I am thinking of changing my 3 nights in Orte to 3 nights in Perugia. Was it damaged by the recent earthquakes? Anybody been there? I am not looking for a city. Scenery and non-touristy works for me. Thoughts? I will be traveling alone from Civita (bus or driver) back to Orvieto. I am avoiding trains where I need to transfer. I liked prior towns suggested but because of transportation issues they won't work. My last three nights before my one night stay near the airport in Rome will be in Spoleto so I need a town that will allow me to get to Spoleto by train without transferring. A tall order and suggestions will be appreciated.
Posted by
Washington DC
28787 posts
Do you mean you need one place that meets both of these criteria?
- Can get there from Orvieto without transferring
- Can get from there to Spoleto without transferring
I enjoyed my visit to Perugia quite some time ago, but I would call it a city rather than a town. The population is over 165,000. By comparison, Orvieto's is about 21,000.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
907 posts
Given your desire for a smaller town it doesn't sound like Perugia is your place. It is a large University town. Nice place though and worth a visit.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Perugia is a nice city, but somewhat difficult to navigate (the centre is high on the hill, and the railway station is somewhere deep below). You might like Foligno: a relatively small, unassuming city which is surprisingly attractive and sits on a railway line which links it directly with Perugia, Assisi, Spello and Spoleto. Getting there from Orvieto involves one change though.
Posted by
Chicago
8282 posts
Perugia is great fun during one of the great festivals in the world Umbria Jazz Fest. This occurs first two weeks of July 7-16.
If you get lodging on the old town on the hill you need take a funicular to get to the train station. I agree it can be hard to navigate at first. So if you want to avoid crowds you may not want to go there around then. It is only 30 minutes from serene and subdued Assisi which maybe you should consider. However Assisi can be exhausting because it is very hilly.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
You can also get to the train station in Perugia by local bus - several lines go there- without looking for the funivia. But it is a fair-sized city, probably larger than what you are looking for.
You may have better luck with intercity buses rather than trains.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16355 posts
No earthquake damage whatsoever, but Perugia is not a small town. It is 3 times the size of Siena, which is already a (small) city.
Posted by
Perugia, Italy
211 posts
Perugia is not a small town, but the center of the city is pretty compact and completely walkable. In fact, much of the center is a ZTL, hence, little or no traffic. To get to the center from the rail station, you take the Minimetrò, which actually is a lot of fun. It's sort of a light rail line, but runs by cable. The stations are ultramodern, designed by the architect Jean Nouvel, and cars run every minute or two. It's really easy. Downtown (or, rather, up!) has lots of restaurants, bars, shops, and some museums. It's a good place to hang out and walk around--I live there for part of the year and miss it terribly when I'm not there. The college kids give it a hip vibe--there's even an artisanal burger place that looks like it was dropped in from Williamsburg. There are lots of spots to just hang out and look over the countryside.