancient walls. It also makes really good chocolate. Summer here is gloriously green — thanks to all the rain that falls here in spring — so it’s the perfect time to visit.
Spend your Saturday morning in the ancient world, buried beneath the city. Take the steps down from the south side of the elegant Piazza Italia to access an extraordinary complex of submerged medieval streets that wind past Etruscan ruins from the 5th century BC, the star of which is the soaring arch of Porta Marzia. It’s the perfect visual explanation of the city’s complex history (free; umbriasotterranea.it).
Come up for air at Sandri, a tiny frescoed bar on buzzy Corso Vannucci that’s been serving top-notch coffee and cake to the Perugini since 1860 (espresso £1; sandridal1860.it). Then take a stroll along the medieval main street to the three-tier Fontana Maggiore, on Piazza IV Novembre. Designed in 1277 to hold water from the city’s hi-tech aqueduct, the fountain was really an elaborate moral storybook for the peasantry, with bas-relief scenes from the Old Testament, Aesop’s Fables and the zodiac, sculpted by father and son Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. The mini-beast waterspouts are an added delight.
Afternoon
Break for lunch at Bottega del Vino, a first-floor jazz bar overlooking Piazza IV Novembre, with an excellent selection of Umbrian wines and a small but perfectly formed menu. Highlights include sweet-and-sour sardines and mackerel tagliatelle (mains from £7.50; Via del Sole 1; 00 39 075 571 6181).
Spend the rest of the afternoon in the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, on the top floor of the Palazzo dei Priori. You’ll explore the rest of this civic masterpiece tomorrow — for now, give yourself over to one of central Italy’s greatest galleries. The gilded glories of Fra’Angelico, Piero della Francesca and Pinturicchio are mere foreplay; the real genius here is Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino. In his luminous Madonna della Consolazione, you get hints of the techniques that blossomed in his student Raphael (£7; gallerianazionaleumbria.it).
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About time for ice cream. Nobody does it better than Gambrinus, two minutes down the street. Opt for a mix of Bronte pistachio and Piedmont hazelnut, and eat it on the steps of San Lorenzo Cathedral (from £2; gelateriagambrinus.it).
Evening
The Perugini take their passeggiata very seriously: use it as an opportunity to pop into the vast bulk of the aforementioned 14th-century cathedral, for Barocci’s heartbreaking painting of the Deposition, along with the city’s foremost relic, a reproduction of the Virgin’s wedding ring. (The “real” one, stolen by Perugia from nearby Chiusi, only comes out once a year.)
Then amble along Corso Vannucci for handmade chocolate at Sweet Sweet Way (Corso Vannucci 3); up-and-coming womenswear designers at Viapinella (Via Calderini 9); and exquisite glass jewellery at Blueside (Via Oberdan 41).
Dinner is at Ristorante del Sole, a chic glass box perched precariously on the city walls, looking out across the hills to Assisi — try to get there in time for sunset. The menu has an unexpected emphasis on seafood. Try fried calamari tails followed by grilled octopus (mains from £9; ristorantesole.com).
End the night drinking with the city’s youth in Il Bistrot, on Piazza Matteotti; the vibe is chilled and the negronis spot-on (cocktails from £7; ilbistrotperugia.it).
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SUNDAY
Morning
You’re going for another walk, but where Saturday’s was deep underground, today you’ll be pounding the steep medieval streets at the top of town for a full-frontal flash of Perugia’s seductive charms.
Start at tiny Piazza Rossi Scotti, just north of San Lorenzo; the view across the rooftops to the green hills beyond is an Instagram dream. Then it’s down the staircase to the Arco Etrusco, one of the seven great Etruscan gates that punctuate the city walls. From here, an up-and-down wiggle takes you to Agostino Duccio’s Oratory of San Bernardino, whose marble facade is the craziest bit of sculpture you’ll see all weekend.
Climb back up to Corso Vannucci and Piazza IV Novembre, stopping for a chocolate break at Turan. This pretty cafe — with more frescoes — is new, but already it’s producing some of the best chocs in Perugia. The truffles are divine (chocolate selection from £5; turancafe.it).
There’s just time before lunch to explore the ground floor of the Palazzo dei Priori, built from 1293 to rival Venice’s first Doge’s Palace. The wall-to-wall frescoes in the Collegio del Cambio are Perugino’s true masterpiece, while the chapel of San Giovanni Battista is the work of another of his star pupils, Giannicola di Paolo (£4; collegiodelcambio.it).
Afternoon
Head down the great staircase of Via Sant’Ercolano for lunch at L’Officina, south of the city centre: it’s a 19th-century workshop turned industrial-style dining room, lined with funky modern art and a stash of more than 450 different wines. Go for the set menu: it’s exceptional value for rich tomato bruschetta and pasta alla norma (tomato, aubergine and ricotta), accompanied by a glass of local trebbiano (two courses with wine £10; Borgo XX Giugno 56; 00 39 075 572 1699).
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You’re already halfway to the city’s first cathedral, the 10th-century Basilica of San Pietro. On the way, stick your head through the gates of the Basilica of San Domenico, home to the most important archaeological museum in Umbria. Its cloistered gardens contain an elaborate set of 2nd-century BC Etruscan cinerary urns (gardens free; perugiacittamuseo.it).
San Pietro is the loveliest of Perugia’s churches. Inside, no surface is left unpimped: fresco, gilding, marble, intarsia, plus works by Perugino and Vasari, will have you marvelling at the glory of the Lord, which is precisely the point. And until October 1, Sassoferrato’s Immaculate Conception is back home, on loan from the Louvre, in a show that also includes works by Perugino and Tintoretto (£6; fondazioneagraria.it).
Evening
Your last supper may be the best yet: La Taverna is a vaulted dining room off Corso Vannucci. Chef Claudio Brugalossi’s focus is on Umbrian classics made with organic ingredients. Try the onion tarte tatin, followed by salt cold with pine nuts and prunes (mains from £10; ristorantelataverna.com).
GETTING THERE
Ryanair flies to Perugia from Stansted six times a week; return fares start at £36.
WHERE TO STAY
The Sina Brufani, built in 1884, is the only five-star in town, with fabulous views of the valley, huge rooms and a glass-bottomed pool that has views over the Etruscan ruins below (doubles from £121, B&B; sinahotels.com).
Or try the charming Le Stanze di Galileo apartments (doubles from £50, B&B; lestanzedigalileo.com).
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PACKAGE
Mia Aimaro Ogden was a guest of Kirker, which has three nights at the Sina Brufani from £538pp, B&B, including flights from Stansted, private transfers and a concierge service (020 7593 2283, kirkerholidays.com).
