It was (sadly!) time to leave Tuscany behind and explore the Umbria region, so Perugia was our first destination.  Located high on a hilltop in central Italy, Perugia is north of Rome, and southeast of Florence.  We were dropped off at the bottom of the hill and took an escalator up through Rocca Paolina, an ancient fortress that was built in the 1540’s. 

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

Does the name “Perugia” sound familiar to you?  Even if you aren’t familiar with the city, the name might sound similar to something you are familiar with:  Perugina, the chocolate company that makes Baci chocolates.  Originating in Perugia, Perugina dates back to 1907; however, Nestle bought the company in 1988.

Perugina chocolates were first introduced to the United States at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, and they opened a retail store on Fifth Avenue the same year.

I would have loved touring the factory (as chocolate and touring chocolate factories is one of my passions; just check out my “CHOCOLATE!” tab on this blog!); however, it wasn’t included on our itinerary.  Instead, we had a walking tour of Perugia and visited Turan Cafe, a small boutique chocolatier and café located on the Piazza IV Novembre. After learning how chocolate bars are made, we made our own chocolate bar, and then had lunch in the cafe. 

Although Turan’s chocolates are of excellent quality, they are not a bean-to-bar chocolatier.  They source their (already processed) cocoa from South America rather than buying the cacao beans and handling the entire process, from beginning to the end product.

During our free time, we stopped in to see the Palazzo die Priori, a beautiful municipal building located on the piazza across from the café.

We also wandered the streets of the city center to explore a little bit on our own. Later in the afternoon, our group stopped at a fabulous gelato cafe, and then continued our walking tour.  As you can see in all of the outdoor photos from the day, the weather was quite dynamic, constantly changing from cloudy to sunny.

Assisi was our final stop before heading to our hotel in Spoleto. Unfortunately, photos (even without flash) were not permitted at the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, because it was gorgeous inside. Built in the 1200’s, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. People come from all over to visit the basilica, because this is where Saint Francis was born, died, and his remains are interred. It is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy.

We continued on to Spoleto, our home base for the next three nights, and the subject of my next post.

Coming up next:  Serene Spoleto

Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!