Shopping, Parking & Getting Around

Perugian chocolate is world-famous, particularly in the form of “Il Bacio Perugina,” the so-called “Perugia kiss.” The chocolates were invented in 1922 after a shortage of dark chocolate inspired Luisa Spagnoli to add hazelnuts to make her chocolate go further. The rest is history for the Perugina brand. 

Eurochocolate, the ten-day October chocolate festival, also makes Perugia a delicious place for all chocolate-lovers. 
Web: www.eurochocolate.com

Perugina is a world-famous brand so consider munching it in its homeland, visiting the chocolate factory or even indulging in a chocolate-making workshop. The factory might remind you of the film, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. The tour ends in a bridge walk to the factory floor where white-coated workers (conceivably Oompa Loompas?) create Perugia’s top concoctions.
Chocolate tour: book ahead for the 90-minute guided tour (in Italian or English, times vary).
Chocolate-making experiences: book online. For a foretaste, see:
https://www.baciperugina.com/us/en/perugina-school-of-chocolate-514

Address: Via San Sisto 207, 06132 San Sisto, Perugia
Web: www.perugina.com

Tartufi Bianconi specialise in tasty, home-made truffle products that can be booked in person or online. Typical pasta sauces are the white truffle sauce and the pesto with black truffle sauce. If pre-booked you can also take part in a truffle-hunting experience on their farm, accompanied by a truffle hound and its master. The experience can end with a simple truffle meal made in their farmhouse.

Address: Tartufi Bianconi, 06012 Citta di Castello, Perugia
Web: https://tartufibianconi.it/

The art of glassmaking is alive and well in Perugia, in front of the Rocca Paolina fortress. Here you can visit the traditional Moretti-Caselli workshop-cum-museum where they have been painting glass since 1859. The star pieces are the portraits, which seem more like oil paintings but which exude a luminosity and brilliance that transcend a canvas.

Address: Studio Moretti-Caselli, via Fatebenefratelli, Perugia
Web: www.studiomoretticaselli.it

Parking in Perugia can be a challenge. Like many Italian cities, Perugia operates a ZTL system, a strict Limited Traffic Zone scheme whereby non-residents are discouraged (or banned from) driving in the city centre, except at specific times or along specific routes. Even if Perugia’s system is currently being fine-tuned, with new regulations being brought in, it’s simplest not to try to drive in the “Centro Storico,” (“the Historic Centre”), which is mostly out of bounds to drivers who are non-residents.

ZTL: The Historic Centre ZTL is considered to be the area bounded by the following access roads: via Masi, via Campo Battaglia, via Battisti, via della Sposa, via Appia, and via San Sebastiano.

Car parks: Among the most central and convenient car parks are Piazza Partigiani and the Mercato Coperto. Charges are per hour but there’s also a free car park at Piazzale della Cupa.
Car parks listing: http://turismo.comune.perugia.it/pagine/parking

For more on the ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) see:
(in English): http://turismo.comune.perugia.it/pagine/limited-traffic-zone

Umbria has recovered as well as world-class art cities can ever do from the devastating 1997 earthquake that witnessed the collapse of part of the famed Basilica in Assisi.  In 2016, the region was again struck by a severe earthquake but, with classic Italian resilience, virtually everything is now back to normal beyond the earthquake epicentre in Norcia, which is still bouncing back.

Getting there:
By air: Conveniently, reliable, direct buses run from Rome Fiumicino airport (via central Rome) to Perugia and Assisi (www.sulga.it). Perugia’s San Francesco d’Assisi airport is a handy entry point to Perugia and Umbria in general, and serves a number of low-cost European airlines.

By car: from the north, hop on the A1 motorway, leave at the Valdichiana exit, then take the lakeside route to Perugia, bordering Lake Trasimeno. From the south, take the A1 motorway, leaving at the Orte exit before following signs to Perugia.

By train: Perugia is on the Milan to Rome line. A fast, new train service now connects Milan and Perugia, with the journey time cut to three hours on a trial basis.  On arrival, bear in mind that it’s a steep climb from Perugia's train station so take the bus to Piazza Italia.