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Perugia
Tourist information - Perugia
Perugiais a city in central Italy, capital of Perugia Province and Umbria Region. The city lies in a picturesque highland region between the Tiber River and Lake Trasimeno. It is a market for agricultural products and livestock. Manufactures include chocolate candy, pasta, textiles, ceramics, glassware, furniture, pharmaceuticals, and metal goods.
The city has medieval and Renaissance structures, including the circular Church of Sant'Angelo (5th century); the Church of San Pietro (10th century), with a notable art collection; and the Oratory of San Bernardino (15th cent.), which has a sculptured Renaissance facade. Outstanding museums include the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria and the National Gallery of Umbria. The National Gallery, in the Palazzo dei Priori, contains works by the masters of central Italy from the primitives to the 1500s. Perugia has two universities, one of which is for foreigners (1925).
One of the oldest cities in Italy, Perugia belonged to an Etruscan confederacy and came under Roman rule in 308 BC. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice during the next nine centuries. In the 9th century it became a possession of the popes, but subsequently achieved independence. In 1540 it was incorporated into the Papal States and in 1861 became part of the kingdom of Italy.
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