Perugia - Walk II
From Piazza Danti to Arco Etrusco and around the Etruscan Walls |
View of Monte Sole on the right and a
much-reduced Colle Landone on the left
The forum of the Etruscan city (now Piazza IV Novembre)
was in the hollow between these two hills
This walk follows the line of the walls of Etruscan Perugia, which were probably begun in the 4th century BC, although they seem to have been substantially rebuilt when the city passed under Roman control after the Battle of Sentinum (295 BC). The circuit stretched for some 3 km around Colle Landone in the south and Monte Sole in the north. Each of these hills was later to be the site of a papal fortress that made use of the Etruscan foundations while destroying large sections of the walls:
Fortezza di Porta Sole (1373) on Monte Sole; and
Rocca Paolina (1540) on Colle Landone (which was much-reduced in height during the demolition that preceded its construction).
Nevertheless, just over 1 km of the original circuit is still easily visible, along with the remains of five Etruscan city gates.
Before beginning the tour of these remains, visit Pozzo Etrusca, the entrance to which is at number 18 Piazza Danti.
Pozzo Etrusco (3rd century BC) This well, which is fed by underground springs, was the main water
tank of the Etruscan city. Its rim was then at street level, but it is
now some way underground. The construction of the stone cladding is
similar to that of the Etruscan walls, suggesting that both belong to
the same era. Excavations in 1965 revealed that the stone-clad cylinder is at least 37 meters deep. The diameter starts at about 6 meters, reducing by a half after some 12 meters. |
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| Courtesy of the Soprintendenza |
Cross Piazza Danti diagonally and leave it by Via Ulisse Rocchi, which follows the line of part of the Cardus Maximus of the ancient city. This thoroughfare retained its importance until 1378, when what is now Via Bartolo was built to the right of it, on the line of the moat that had run along the western side of Fortezza di Porta Sole. It was re-named as Via Vecchia at this point, and was renamed again in the early 20th century in honour of Ulisse Rocchi (died 1903), the first mayor of Perugia after the city joined the Kingdom of Italy.
The evocative Casa Coppoli (13th century) is at number 16 on the left. It is now a (very good) Enoteca. Ask for the lights to be turned on to see the Etruscan remains that are under a transparent panel in the dining area behind the shop; these seem to have been part of the fortification of this important urban artery.
The street then widens, with Piazza Ansidei on the left. The piazza was so-named in 1871 in honour of the family whose palace, Palazzo Ansidei di Montemarte, dominates it (at number 4). It was originally called Piazza San Donato, a reference to the ex-church of San Donato at number 29-31 Via Ulisse Rocchi (just ahead, on the right), a building now occupied by a pizzeria.
Palazzo Ansidei di Montemarte (16th - 18th centuries)The inscription on the facade records that Count Reginaldo Ansidei died here, having devoted his whole life to Perugia. He became the city’s second mayor in 1861 and remained in this capacity for 16 years. |
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San Donato (1776)This church was built on the site of an earlier one that was documented in the 13th century. It was de-consecrated in the early 20th century, when it took several days to remove the bodies that had been buried under the pavement and to transport them with due dignity by horse-drawn carriage to the cemetery (see detour II to Walk VI). |
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Take a detour by turning right under the arch on the right at number 35. The steps lead up to a small piazza that housed the largest Jewish community in Perugia until 1569, when the city’s Jews were expelled. Cross the piazza diagonally and follow Via Pozzo Campana round to the left to rejoin Via Ulisse Rocchi. An inscription on the right as you emerge from Via Pozzo Campana records the existence of the ghetto and its two synagogues.
The building to the left of it, at the junction with Via Ulisse Rocchi, is Palazzo Brutti.
Palazzo Brutti (17th century)This palace incorporates part of the Etruscan wall to the right of Arco Etrusco (see below).
The palace now houses the Soprintendenza per i Beni Ambientali, Architettonici, Archeologici, Artistici e Storici dell’ Umbria. |
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Turn right along Via Ulisse Rocchi, with the side wall of Palazzo Brutti on your right, to Arco Etrusco.
From Arco Etrusco to Porta Trasimena
Walk through Arco Etrusco into Piazza Braccio Fortebracci (see Walk V)
and turn immediately left along Via Battisti, which offers a panoramic view of Rione di Porta Sant’ Angelo on the right.
This road was built in 1902-6 and re-named in 1916 in honour of Cesare Battisti, a Socialist who was executed by the Austrians in that year. [He had been taken prisoner whilst fighting for the Italians, and since he was an Austrian citizen, he was hanged as a traitor.] There is a fine bust and inscription on the wall on the right.
The buildings on the left were built above a long and well-preserved stretch of the Etruscan walls.
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| View back along Via Battisti, with the Etruscan wall on the right and Palazzo Gallenga Stuart ahead | Monument to Cesare Battisti |
Ahead of you, as the road curves to the right, is a view of the back of the houses in Via Vezaro (see below), which stand on foundations supplied by the the walls.
As the road crosses the aqueduct, look to the left to see Arco di Via Appia (described in Walk III), which marks the point at which the medieval aqueduct penetrated the Etruscan walls. The line of the walls then swings to the right so that the road crosses it. At the end of the railings on the right , you can get a closer view of the buildings in Via Verzaro illustrated above. A small gate known as Postierla della Conca, which is under the balcony of the house nearest you, probably provided pedestrian access to a track that followed broadly the line of the later aqueduct.
Continue into Piazza Cavallotti. The original name of the piazza was Piazza degli Aratri (of the ploughs), a reference to the market for agricultural equipment that was held here in the Middle Ages. The church of Santa Maria degli Aratri once stood to the right, between Piazza Cavallotti and Piazza Morlacchi (see below).
Santa Maria degli Aratri (10th century)A church here with this dedication was documented in 1105, when it belonged to the Abbazia di S. Salvatore di Valdicastro (near Fabriano in the Marche). It was recorded again in a diploma of the Emperor Frederick I in 1163 as a possession of the Duomo. It was listed as a parish church in 1285. In 1488, during the war between the Oddi and Baglioni families, members of the former took refuge here. This prompted the Baglioni to set fire to the church, killing a number of people, including a priest. The church was subsequently rebuilt, and having fallen once more into ruin, was restored in the 19th century. However, it was demolished in 1874, at which time its facade and campanile were transferred to San Matteo in Campo d’ Orto (see Walk III). Remains of the original church can be seen incorporated into the right wall of the palace (now 2 - 8 Piazza Morlacchi). |
The other points of interest in the piazza are:
Palazzo Bonucci Baldeschi on the left, at the junction with Via Baldeschi;
the rear of the Palazzo delle Canoniche in front of you; and
the entrance to the archeological area in the pavement in front of the Palazzo delle Canoniche, to the right.
Turn left into Piazza Morlacchi and take a short detour to look at it. This piazza was named in honour of the Perugian composer Francesco Morlacchi in 1874. Palazzo Manzoni is on the right, with the Teatro Morlacchi beyond it.
Palazzo Manzoni (1701)A long inscription across the first floor windows records that Gregorio Aureli built this huge palace. It passed to the Alfani family in the early 19th century and to the Ansidei family soon after. Count Vincenzo Ansidei was almost certainly responsible for the main portal, which is flanked by two ancient columns that might have come from Sant’ Angelo. He made similar modifications to Palazzo Ansidei in Piazza d' Italia - see Walk VII). The palace subsequently passed to the Manzoni family, before becoming part of the University of Perugia in 1961. |
Teatro Morlacchi (1780)The theatre on this site, which was originally called Teatro del Verzaro, was built on the site of an ancient nunnery. It was intended for a middle class audience,unlike the Teatro Pavone (see Walk VII), which catered for nobles. Francesco Morlacchi's opera “Le Danaidi” was performed here in 1816, six years after its premier in Rome. The theatre was remodelled in 1874 by Guglielmo Calderini and renamed (like the piazza in which it stands) in honour of Francesco Morlacchi. For more information, see the website of the Comune di Perugia. |
Retrace your steps and turn left (just before Piazza Cavallotti) into Via Verzaro. (The term “Verzaro”, which was applied to this area from at least the early middle ages, seems to mean “verdant”). There is a well-preserved tower house (14th century) at number 3 on the right. Ahead, at the turn in the road, is the lovely church of San Martino del Verzaro.
San Martino del Verzaro (11th century)The church was first documented in a diploma of the Emperor Frederick I in 1163 as a possession of the Duomo. In fact, at that time, the Duomo shared rights to the church with the Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo, Chiaserna (near Gubbio), which in turn belonged to the Monastero di Fonte Avellana. The abbot of Sant' Angelo transferred his rights over the church to the nuns of Santa Giuliana in 1257, and they transfered them to the Duomo in the following year. It was listed a parish church in 1285. The church now houses the Centro Ecumenico e Universitario di San Martino . It is usually closed, which is a pity because there are apparently some interesting frescoes inside, including a fresco (16th century) of the Madonna and Child with SS Lawrence and John [the Baptist?] that is attributed to Giannicola di Paolo. |
As noted above, this church and the buildings beyond stand on the stretch of walls that you just saw from Via Cesare Battisti. Follow Via Verzaro to the end.
Continue into Largo Ermini, which is named for Giuseppe Ermini, the rector of the University of Perugia in the period 1945-76. There is a lovely view over Rione di Porta Sant’ Angelo from the viewing point on the right. Palazzo Danzetta Florenzi is in front of you.
Palazzo Danzetta Florenzi (17th century)Marianna Florenzi Waddington bought this palace in ca. 1840 from the
Danzetta family and moved here about ten years later after her marriage
to the Englishman, Evelyn Waddington, leaving her palace in what is now
Via Baglioni (see Walk IV)
to her son. She spent the rest of her life here, dying in 1870.
During this time, she continued here correspondence with Prince Ludwig
of Bavaria and welcomed many other intellectuals to her salon. The palace now belongs to the University of Perugia. |
Turn left and then right (ie walk along the left of Palazzo Danzetta Florenzi) into Via Armonica and then left into Via del Poggio. There is a magnificent view of the façade of San Francesco al Prato from the top of the steps that lead down to Via delle Siepe. From here, you can see a stretch of the Etruscan wall behind you and on the left as the steps descend.
Other tracts survive further along Via del Poggio:
in the garden of number 20; and
under the house at number 10, seen from the brick parapet between numbers 8 and 10.
Turn left at the end into Via San Francesco and walk passed the churches of San Luca and the Madonna della Luce. Turn right into Via dei Priori and down the steps to Porta Trasimena.
From Porta Trasimena to Arco della Mandorla
Walk through Porta Trasimena and look back to see the line of the wall, which now follows Via della Sposa. However, before turning into it, take a detour along Via Piscinello. According to tradition, a river of blood ran down this hill in 1482 from what is now Piazza IV Novembre after a ferocious battle between the Baglioni and the Oddi. You will see the Fontanella del Piscinello on the right, at the bottom of the hill, against the wall of a lovely vineyard, with the side of the Oratorio di San Bernardino and the convent of San Francesco al Prato (both visited in Walk III) behind .
Fontanella del Piscinello (13th century)This fountain was first documented in 1279. The inscription prohibits people from polluting it with rubbish or washing their clothes here. |
Retrace your steps and turn right into Via della Sposa. The walls run through the orchards that you can see up the side streets on the left. On the right, just before you reach Porta Santa Susanna in the medieval walls, you will see the church of Sant’ Andrea on the right.
A short detour to the ex-nunnery of Santa Maria Colomata begins here.If you are skipping the detour, cross Via della Sposa and continue along Via Tornetta, with the line of the walls above. Immediately on the right is the secularised church and convent of Santa Chiara.
Santa Chiara (1552)This might have been the site of Santa Mustiola, which was demolished in 1537. A community of Capuchin nuns settled here in 1552, and built the church and convent. The relief on the lintel of the ex-church depicts a franciscan cord around a cross. This community was suppressed in 1863. The complex was adapted for industrial use in the period 1912-39, and then for residential use. Part of it housed the State Archives from 1941. The ex-convent now houses the Università dei Sapori, which offers courses on nutrition and cookery. |
From the end of Via Tornetta, you can see the line of the walls to the left. However, access is restricted. Instead, cross the car park in front of you to the “scala mobile” (escalator) on the left. The car park stands in what was originally the gardens of Palazzo Oddi above (see Walk III).
The detour to Santa Maria della Colombata ends here.
Travel up one flight of the escalator (which then continues to Via dei Priori) and take the path on the right through the park. Turn left at the end and walk up the stepped Via Canapina, where you can see a long stretch of walls on the left. The facade of the ex-church of San Benedetto Vecchio is ahead.
San Benedetto Vecchio (11th century)The double church was first mentioned in 1027, and by the end of the 13th century it belonged to the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem (Knights of Malta). In 1777, it was annexed to the adjacent Conservatorio Benincasa (see below). |
 Double facade of San Benedetto Vecchio |
Pensile apse of the upper church |
Continue to Piazza del Drago to the left. the elementary school here is on the site of the Conservatorio Benincasa.
Conservatorio Benincasa (or delle Provvedute) (1716)This charitable
institution was established in 1716 under the terms of the
will of Michelangelo Benincasa in order to find honest employment for
young girls. The adjacent church of San Benedetto Vecchio was incorporated into it in 1777. This institution was incorporated into the Conservatorio
di Carità in 1860. |
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| Conservatorio Benincasa, (the ochre building above the Etruscan walls, with San Benedetto Vecchio to the left and Santa Teresa and Torre dei Sciri (see Walk III) behind |
Continue along Via Cupa, which runs along a long section of the wall, with Parco della Cupa on the right below. Take a short detour through the gate on the rght intoParco della Cupa. Immediately on the right you will see the Postierla della Cupa (illustrated below), which was probably a pedestrian gate (like Postierla della Conca, which you saw earlier). This opening, which was discovered only in 1946, spanned a path that ran to the Terme di San Galigano in Via San Galigano to the northeast. There is also a nice view of the facade of Santa Maria della Valle from here. Retrace your steps through the gate and walk along Via Cupa to see the church, and take a short detour along Via della Luna, to the left of it, to see its lovely apse.
Santa Maria della Valle (11th or 12th century)This was the site of an ancient hermitage that belonged to the Benedictines of Abbazia di Santa Maria di Farneta (near Cortona) until 1304. It was listed as a parish church in 1285. A community of Carmelites settled at an ancient oratory here in the 13th century, before moving to San Simone del Carmine in 1296. The parish was suppressed in 1733 and the church passed to the Compagnia dei Muratori (builders’ guild) in 1760. They re-modeled the interior in 1771 and dedicated it to their patron saint, St Marinus. It reverted to its original dedication when the guild was disbanded in the 19th century. St Frances de Sales and her sisters came here in 1903 when the order that she had founded in 1868 was expelled from France. She died here in 1914 and her relics lay in the Cimiterio Civico until 1928, when they were translated back to the church. They were translated again to the mother-house of the order in Troyes in 1961, and she was canonised in 2001. The façade was rebuilt in 1921 by Ugo Tarchi, who re-used some of the original bifore windows. The semicircular apse (13th century) of the earlier church can be seen from Via della Luna, which is to the left. |
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Continue along Via della Cupa, following the line of the walls, past the Sapienza Vecchia on the left. The street continues into Piazza Mariotti.
The ex-Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata and the associated ex-Monastero delle Povere on the right are built on the Etruscan walls. (The walls can be seen in the foundations at the rear of these buildings from Viale Pompeo Pellini outside Porta San Giacomo - see Walk VII). The ex-nunnery now houses the Conservatorio Musicale di Francesco Morlacchi.
Leave Piazza Annibale Mariotti by Via Mariotti, both of which are named in honour of Annibale Mariotti. The inscription at number 1 (on the right as you leave the piazza) records the fact that this house belonged to him.
Continue to Arco della Mandorla.
From Arco della Mandorla to Porta Marzia
Walk through Porta della Mandorla and take a short detour by turning right up the steps of Via Paradiso to see traces of the wall on the right. Turn back and look up to the other side of Porta della Mandorla to see the Torre dei Donati (14th century) above. (Only the lower part of the tower is original). All of the buildings up to and including this tower are built on the Etruscan wall.
Continue ahead along Via San Giacomo to the crossroads (with Via Parione ahead and Via San Giacomo swinging to the right). The image of the Madonna and Child in the niche here was ceremoniously installed in 1996 on the 200th anniversary of a miraculous event that involved an earlier image.
Turn left along Via Fatebenefratelli, which hugs the terrace that supports the Viale Indipendenza. Follow it as it turns right (becoming Via della Consolazione) and then immediately left (reverting to its original name) and continuing to follow the terrace. This street skirts the part of Rione di Porta Eburnea that is described in the detour to Walk VII.
Turn left at the end of Via Fatebenefratelli into Viale Indipendenza and continue to Torre dei Donati on the left. You can look down from here along the line of the walls back to Porta della Mandorla (see above). The part of the wall that stood to your left as you continue along Viale Indipendenza was destroyed in
1540-3 to facilitate the construction of Rocca Paolina. Hotel Brufani above stands on the site of Santa Maria dei Servi, the apse of which probably extended over the walls.
The opening at number 7 on the left leads to the excavations under the site of Rocca Paolina. Turn right along the subterranean Via Bagliona. The original position of Porta Marzia and the
walls to either side of it can be seen a few meters before the exit (as illustrated here) and the upper part of the gate can be seen outside, embedded in the curtain wall of the fortress.
From Porta Marzia to Arco dei Gigli
The line of the walls continued to your left, swinging to the right towards Sant' ercolano (see below). However, you need to turn right along Via Marzia and then sharply left at the end to continue along Viale Indipendenza (described in Walk IV). Walk past Sant Ercolano and turn left up the stepped Via di Sant’ Ercolano to Arco di Sant' Ercolano, where you rejoin the line of the walls.
Arco di Sant' ErcolanoThis gate, which is named for the nearby church, seems to have been opened in the Etruscan walls in the 12th century. The sculpted lion (early 13th century) above the arch might have symbolised the Guelf party of Perugia. |
Continue up Via di Sant’ Ercolano. The trigram “d,m,e” (domus Misercordie) on the buildings at number 14 on the right and then at numbers 4 and 2 denote that these were part of the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Misercordia (see below).
Turn right into Via Oberdan, which follows the line of the Etruscan walls. This road, which is now named in honour of the jurist Guglielmo Oberdan (died 1882), was previously known as Via dell’ Ospedale. The level of the street was drastically lowered in 1581 in an urban
remodelling commissioned by the papal legate, Gian Francesco Biandrate
di San Giorgio.
Take a short detour by turning immediately left up the steps of Via Santa Lucia and right along Via degli
Alunni. This street is named for a building (probably at number
9-13) where abandoned babies could be left. Retrace your steps and turn left to continue along Via Oberdan.
All of the buildings on the right and a number on the side opposite belonged to the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Misericordia, and many of them bear its trigram. The ex-church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, which was at the centre of the hospital complex, has been recentlyrestored andis now a picture gallery (at number 54). A stretch of the walls can be seen under the floor and again in "La Libreria", the excellent
bookshop that now occupies two floors of the ex-hospital (at number 52).
The portal at number 58, which has a particularly ornate trigram, was
the entrance to the Conservatori delle Projette, a school for orphaned
or abandoned (literally “thrown out”) girls.
Continue along Via Oberdan:
Palazzo Armellini (1524) is at number 40 - 50.
Palazzo Crispolti is at number 39 - 43 opposite.
The ex-church of San Giuseppe is at number 38.
Palazzo Armellini (1524)The Perugian Cardinal Franceso Armellini (who added "de' Medici to
his surname after Pope Leo X) acquired the land for this palace from the Commune just three years
before his death during the sack of Rome (1527). The palace was incorporated into the
Ospedale della Misericordia in the 17th century. The ground floor was rented our for the fish market until 1834. [The Fascist headquarters were at number 50.] A symbol of a fish and the trigram of the
hospital can be seen on the architrave of the portal at numbers 40 and 50. |
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Palazzo Crispolti (13th century)This palace belonged to the Crispolti family of Bettona, and was partially demolished in ca. 1350 when Bettona rebelled against perugian rule. The surviving part of the palace passed to the Arte di Pietra e Legname (guild of stonemasons and woodworkers) until 1370, when it was returned to the Crispolti family. The arches (13th century) on the ground floor are unnaturally tall because of the lowering of street level in 1581. A series of original bifore windows survives in the storey above. |
San Giuseppe (12th century)A chapel here that was dedicated as Sant' Arrigo was listed among the possessions of the Abbazia di San Pietro in a diploma granted by the Emperor Frederick I in 1163. Pope Gregory IX confirmed this possession in 1231. The building was listed as the parish church of San Donato in 1285. The church passed to the nearby hospice of Santa Maria della Misericordia in 1402 because it had too few parishioners to maintain an independent existence. It was closed in 1542, at which point its dedication passed to the high altar of the hospice's church. The Corporazione dei Falegnami (Carpenters’ Guild) moved here in 1597 from Santa Maria degli Aratri in what is now Piazza Cavalotti (see above). (Their arms can be seen above the 1st floor windows of number 3 Via Oberdan, further along on the left). They moved to Santa Croce in 1833, when the church was deconsecrated and incorporated into the Ospedale della Misericordia. The original portal survives. Its architrave contains a relief (12th century) of the Risen Christ with two kneeling penitents. |
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Take a detour to the right along Via della Rupe on the right. A section of the
walls survives inside the Ristorante del Sole on the right, and there are fine views to the west. Braccio Fortebracci built the imposing brick arches on the left (the so-called Briglie di Braccio) against the foundations of the
Etruscan walls to buttress the buildings in Piazza Sopramuro (now Piazza Matteotti - see below).
Retrace your steps and continue to the end of Via Oberdan, past the building at number 6 on the right that housed Monte di Pietà.
Monte di Pietà (1462)Fr Barnaba Manassei established the first of these charitable institutions in Perugia. The three offices that were initially set up in the city were united here in 1571. The building belonged to the Ospedale della Misericordia, as evidenced by the trigram on the architrave of its portal. |
Continue into Piazza Matteotti, which (like many squares and streets in Italy) is named for Giacomo Matteotti, a socialist politician who was assassinated by Fascists in 1924. It is still sometimes referred to by its ancient name, Piazza Sopramuro (on the walls).
Piazza Sopramuro (ca. 1250)Until the middle of the 13th century, what is now Via Oberdan continued along the line of the Etruscan walls in a concave curve along the edge of a cliff to meet what is now Via Alessi (at the far end of the present piazza). There was a prison below the cliff where St Francis of Assisi was held as a prisoner of war in 1202. The edge of the cliff was subject to erosion, so a sustaining wall was built at its base in ca. 1250. The space between the two walls filled up with rubbish and with the spoil from demolished buildings. In the late 13th century, Fra’ Bevignate buttressed this wall so that it supported a paved terrace, the so-called Campo di Battaglia, some way below the level of the street. This space took its name from the Battaglia dei Sassi (Battle of the Stones), an annual stone-throwing contests between representatives of the rione. (This tradition came to an end in 1425, when St Bernardino preached against it). In the early 1420s, Braccio Fortebracci further buttressed the Campo di Battaglia with new walls and arches so that it would now support buildings. However, it still enjoyed open views over the valley until later in the 15th century (see below). The piazza seems to have been levelled and paved in 1424-5 using material from the demolished Fortezza di Porta Sole. |
The arcade of shops on the right (number 24 - 38 Piazza Matteotti and number 2 - 6 Via Oberdan) was built in the 1470s by the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Misericordia in order to provide rental income. (The architrave of what is now number 32 carries the coat of arms of the hospital and the date 1472).
- The ex-Palazzo dell’ Università Vecchia was built above over a period of some fifteen years from 1490.
- The building beyond is the ex-Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo.
The Gothic archway at number 18 and the one behind it lead to the 14th century Loggia dei Lanari (the loggia of the wool-merchants), which now houses municipal offices.
Walk through the arch to see the outside wall of the loggia.
Continue around the open market to the terrace, which offers a splendid view over the southern part of town and the valley below. Turn round and look to your right to see the pensile apse of the Chiesa del Gesù (see below) high above a tower that contains three subterranean oratories. Steps to the sides of the terrace lead down to the covered market (1932), which was established on a terrace that Cardinal Francesco Armellini had commissioned in 1520 for a new college. (This project had been aborted after his death in 1527).
Retrace your steps to Piazza Matteotti and turn right, past the ex-Jesuit convent, to visit Chiesa del Gesù.
On leaving the church, cross Via Alessi to the corner of Via Sant’ Andrea and Via Volte della Pace. There was probably a gate in the Etruscan walls here that, according to some authorities, was the original
Porta del Sole. Opinions vary about the date of its demolition.
Via Sant’ Andrea takes its name from the church of Sant' Andrea, on the corner of this street and Via Volte della Pace, which has been adapted to secular use.
Sant' Andrea (1721)The first church with this designation was documented in 1163, in a diploma granted by the Emperor Frederick I. It was recorded as a parish church in 1285 and belonged to the Benedictines of Abbazia di Santa Maria di Farneta (near Cortona) in the 14th century. This church was demolished in ca. 1560 to make way for the Chiesa del Gesù opposite. A new church was built soon afterwards on this site opposite the original one. It was rebuilt in 1721 and became the parish church of SS Lucia ed Andrea in 1788 when the church of Santa Lucia in Via Volte della Pace (see below) was closed. This parish was abolished in 1871, and Sant' Andrea became an oratory. It was deconsecrated in 1920, and is now in secular use. Its portal survives, to the left of the Trattoria. |
Take a detour along Via Volte della Pace, which is built on the
foundations of the Etruscan wall. When it was vaulted in the 13th
century, the buildings to the right did not exist, and it offered a
shady spot from which the residents could enjoy the view. The building
on the left just before the street turns sharply to the left is the
ex-church of Santa Lucia delle Volte.
Santa Lucia delle Volte (1547)Cardinal Tiberio Crispo demolished the original church of Santa Lucia, which was documented in Piazza Piccinino in 1052, and built a new church here with that dedication. The church closed (as noted above) in 1788. |
Retrace your steps to Piazza Matteotti and turn sharply left along Via Alessi. A tract of the walls survives inside the shop at number 26.
Fork left along Via Cartolari, which is below the line of the walls. The inscription over the fine portal at number 9 records that Galeazzo Alessi, who was called to Spain to work on “the marvelous Escorial Palace”, lived in this modest house and died here in 1572.
Continue to the end and turn left along Via della Viola. A stretch of the walls can be seen in Via Pazienza on the left.
Take a short detour along Via San Giovanni del Fosso on the right to see the ex-church of San Giovanni del Fosso.
San Giovanni del Fosso (11th century)This ancient church probably takes its name from the ditch that ran along here between the Etruscan and the medieval walls. It was documented as a parish church in 1236, the year in which it was united with the monastery of San Fiorenzo. The two were separated in 1570. The church was radically remodeled in 1474 and again in the 18th century. It was subsequently deconsecrated and is now a charming house. |
Retrace your steps and continue along Via della Viola. Turn left along Via Sdrucciola to Arco dei Gigli.
From Arco dei Gigli to Arco Etrusco
The next section of walls was destroyed in 1373 to make way for Fortezza di Porta Sole, and it is no longer possible to follow the line exactly.
Turn left and walk through Porta dei Gigli and along Via Bontempi (see Walk VII). The building immediately on the right at number 48, which now forms part of Palazzo Montesperelli (17th century), blocks what was a street that followed the line of the walls to the back of San Severo (see below).
Continue a little way up Via Bontempi and turn right along Via Raffaello, which is sign-posted to San Severo (see below) in Piazza Raffaello. The inscription on the wall of the house on the left is taken from Dante's "Paradiso" (Canto XI), and can be translated:
| "Between Topino and the stream that pours down from the hill chosen by the blessed Ubaldo (St Ubald of Gubbio), a fertile slope slants from a soaring mountain (Mount Subasio). It makes Perugia feel the cold and heat through Porta Sole" |
The facade of San Severo is on the next sie of the piazza (proceeding clockwise). The chapel at right angles to it houses an important fresco (1505-20) by Raphael and Perugino.
The stepped street down along the right of the chapel is now a cul-de-sac: it originally formed a T-junction with the street that ran along the line of the walls from Porta dei Gigli (see above) and along the back of San Severo.
Retrace your steps, cross the facade of San Severo, and turn right along Via dell’ Aquila into Piazza Biordo Michelotti. This is the highest point in the city and was at the heart of Fortezza di Porta Sole. At that time, it was known as Piazza Monte di Porta Sole. It was renamed in 1871 in honour of Biordo Michelotti, who was murdered in his house here in 1398.
The palaces on the left stand on a terrace that was built for the fortress, which is visible from Piazza Piccinino (see below). They are:
Palazzo Cesarei (16th century) at number 5, which housed a meteorological station in the 19th century;
Palazzo Montesperelli (17th century) at number 6 - 13, which incorporates a tower house to the right; and
Palazzo Mori (17th century) at number 15 - 17.
The palace on the right, which has an imposing double staircase, was rebuilt after the bombing of the Second World War. The most important building in the piazza is Palazzo Verrachi opposite, at number 1.
Palazzo Verrachi (1550)This palace stands on the foundations of the Palazzo Papale (1371) of Fortezza di Porta Sole.
The palace, like the rest of the fortress, was largely destroyed in
1376: its inner courtyard and well survive but cannot be visited.
According to tradition, this well received the bodies of two
illustrious murder victims:
The inscription over the portal of the present palace records its construction in 1550 by the jurist Ristoro Castaldi. It subsequently passed to the Crispolti family and then, in 1887, to Ranieri Veracchi. |
Walk to the right of this palace into Piazza Rossi Scotti. This piazza is sustained by a wall of arches on the foundation of the Etruscan wall that once sustained Fortezza di Porta Sole. The terrace over these foundations offers splendid views across the Rione di Porta Sole to the right (illistrated) and the Rione di Porta Sant’ Angelo to the left (see below).
The buildings in this piazza are:
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Palazzo Rossi Scotti on your right (as you look over the terrace);
Palazzo Conestabile della Staffa behind you (with its main entrance in Via delle Prome, at number 15); and
the ex-church of Sant’ Angelo della Pace on your left.
Palazzo Rossi Scotti (17th century)This palace and its lovely “hanging” gardens stand on the foundations of the sustaining wall of Fortezza di Porta Sole. Giovanni Battista Rossi Scotti (died 1926), one of the founders of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, had his important collection here, but it was unfortunately dispersed after his death. |
Palazzo Conestabile della Staffa (1628-9)Ottavio Ferretti bought this palace while it was in construction, and Orazio Ferretti commissioned frescoes (ca. 1670) from Giovanni Andrea Carlone [where ?]. Maria Bonaparte Valentini, a niece of Napoleon Bonaparte, rented the palace in 1849 after her husband, Vincenzo Valentini, who had been the Finance Minister of the short-lived Roman Republic, was forced into exile in Tuscany. The palace subsequently passed into the ownership of the Conestabile della Staffa, and they gave it to the Commune in 1964. It now houses the Biblioteca Augusta. |
Sant’ Angelo della Pace (1540-8)The papal legate Cardinal Tiberio Crispo built a loggia at this panoramic site in 1540 to commemorate the “peace” after the Salt Wars. The inscription states that Pope Paul III commissioned it for the public convenience. It is traditionally attributed to Galeozzo Alessi, although modern scholars have suggested that it might be by Raffaello da Montelupo. The loggia was converted into a church in 1548. |
Leave Piazza Rossi Scotti the right side of Sant’ Angelo della Pace along Via delle Prome. There is a magnificent view of the Rione di Porta Sant’ Angelo from the top, with Sant' Agostino prominent on the right. This stepped street runs down in three zig-zag stretches, the second of which runs along the line of the walls.
The steps end in Via Bartolo, with an interesting zig-zag section of Etruscan wall opposite. Arco Etrusco is immediately beyond it (so your circuit of the Etruscan walls is complete.
Turn left along Via Bartolo (described in Walk V), which was built in 1378 on the line of the moat that had run along the western side of Fortezza di Porta Sole. Turn left at the end into Piazza Danti and continue into Piazza Piccinino (described in Walk VI) to see the buttresses of the terrace built for the fortress that was mentioned above.
Return to Piazza danti, where the walk ends.
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