Perugia - Walk III
From Piazza IV Novembre to San Francesco
|
San Francesco (on the right)
was built outside the Etruscan walls on the
site of the old church of Santa Susanna
Leave Piazza IV Novembre along Via Maestà delle Volte and turn immediately left along Via Ritorta. thus walking along the right side and then the back of Palazzo Vescovile. The walls here are studded with the remains of the earlier public palaces that stood at the west end of Piazza Novembre.
There is an interesting tower house (13th century) at number 1 Via Ritorta (on the right, at the corner with Via Antonio Fratti).
The road then turns right, and there is an empty niche in the wall
ahead. This housed an image of the Madonna that were the subject of
miracles in the frenetic year of 1796, after which it was moved to the
Oratorio di Santa Cecilia (see below). A public toilet was later
installed in the space below the niche.
- The tower house just beyond, at number 14 on the left incorporates what might have been part
of the Palazzo dei Consoli (12th century), which stood on the site of the present Palazzo Vescovile until it burned down in 1329.
The arch over the portal (13th 0r 14th century) has interesting reliefs
of a horse (or more likely a donkey) on the left, a griffin on the
right, and other animals above that are too damaged to identify.
 |  |  |
The house of number 20 is a rare example of a surviving medieval “fondaco”, a house built over a shop or warehouse.
Continue to the end junction with Via dei Priori. The Baroque portal (17th century) of the house opposite (at number 24 Via dei Priori) has flamboyant griffins on its lintel. The church of SS Severo e Agata is to the left, at the junction with Via Sant’ Agata.
Turn left on leaving the church and continue along Via dei Priori. Take a short detour along Via Vermiglioli on the left to see Palazzo Vermiglioli, which is next to the Indian restaurant on the left, at number 16.
Palazzo Vermiglioli (17th century) This palace belonged to an ancient Perugian family that included Giovanni Battista Vermiglioli (1769-1848), an archeologist and one of the founders of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. |
Return to Via dei Priori and continue with the right wall of the huge church of San Filippo Neri (see below) on your right. There is an interesting modern relief (1957) of the Coronation of the Virgin on the wall of the apse. Before visiting the church, take a detour by turning left along Via della Cupa and then right into Via Deliziosa. An inscription on the house (15th century) at number 17 on the right records that this was probably the site of the house and workshop of Perugino. The church of Sant’ Antonino is directly opposite it, at number 10.
Sant’ Antonino (12th century) This ancient parish church, which was documented in 1163, was suppressed in 1802 because of its poor state of repair, and the nearby church of Santa Croce (see below) assumed its dedication. However, Santa Croce was also in poor condition and it was subsequently decided to restore Sant’ Antonino. The newly restored church assumed both dedications in 1825. |
Turn right at the end and right again along Via Benincasa. Santa Croce is on the left, set back from the road with a small brick forecourt.
Santa Croce (12th century) This ancient parish church, which was documented in 1192, has an interesting history:
In 1802, as mentioned above, it assumed the additional dedication of the nearby church of Sant' Antonino, at which point the Olivetans lost control of it. However, its roof threatened to collapse shortly afterwards. It was therefore decided to restore Sant’ Antonino, and this newly restored church assumed both dedications in 1825. Santa Croce, which has been re-modeled on a number of occasions. owes its current bland appearance to a re-modeling carried out in the late 19th century. It is now used as a Greek Orthodox church. |
Turn right at the end along Via dei Priori and left into Piazza Baldassarre Ferri, which is dominated by the imposing facade of San Filippo Neri.
On leaving the church, turn right along Via della Stella, past the entrance to the Oratorian convent, and continue to the junction with Via Antonio Fratti on the right and Via Offici on the left. The ex-Oratorio di Santa Cecilia is on the right.
Oratorio di Santa Cecilia (1687-90)The Oratorian Fathers from San Filippo Neri built this oratory on land that they acquired from Andrea Sciri. It was purpose-built for musical devotion to a design by Pietro Baglioni, and dedicated it to St Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The oratory was used extensively for musical performances throughout the 18th century, but subsequently fell into disuse. The building was used as a cinema in the mid-20th century, but has subsequently been restored. It is now used as an auditorium. For more information, see the website of the Auditorium Santa Cecilia. |
|
|
 |
Turn left along Via degli Offici into Piazza degli Offici, which was so-named in 1871 when the churches and monasteries here were converted for use as public offices. This was originally named for the (now demolished) church of San Gregorio. It also housed (at number 12 - 14) the the Cistercian monastery of San Bernardo, which was was re-dedicated as San Giovanni Battista in 1801. The building beyond, at number 2 Via Vincioli, belonged to the Missionary Fathers of St Vincent de Paul from 1680. They were expelled during the period 1799-1815, and then again, this time definitively, in 1871.
San Gregorio (11th century, now demolished)This church was documented as a possession of the Abbazia di Santa Maria di Valdiponte in 1073 and was listed as a parish church in 1285. In 1548, Cardinal Federico Cesi (who held Santa Maria di Valdiponte in commendum) transferred it to the secular clergy. It passed to the nearby Cistercian monastery of San Bernardo in 1615. Pope Urban VIII authorised the suppression of the parish in 1624. It was absorbed by that of San Giovanni Rotunda, which was administered by the Oratorian Fathers of San Filippo Neri. It fell into ruin and was sold in 1774 to a private family that was obliged to maintain part of it as a chapel. It was finally de-consecrated in 1874 and subsequently subsumed by the surrounding buildings. |
Continue to the end of Via Vincioli, with the right side of the church of Santa Maria dei Francolini on your right as you approach the junction with Via Francolina. Turn right to see the facade of the church.
Santa Maria dei Francolini (12th century)The church probably belonged to the ancient Francolini family. It belonged to the Abbazia di S. Salvatore di Valdicastro (near Fabriano in the Marche) in the 12th century, and first documented in 1166, when the monks transferred it to the canons of the cathedral of Gubbio. It was recorded as a parish church by 1285 and appeared as a possession of San Luca in 1482. The church lost its status in 1771, when the parish was merged with that of San Valentino (see below). It was transferred to the Compagnia dei Servatori di Santa Anna in 1779, when the upper of the church was rebuilt. The original Romanesque facade and rose window are preserved. |
The lintel of the garage door at number 9 Via Francolina, to the left of the facade of Santa Maria dei Francolini, bears a relief of the “IHS” symbol. This is all that remains of the parish church of San Paolo (see below).
Turn left into along this street and follow it (turning right and then left) into Piazza San Paolo. The Liceo Annibale Mariotti in front of you, which is easily recognisable by the bust of the poet Giovanni Bini-Cima (died 1905) and related inscription on its facade, stands on the site of the church and nunnery of San Paolo.
San Paolo (1541)The original church and nunnery here was dedicated to St Elisabeth of Hungary. The complex passed to a community of female Franciscan tertiaries in 1541, when their Monastero di San Paolo di Colle Landone was demolished to make way for Rocca Paolina. The nuns rebuilt and re-dedicated the nunnery. They were expelled in 186o and the complex was subsequently adapted for secular use. A surviving relief of the “IHS” symbol is illustrated above. |
Retrace your steps to Santa Maria dei Francolini and then a little way along Via Vincioli (to the right of the church). Turn right along Via San Stefano, which leads to Piazza San Stefano. The lovely apse and campanile of SS Stefano and Valentino are immediately on the right and Palazzo degli Oddi is ahead, at number 84 Via dei Priori.
Palazzo degli Oddi (16th century)The palazzo was built on the site of the house (12th century) of the degli Oddi, and is today also known as Palazzo Marini-Clarelli. The façade dates to the 17th century. The building now belongs to the Umbra Institute, and is used for educational courses for foreigners. |
Take a short detour by turning left along Via dei Priori to see a stretch of the original Roman paving unde the present road outside number 69. Return along Via dei Priori, where the ex-church and nunnery of Santa Teresa degli Scalzi is immediately on the left, followed by the Torre degli Sciri.
Santa Teresa degli Scalzi (1718)The reformed Carmelite congregation, which was known in Italy as the Carmelitani Scalzi (barefoot), was established in Rome in 1617. A community of friars of the new order was established temporarily at what became Santa Caterina Nuova in 1622. Alessandro Baglioni designed the friars' new church in the form of a Greek cross with a dome at the crossing. It was consecrated in 1626 and construction continued until 1718. Its façade was never finished. The convent was suppressed in 1870 and is now used as a school. The church is sometimes open for concerts. |
Torre degli Sciri (12th century)Some 700 fortified towers were built in Perugia in the Middle Ages, but this one, which belonged to the Sciri family, is one of the very few that survive. Nuns associated with the Oratorian church of San Filippo Neri use the building today. |
Take the next left into the second opening of Via degli Sciri, where you will see a panel of St Francis (1930) in a window immediately on the right. The Oratorio di San Francesco is now in front of you.
Via dei Priori ends at a flight of step next to the originally Etruscan Porta Trasimena (also known as Porta San Luca). Turn right along Via San Francesco; the Etruscan wall from Porta Trasimeno crossed the road at this point and followed Via del Poggio to the right. You are now moving into the suburb that was outside the walls until the medieval circuit was built along today’s Viale Orazio Antinori.
The adjacent churches of the Madonna della Luce and San Luca are on the left, at the start of Via San Francesco.
Continue into Piazza di San Francesco, which was the heart of the Franciscan community in Perugia. There are three important monuments of the left:
the Oratorio di San Bernardino, which incorporates the Oratorio di SS Andrea and Bernardino;
- the remains of the church and convent of San Francesco al Prato, the second of which incorporated the Oratorio di SS Girolamo, Francesco e Bernardino (demolished in 1797); and
San Matteo in Campo d’ Orto.
San Matteo in Campo d' Orto (12th century)This church and the surrounding land are listed among the possessions of the Monastero di Fonte Avellana near Gubbio in a privilege granted by Pope Honorius III in 1218. The complex was transferred to the Franciscans in 1256 after fierce resistance. They built their convent here and probably used the church for their own services, at least for a period. It then became their cemetery church. In 1876, when Santa Maria degli Aratri on Piazza Cavallotti (see Walk II) was demolished, its campanile and the upper part of its facade were transferred to San Matteo, which then underwent restoration. It is now de-consecrated and belongs to the University of Perugia. |
The buildings on the opposite side of the Piazza belong to the University. Pope Sixtus V commissioned the impressive gateway (1591) from Valentino Martelli, with the intention that it should form the central arch of a portico for the Università Vecchia in Piazza Matteotti (see Walk II). However, that project was never completed.
Leave the Piazza along Via Alessandro Pascoli, forking right (signed to Hotel San Sebastiano) along the narrow leafy lane of Via dell’ Eremita. The Etruscan walls provide the foundations for the buildings that you can see above and to the right (see Walk II). Continue to the church of SS Sebastiano e Rocco.
A sharp left turn from Via dell’ Eremita leads into Via San Sebastiano, which winds down into Via Sant’ Elisabetta. This was named for the ex-church of Sant’ Elisabetta, which stood on the opposite side of the road.
Sant’ Elisabetta (1337)This parish church was built to serve the needs of a growing suburban community here, and dedicated to St Elizabeth of Hungary, who had been canonised in San Domenico in 1235. The church was demolished to make way for the university buildings in 1903. A number of fresoces (14th century) that were detached prior to demolition are in the deposit of the Galleria Nazionale.
|
 |
 |
A Roman mosaic that was discovered in 1875 in the orchard of Sant’ Elisabetta is displayed in the building to the left.
Roman Mosaic (2nd century AD) |
Turn left on leaving the building housing the mosaic and continue along Via Elisabetta, passing under an arch of the medieval aqueduct. Porta Vecchia della Conca is ahead. Turn right before reaching it into Via Appia. Stairs at the end of the street lead up to Via dell’ Acquedotto, which now runs along the original line of the aqueduct.
Porta Vecchia della Conca(or di Elce di Sopra)This gate was built some time after the completion of the medieval walls, during an interim stage of the development of the Rione Porta San' Angelo (see Walk V). Itwas walled up at some point and re-opened only in 1931. |
 |
| Porta Vecchia della Conca with Palazzo Gallenga Stuart (visited in Walk V) above and behind |
Aqueduct (1257-77) |
Turn left to follow Via dell’ Acquedotto and climb the steps as the street continues under Via Cesare Battista and through the Arco di Via Appia.
Arco di Via Appia (1257-77) |
Turn right at the end into Via Baldeschi and cross Piazza Cavallotti. Leave the square by Via Stella and turn immediately left into Via Maestà delle Volte (described in Walk I). This street leads back to Piazza IV Novembre, where the walk ends.
Return to the home page on Perugia.