Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city symbol is the griffin, which can be seen in the form of plaques and statues on buildings around the city.
Piazza IV Novembre |
Perugia is a notable artistic center of Italy. The famous painter Pietro Vannucci, nicknamed Perugino, was a native of Perugia. He decorated the local Sala del Cambio with a beautiful series of frescoes; eight of his pictures can also be admired in the National Gallery of Umbria. Perugino was the teacher of Raphael, the great Renaissance artist who produced five paintings in Perugia (today no longer in the city) and one fresco. Another famous painter, Pinturicchio, lived in Perugia. Galeazzo Alessi is the most famous architect from Perugia.
Fontana Maggiore | Chiesa di San Domenico con il chiostro oggi Museo Archeologico Nazionale | |
San Bernardino e San Francesco al prato | Porta Marzia ed i resti della Rocca paolina |
The Underground world of Perugia
The Necropolis of the Palazzone
Following chance discoveries of various tombs in 1963 and subsequent excavations, the existence of a large necropolis around the Volumni's underground has been confirmed. The Necropolis @includes numerous chamber tombs, mainly dating back lo the Hellenistic period. They are of great importance lo Perugia's ancient history. The urns are preserved in the modern vestibule and are nearly alt made of travertine with traces of polychromy.
The Underground world of the "Volumni"
One of the most important discoveries of the Perugian noble underground world, is a tomb found in 1840 belonging to the Necropolis of the Palazzone. A steep passage (dormos) leads to the tomb. The passage is built over a hall which is covered by a double-hanging ceiling. On either side of this passage there are smaller chambers. The main chamber or cell once contained the most important urns, one of which was the monumental urn of ARNTH VELIMNA which was sculptured in travertine, covered in putty and painted with extreme care and accuracy The walls and ceiling are adorned with decorative sculptures. The tomb has been dated back to the second half of the 2° century B.C.
Ipogeo dei Volumni |
Cutu's tomb (Archeological Museum of Perugia)
A tomb in the shape of a cross, with several rooms was discovered untouched in 1983 in Monieluce. li had been in use for a long period between the 3rd and 1st centuries B.C. It contained fifty cynerary urns and a sarcophagus, which is the oldest item in the tomb. A bronze "kottabos" and the remnants of a panoply were also perserved inside. All of the items are displayed at the National Archeological Museum of Perugia, where the tomb and the arrangement of the materials within il have been reproduced.
Tomba dei Cutu - Urna |