Perugia Things to Do

The Church of San Filipo Neri is the most important and the only authentic Baroque building in the town.
The Vignola-styled facade dates back to 1665 and was designed by Roman architect Paolo Morucelli, while the church itself was built tetween 1627 and 1634.
With its barrel vaulted single nave and lateral chapels, the interior is richly decorated with frescoes of a variety of painters who worked on them between the 17th and the 18th century.
"The Immaculate Conception" above the main altar is by Pietro da Cortona, and was painted in 1662.

San Bernardino da Siena stayed in Perugia five times during the first half of the 15th century. The Saint influenced greatly the life of the town and this fact is proved by the reform of the statutes - STATUTA BERNARDINIANA - and by the spread of the devotion to Jesus Christ's name, testified by three letters IHS, inscribed on many architraves.

The grandiose fortress built by the will of Paolo III Farnese in record time between 1540 and 1543, occupied the area of the heavily populated medieval quarter where the houses of the Bglioni family stood.
It was erected under the guidanceof the archirect Antonio da Sangallo il Gionave, through a system of spurs and casemats for its five levels with an additional smaller fortress downhill, called the Tenaglia.
The massive structure continued to be a symbol of dominance over the people of Perugia for more than three hundred years.
Immediately following the formation of the Kingdom of Italy the Perugians destroyed it to celebrate their liberation from the much hated Papal regime.
All that is left of the building is the retaining walls of one of the spurs, where in area a number of large roomsnow used for various purposes.

Piazza Metteoti, originally known as Piazza del Sopramuro, was built in the second half of the 13th century over a very steep area just outside the old Etruscan walls.
The square is supported by walls built against the cliffside, from which is original name derived (Sopramuro translates as above the wall).
The works were directed by Fra Bevigna, also responsable for supervising the works on Piazza Grande (Piazza IV Novembre) and its fountain.
Used as a market place, the square had an open view over the valley bellow until the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and the adjacent Universita Vecchia closed it during the 15th century and gave it its current appearance.
Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo is rare combination of Medieval and Renaissance architecture.
Erected between 1472 and 1481 by the Lombard architects Gasparino di Antonio and Leone di Matteo.
The Palace has a doorway similar in style to the Palazzo dei Priori, while its twin-windoes are trimmed with Renaissance wreaths. The half moon above the doorway contains a statue representing Justice.

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At the beginning of the street, which is situated a foot of Piazza IV Novembre, there are still remains of a vaulting that supported a hall of the medieval Palazzo della Podesta, destroyed by fire in 1534.
Red and white striped arch is all that remains of the Gothic portico of the 14th century Maesta delle Volte Oratory. This was replaced by a Renaissance whose 1590 facade is still in place.
Now a religious westment shop, the interior is decorated with a fresco of the Madonna dated at around 1330.

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In front of the building is an elegant porticoed courtyard, which one enters by means of a 17th century loggia. The building is dominated by a beautiful bell tower, which has an elevated spire and is exquisitely decorated by mullioned windows with two lights situated above a series of large jutting corbels, which resemble a cornice. The bell tower was designed by Rossellino and completed by Giovanni di Betto and Puccio di Paolo in the 15th century.
The interior of the basilica is divided into a nave and two aisles by 18 Roman columns from the original church. The church, built in the 10th century on the site of the ancient cathedral, has a lacunar ceiling over the nave by Benedetto di Montepulciano. There are ten large canvases by Aliense, depicting Scenes from the Old and new Testament decorating the nave.
In the sacristy are works by Perugino, Caravaggio, and Algardi. The Chapel of the Sacrament contains paintings by Vasari and "Pieta" by Perugino.

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The imposing Gothic construction from 14th century was rebuilt by Carlo Maderno in the first half of the 17th century. On either side of the bare facade are buttreses which continue around to the sides of the church. An elegant late 16th century portal and a double flight of steps decorate the facade.
The enormous stark interior of the church contains side chapels. The fourth chapel on the right is a part of the original building and contains an altar frontal by Antonio di Antonio di Duccio.The transept chapels contain many votive frescoes. Works of art include an 18th century organ, the Tomb of Elisabetta Cantucci - carved by Algardi, the Tomb of Danti family, the splendid tomb of Pope Benedict XI, the work of pupil of Arnolfo di Cambio.
The apse is lit by a large window, 23 meters in hight, beautifully decorated by Fra' Bartolomeo di Pietro and Mariotto di Nardo.

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Next to the Basilica of St. Domenic stands the Cloister, in two orders of loggias, it is practicaly annexed to the basilica.
In the background stands the mighty campanile of the Basilica of St. Domenic.
Nowadays the cloister houses Archeological Museum of Umbria and it is absolutely a must see when visiting Perugia.