Perugia

Day 1: Arrival

As we slung on our backpacks and left our apartment in Rome, we couldn't help but feel a little sad. We were doubtlessly going to miss both the city that enthralled us and the day-to-day excitement that had beckoned from behind the door. We were also slightly apprehensive about the journey ahead - we had booked tickets with a budget bus company, Flixbus, which we had previously used when traveling through France. With this service, it is fair to say that you get what you pay for. The buses are often overheated, the drivers are often irritable, and the pick-up and drop-off points are sometimes in the middle of nowhere. 

Luckily, our bus was going to pick us up from a key station in Rome, just a 30-min walk from our apartment. Unluckily, the bus was very late. Having arrived at the station half an hour early and kept a keen eye on the departures board, we were shocked when our bus disappeared from the board altogether with no trace of ever having arrived. In the end, though, there was nothing to fear, as the bus eventually trundled into the station and we had no hassle in climbing aboard.

The bus ride itself was extremely pleasant. The bus was less than a quarter full, blissfully air-conditioned, and it had large windows for viewing the Umbrian countryside that we rolled through. The landscape really was spectacular, with little hilltop towns overlooking vineyards and rolling hills. When we arrived at Perugia, we realised that it was very much a hilltop town itself. The bus lurched up precariously steep and narrow roads, trembled around hairpin turns, and eventually limped up to a station that looked over the broad valleys below. 

After climbing a little way down the hill we found our way to our room for the next 3 nights. It is in an area of fairly new apartment blocks with balconies and red bricks - not quite the quaint aspects that Perugia is known for, but a nice and quiet place to stay. Our room is one of two rentals in the home of a large Spanish-speaking family. It soon proved that our difficulties in understanding Italian were transformed into impossibilities with the addition of a Spanish accent, but we eventually worked out how to enter the room and use the WiFi. 

We spent an uneventful afternoon unpacking, washing clothes, and FaceTiming our parents. We didn't venture out into the town until around 5pm, and we were still wearing our clothes from traveling. Having crawled up the steep hill to the base of Perugia's Old Town, we jumped for joy at the sight of a gelato shop. After two chunky ice creams, mine chocolate and pistachio and Max's chocolate chip, we felt revived enough to walk the rest of the way into the town. 

The Pretty Streets

All it took was one flight of stairs to transport us to another world. The beautiful Medieval streets of the centre were filled with people, and it transpired that we had caught the tail-end of the Jazz festival. There were musicians performing all over the place - in the park we listened to rock and roll, then there was folky jazz outside a bakery, opera outside the restaurants, and even country music by a crepe stall. The music lent romance to what was already a gorgeous scene, with the evening sun tinting the stone streets to a shade of honey. 

Pink Floyd in the Park

Admittedly, things were not all perfect, as we felt uncomfortably underdressed: my Asda dress and Max's shorts-and-t-shirt did not quite match with the swathes of Gucci bags and tailored suits surrounding us. However, once we had settled in, it actually added to the fun to see so many Italians gathered here for a night of luxury, and the busy chatter of the streets managed to surpass that which we had seen during some evenings in Rome.

The best thing about the evening was definitely the view. When we crossed the road from the town square, we stumbled across an indescribably breathtaking view over the countryside. The whole of Perugia below us was bathed in a pink glow, and we could see miles of winding vineyards and farmland, right up to the mountains in the distance.  

Amazing Views

 

We had arrived in Perugia with fairly low expectations, and the area around our apartment had confirmed them. Here, however, was a completely different side of Perugia, and this one looked like an illustration straight out of a fairytale.

Day 2: 

After a decent lie-in, we woke up to light streaming through the large windows in our room. It was a nice way to start a morning of errands: I found my calling as a washerwoman, spending suspicious amounts of time in the bathroom scrubbing away at sweaty socks, and we also made a trip to Lidl to pick up snacks and breakfast foods. 

 

During the early afternoon, we headed over to one of Perugia's churches and sat in the park outside. At this height, there was a cool breeze, and the rows of trees and bushes provided plenty of shade. Here, we sat and read for a long time, with cheap-as-chips Lidl pizzas to sustain us. We also took a walk around the surrounding streets. They seemed much quieter and less upmarket than those we had visited last night, with lots of small cafes selling coffee and cornetti, but none selling glittering clothes or jewelry. It was very quaint and very beautiful.

The Church Tower

That evening we spent some time wandering through the main streets, taking in the spectacular views of the countryside and the streets themselves, before eventually settling down to eat at a crepe shop. So far as budget travelers our diet has been predominated by pizza and pasta, so it was nice to try out a different type of carb. After this, with Max still hungry, we ventured back up to the viewpoint in search of gelato. Instead, we ended up in a pizza shop, and the owner's lack of change but oodles of generosity meant that Max walked out with a free slice of cheesy pizza. We sat on a bench overlooking the Umbrian landscape as the sun set behind us. 

Day 3: 

Today was another lazy one: with few must-see attractions in Perugia, we've been enjoying the chance to get some proper rest and take things at a slower pace before speeding up again in Florence. In the morning, we walked up the steep slope to the city centre and explored the shopping areas. There is a constant, pleasant buzz of activity in Perugia: there is always a busker somewhere along the street, there are always busy restaurants spilling out into the road, and there is always a good number of locals getting on with their daily shopping. 

As with many Italian cities, some of the key tourist spots here are the churches. We popped into the central one and were (as usual) struck by the detail - this church also had beautiful stained glass windows, something which those in Rome had lacked. 

The central church + Fountains

We carried on weaving our way through the town, letting our feet take us where they fancied, and we ended up on a road on the outskirts of the centre. Here, it was clear why Umbria is so favoured for road trips: the road spiraled past a row of blue-shuttered buildings, and on the other side was a view of the tiled rooftops of the houses below. 

The Houses Below

The Winding Roads

Eventually, we found ourselves outside Perugia's University and another church. Here, we sheltered from the heat for a while, enjoying the background music of cicadas. 

Having wandered back through the centre, we sought out the pizza shop which had given us a free slice yesterday. We ordered 3 pieces but again seemed to come away with a steal, as it cost a euro less than the displayed prices suggested. We ate while overlooking the stunning views which still thrill us every time. 

For dinner, we used the Fork to find us another local gem with a discount. Tonight, it took us to Il Baldo, a very cheap local restaurant which specialises in pasta and local dishes. Although very quiet, the restaurant still had a lovely ambiance, with fairy lights and friendly waiters giving us a great experience. Max ordered the local specialty as a starter - a prosciutto torta al testo, otherwise known as a baked flatbread stuffed with the best local butchery - and we had ravioli and tortellini for mains. This pasta was absolutely delicious, with yummy homemade sauces, and it made a nice change from the pizza that has predominated our diets.

Il Baldo

With one last look at the view, we headed home for the night and packed for our journey to Florence. All in all, our stay in Perugia has well surpassed our expectations, and we are glad to have experienced one of the quaint countryside towns that this region is famous for.  

An Unforgettable View