ABOUT: Perugia is the capital of Umbria and is sometimes ignored by visitors who are put off by the sprawl of modern suburban and industrial areas, but the historic center is one of Italy’s finest.  Starting at the Palazzo dei Priori, which houses the town hall and the region’s main gallery, the cobbled streets spread out from there, up and down staircases, and even escalators through the foundations of ancient buildings.  Behind the Gothic facades of Perugia’s main sights, there are priceless artworks on the walls, while walking along an old aqueduct takes you to quieter neighborhoods with their own charm. 

The world-renowned International Eurochocolate Festival (https://www.eurochocolate.com/) occurs every November and takes places of the course of 10 days.  You can find ALL things chocolate, wine, candies, pasta, beer; it seems that nothing is off limits.  If planning to attend, the weekends are the most crowded, while the earlier in the day on weekdays, the crowds are tolerable. The map below will take you directly to an awesome parking garage that will provide you will easy escalator access to the old city center.

WHERE TO EAT: For us, lunch in the old town area is a difficult item to recommend. We have been to several places that are lovely and a couple that are not. Just as an FYI based on our experience, always try to hit the places that seem the most crowded, there is a reason for the ones that are empty. Perugia is not really a US destination place, so if a restaurant is busy, chances are the patrons are local.

For dinner, we highly recommend La Taverna, for the food, the amazing atmosphere, the location, and best of all, Chef Claudio with a personality bigger than life. We have become friends with him, so if you go and he stops by your table, let him know his friends from Costa Rica bid him a good evening. Reservations are a must at this place, we have been lucky to get a table without one, but not without some begging involved.‍ ‍https://www.ristorantelataverna.com/

After any meal there is a wonderful cafe that will serve you coffee, cocktails, and an amazing variety of baked goods. This place is our standby, always…we make a pilgrimage there every time we go to Perugia. Reason being, this is where it all began. Years ago, close to closing time we convinced the staff to let us in for a let night caffe and struck a conversation with the team. We had never been to Umbria and this was our first night in the area. The staff could not stop gushing about all there was to do in the area and by the end of the evening we had a weeks itinerary of things to do in hand. Several years later, here we are, at home in Umbria. https://www.santinopanetteriapasticceria.com/

PARKING: The best place to park is Saba Piazza Partigianiboth location-wise, cost, and availability. We have yet to attend an event there where the parking garage is full.