Day 8: Perugia

26th May: Perugia on a Sunday

Green spaces and secret corners

After a slowish start we used the Perugia app to plot a route taking in a southern part of the city. We headed through a series of steps, lanes and a modern elevator.

A cycle race was taking place. 

Reaching a park we followed a section of Etruscan wall. This is a civilisation I had hardly heard of covering the era 900 to around 27BC. The thick walls were of travertine marble blocks at the base and layers of medieval stone are above. It is amazing these walls have stood for so long. 

We wandered into the district of Porta San Pietro visiting a labyrinth of streets, which was once an area once specialising in arts and crafts.

 I liked the knitted decorations on the trees. 

During a visit to Frontone gardens Neil explained the history of Italy before unification which began in the middle of the 19th century but was not complete until 1920. 

Statue commemorating the uprising of 1859 against Papal control.

Could almost be a Welsh dragon

As a bonus Jill also got to learn about the origins of the term ‘fascism’. 

Taking a break for gelato we noticed young families socialising in a pavement bar. We had commented earlier that ‘Sunday best’ for church is still common place here.