The underground city beneath the fortress
Under the elegant palaces of Piazza Italia in Perugia lies one of the most surprising places in Umbria: the remains of the Rocca Paolina, a huge fortress built between 1540 and 1543 by Pope Paul III Farnese, to a design by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, after the "Salt War", the revolt of the Perugians against a papal tax on salt. To punish the city and control it, the Pope had an entire medieval district demolished, with the houses and towers of the Baglioni family, the former lords of Perugia, and dozens of churches, and built the fortress on top of them, burying the streets and buildings below. For the Perugians, the Rocca became the hated symbol of papal oppression, which is why, since then, Perugian bread has been made without salt, according to tradition.
After the unification of Italy, in 1860, the inhabitants demolished the upper part of the fortress, and on its ruins the Piazza Italia and the Palazzo della Provincia were built. But the lower parts survived, and today you can walk through them: a fascinating underground city of medieval streets, houses, towers, doorways and wells, covered by the great brick vaults of the fortress, which is crossed by a series of escalators that connect the lower part of the city, where the car parks and the Minimetrò are, to the historic centre. Along the way, the Via Bagliona, the old medieval street, with the remains of the Baglioni houses, is one of the most evocative places. The Rocca also hosts exhibitions and events, such as the chocolate festival.
Tip: use the escalators from Piazza Partigiani to reach the centre, passing through the Rocca; stop in Via Bagliona to look around.
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