A travel guide once called Perugia ‘the most complicated place in Italy to find one’s bearings’, perhaps due to the fact that this hilltop town lies on three (challenging) hills. The Perugini have a knack for adapting to changing circumstances, so in the same way they dropped salt from their bread when the pope put a tax on salt, they adapted the remains of their mediaeval fortress into a tunnel and put an escalator through it, one of a couple which link lower parts of the city to the centre.

The area surrounding Perugia is home to some impressive castles, testimony to its turbulent history – though today the focus is more on leisure then evoking history, with many turned into high-end hotels and others into splendid private estates. Among Umbria aficionados is George Lucas, who reportedly bought a castle not far from Perugia.

View other sub regions of Umbria: 

Gubbio

Lake Trasimeno

Niccone Valley

Todi