Perugia

My mom flew into Rome on March 16th and we went straight to Perugia late that afternoon with Shelly and Anna. We arrived early enough to walk around the town square and go for an aperitivo before dinner. I had done some research on restaurants and found an all-organic, locally-produced restaurant nearby called Al Mangiar Bene...the food was fantastic! We were all very tired from travelling/working that day that we just went home and went to bed after dinner.

Sunset 

Saturday, we "went" to the Perugina chocolate factory where they make the famous Baci candies. Perugina is owned by Nestle  I say "went" because we took the hour bus ride there, found out you have to make a reservation, and had to turn around to go back to the city center. We did stop at a grocery store nearby and buy a bunch of Baci's that are made at the factory across the street though.

Anna, me and Shelly at Fontana Maggiore 

When we finally made it back to town, we walked around the town and shopped. There are so many cute boutiques and specialty stores throughout Perugia.

I love all the bright colors

We found a restaurant overlooking the city from the top of the hill so we made a dinner reservation there and in the meantime, went for a ride on the minimetro.  The minimetro is a cute tram car that goes from the top of Perugia to the bottom in about 10 minutes.  You ride through tunnels and it almost feels like you're on a rollercoaster.

view of the tunnel of the minimetro

We had a pre-dinner drink on the terrace of Restaurant Sole and took in the beautiful scenery.

Perugia from the top

That day was St. Patrick's day; we, of course, had to celebrate...at least a little.  We found an Irish pub called Shamrock in the center that was packed with people.  It was fun to be in the atmosphere and see how Italians celebrate the holiday.  Earlier in the day, we ran into a huge group of Americans drinking in the square and celebrating, but didn't come across any Americans that evening.

there must've been at least 5,000 people in the square this night

Sunday, we did one last walk around the city.  We walked in and out of the Rocca Paolina-a 16th century fortress. There are escalators and elevators throughout the fortress that help people to get around the city better. We walked up and down the little streets taking last-minute pictures.

inside the fortress

We all loved Perugia.  It's a lot smaller than Rome, cleaner and seems to be much more well-organized (although any city seems more organized than Rome!).

the four of us :)