The following tour has been designed to be done walking

Walk 4
 VIA DEI PRIORI - PORTA TRASIMENA - SAN FRANCESCO AL PRATO - ORATORIO Dl SAN BERNARDINO -ACCADEMIA DELLE BELLE ARTI - CHIESA Dl SAN PROSPERO - SANTA GIULIANA

To the left of the main entrance to the Priors' Palaceis the great archway opening into
VIA DEI PRIORI. This street in one of city's main thoroughfares and of great importance for its well- preserved monuments. It was the decumanus massimus (principal road running from east to west in Roman camps and cities) in the once Etruscan, once Roman city, and maintained its pre-eminent role in the urban life of the Middle Agesand the Renaissance period. To your left is the Church of Sant'Agata rebuilt during the first decades of the 14th cenfury in an original two-bar Gothic structure. In the interior interesting frescoes by the Perugian school of about the same period. Continuing down the street on the right is the new Church of San Filippo Neri, a fine example of Baroque with a facade by Pietro Marucelli of Rome, pupil of Pietro da Cortona (1661). In the interior with one nave and side chapels are numerous valuable paintings. To the left, in the first chapel on entering, is an Annunciation by Francesco Trevisani (1710), the frescoes along the nave are by F. Appiani and N. Giulj (1768). The Evangelists in the pendentives below the cupola are by G.A. Carlone (1668), the Heaven in the cupola is by F. Mancini (1730).

On the High altar is an Our Lady of the Assumptionby Pietro da Cortona (1662), while the two canvases in the conch of the apse are by Pietro Montanini of Perugia. On the left of the street is yet another evocative medieval street, via della Cupa, which leads to the circuit of Etruscan all where you can enjoy a beautiful view. Continuing down via dei Priori you come to the church of S. Stefano on the right, with a fine Romanesque apse and outstanding 14th and 15thcentury frescoes inside. Opposite where the street widens is the church of Santa Teresa degli Scalzi in the form of a Greek-cross. It is a fine example of 18th century architecture. Further along you come to the mighty Tower of the Sciri, the only one remaining of the many that stood over Perugia. Going left along the via degli Sciri is the Oratorio della Confraternita dei Disciplinati di San Francesco with a beautiful pre-Baroque interior and canvases of the life of Christ as a child by G. Antonio Scaramuccia on the walls.
Further along via dei Priori is the Church of the Madonna della Luce of Renaissance architecture, perhaps by Cesarino del Roscetto. In the interior a vault by G.B. Caporali (1510-1540) with a fresco by Tiberio di Assisi andothers. Then on the right the Church of S. Luca and the Casa dei Cavalieri di Malta (House of the Knights of Malta), and on the left the PORTA TRASIMENA. This gate with Etruscan jambs and a Gothic arch is one of the many which lead into the city. The street ends in a large square, Piazza di San Francesco al Prato, where you find two important monuments:

SAN FRANCESCO AL PRATO - ORATORIO Dl SANBERNARDINO. The former, one of the principal churches in Perugia, was founded towards the middle of the 17th century on the lines of the Upper Church of St. Francis in Assisi, and was adorned over the centuries with valuable works of art. Indeed this temple has housed the great Crucifix by St. Francis' Master (1272), now in the National Gallery of Umbria; the large Polyptych of Taddeo di Bartolo (1403), also in the Gallery, works by Perugino, Raphael -The Coronation of Our Lady, today in the Vatican Art Gallery, the Baglioni Deposition, today in the Borghesi Gallery. In the 18th century earth movements caused the vaultsto fall; they were re-built but collapsed once again. The ruins are now being restored and fortified. The facade of the Oratory, next to the church, is a masterpiece of the sculptorand architect Agostino di Duccio from Florence (1457-1461). With their rich multi-coloured pattern the precious bas-reliefs reflect the refined linear rhythms of thegreat artist. Note the Glory of St. Bernardine in the large lunene and the figures of the Virtues and the musician angels around the twin portal. The most important works-inthe interior is the large early Christian sarcophagus decorated with small statues in the niches on the facing, dating back to around the mid 4th century. The rear of the Oratory opens into the building of the Confraternity of Justice, a Renaissance hall restructured in the 18th century, with pictures by M. Leopardi, T. Matteini, C. Labruzzi, V.Ferrei, G. Lapis. Nearby is the Oratorio del Gonfalone witha fine banner by Benedetto Bonfigli and Mariano d'Antonio (1464).

ACCADEMIA DELLE BELLE ARTI. Going under the arch between the Oratory and the Church you reach the Accademy of Fine Arts, founded in the second half of the16th century and flourishing between the 1700s and the1800s. The collection of art includes a gallery of paintings with very important modern pictures (from the 19th century to today); a room with drawings and prints; a beautiful large gallery of plaster casts from the 16th century, 18thcentury and Neoclassic period (from Michelangelo to Canova), which are partly original.

From Piazza San Francesco al Prato you can either go right into via Pascoli where, in a room inside the Faculty of Chemistry, there is a magnificent Roman mosaic depicting a scene with Orpheus (2nd century AD), or you cango left into via della Sposa. At the end of this street is Porta Santa Susanna. Turning left into via Pompeo Peilini you can admire a long section of the Etruscan walls. Continue down and turn right into via San Prospero. After a shortwalk, on the left, is the small CHIESA Dl SAN PROSPERO. This ancient basilica perhaps of early Christian origin (it was definitely existentin the early Middle Ages) was built on an Etruscan sepolchre. In the interior is the famous Ciborium from the Dark Ages (8th century), one of the few Byzantine monuments to be seen in the city. Inside there is also a side chapel with painted decorations by Bonamico, active in 1225 and the first Perugian to be recorded in the history of art. The works dedicated to the saint the Apostles and the Last Judgement show a rustic character but are full of spirit and the interesting expressive currents of the time. Bonamico's work is closely aligned to Roman art but is also influencedby Northern trends.
Continuing along via Pellini into viale Fiorenzo di Lorenzo you are soon at the ancient gardens of Piazza d'Armi.

CHIESA Dl SANTA GIULIANA. Adjoined to a monastery of the Cistercian nuns, the church is similar to others in Perugia such as S. Maria di Monteluce and the Chapel of Sant'Ercolano (next to the Cathedral). In the one nave interior there are important 13th century and 14th century frescoes. In the convent which now houses the military hospital, is a magnificent 14th century cloister attributed to Matteo di Giovannello, called Gattapone, an architect from Gubbio. Other frescoes by local artists, between the13th and 14th centuries, are to be found in the various rooms.

From Santa Giuliana return down via Fiorenzo di Lorenzo to via Pellini again, until you come to via San Giacomo on your right. Going up this street you enter the ancient city through the fine Porta della Mandorla, with Etruscan jambs and an upper arch from the Gothic period. Fromhere a series of picturesque medieval streets lead you back to corso Vannucci.

LA GALLERIA NAZIONALE DELL'UMBRIA - L'IPOGEODEI VOLUMNI - LA TOMBA ETRUSCA Dl S. MANNO -L'IPOGEO Dl VILLA SPERANDIO

GALLERIA NAZIONALE DELL' UMBRIA. The National Gallery of Umbria is the most important arts museumin the region. Amongst its collections there are also masterpieces by other schools, as well as a historical topographical section dedicated to the city of Perugia (atpresent - 1984 - the works are being restored and the section is being redecorated). The art gallery originated in 1810 with a law promulgated by the Council of Roman States which abolished religious associations. The works of art these associations had were assembled on the upper floor of the monastery of Monte Morcino Nuovo (then site of the Accademy of Fine Arts, now the University). Afterwards, following the incorporation into State property decreed by the Italian state in 1860, the gallery was moved to the church of the same monastery, and later (about 1878) to the third floor of the Priors' Palace where the papal Governor once resided. In the great entrance hall, which was where the General Council used to meet, there are frescoes from the 12th to the 15th centuries, once belonging to Umbrian churches and convents. Also there is an important wooden sculpture of Christ taken from the cross, of the socalled "di Tivoli" type with Antelami influences. It comes from Roncione near Deruta and dates back to 1236. The first room exhibits works from the first half of the 13th century, including the outstanding Crucifix from the Churchof San Francesco al Prato (1272). Another important painting is the Virgin and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna from Siena (about 1300). In the small room nearby are reliefsfrom a fountain sculptured by Arnolfo di Cambio which was completed four years after the Great Fountain (1281) and is one of the rarest pieces in the museum.

In rooms III and IV, together with pictures by Meo of Siena, a pleasant but basically rather modest painter who later became a naturalized Perugian, are works by a groupof artists whose paintings flourished in the city during the first half of the 14th century. Next to these are two works of other schools the stained glass with the Crucifixion by Giovanni di Bonino and another rare painting with the Saints, perhaps by Francesco da Rimini.

The next room (V) contains Sienese pictures from the second half of the 14th century and the first half of the 15th. In the centre of the room is a splendid bronze group of alion and two gryphons, once over the Great Fountain.
Room Vl has works of the late - and international - Gothicperiod. The most precious piece is, without doubt, the Madonna and Child by Gentile Fabriano.
In room Vll are some examples of Renaissance art: the fine polyptych by Fra Angelico and the large polyptych by Piero della Francesca.
Now go onto room VlIl - IX containing works of the region Marche, and the so-called Umbrian school of painting which had been evolving from the middle of the century to 1480 1485 when contacts with Florence strengthened. Note the works by Giovanni Boccati, Benedetto Bonfigli, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo and Bartolomeo Caporali.

In room Xl works by Fiorenzo are exhibited; his most interesting painting is the Adoration of the Shepherds, perhaps to be considered his masterpiece.
Now begins the next stage including the first paintings by Perugino and Pintoricchio in rooms Xll and Xlil.

The Adoration of the Wise Kings is the masterpiece by the young Pietro, probably still with the collaboration of Pintoricchio. However, the main attraction is the eight paintings with the Miracles of St. Bernardine, joined with a Banner by Benedetto Bonfigli, dated 1473. Here you can see the young Pintoricchio, the young Perugino, perhaps Bramante and other authors which are difficult to identify.

In the following rooms (XV, XVI, XVII, XVI11, XIX, XX, XXI) are paintings of the first half of the 16th century when Peruginos and the Umbrian school were undergoing a recession due to the oncoming of great personalities such as Michelangelo and Raphael and the subsequent Mannerism.

In rooms XXI works by Doni and the Alfanis, the mostfamous Mannerists of the time. In room XXII, a long corridor called "il tesoro"; precious goldsmith's work, ivory objects and bronze statues are displayed in glass cases, Enter the Cappella dei Priori painted by Benedetto Bonfigliwith scenes from the lives of St. Ercolano and St. Ludovico, with an enchanting picture of Perugia in the 15th century. Then room XXIV containing fragmented sculptures from the Chapel of the Maesta delle Volte, exquisite works by Agostino di Duccio. The Gallery's new wing includes the large Podiani room (XXVI); with works of the late Mannerism period and the early 17th century, and a spiral staircase leading to numerous smaller rooms which were once the cells of the ancient prison. In these rooms are artstic objects of the 17th and 18th centuries, some exam ples from the topographic museum and agroup of ancient Perugian cloths. Of particular interest are the paintings of the Adoration of the Wise Kings by Arrigo Fiammingo (1564), St. Cecilia with an Angel by Orazio Gentileschi, Nativity of Our Lady and a mystical Weddind of St. Catherine by Pietro da Cortona and a Presentation in the Temple by Andrea Sacchi.

Some of the Gallery's works are to be found in other museums and art galleries in Umbria, such a Citta di Castello and Spoleto.

IPOGEO DEI VOLUMNI. This hypogeum is certainly the most beautiful and interesting Etruscan tombs in the surrounds of Perugia. Situated on the outskirts of Ponte San Giovanni, it was discovered in 1840. It is a series of underground rooms - alarge atrium, a tablinum (or cell) and eight small side cellsdug out of tuff stone. In its layout and some of the decorations on the ceiling it resembles the form of a Roman house. The exact date of the complex is uncertain, but it can be approximately traced back to the second century BC. In the tablinum are urns, five of which are made of travertine stone and one of marble. The most interesting urn is the one of the magistrate Aruns Volumnio, head of the family. A statue of the man depicts him sitting on a death bed giving up offerings to the gods. Underneath are two'ease, infernal deities guarding the gates of Hades. Attached to the hypogeum is an important collection of smalurns from the nearby necropolis of Palazzone and a smallmuseum with the objects discovered in the tomb.

IPOGEO Dl SAN MANNO. At about three kilometres from the Fonteveggi station, not far from via Cortonese, lies the hypogeum of San Manno. It is a large vaulted room of travertine-stone blocks in an architectural style which precedes the 2nd and 1st canfury Roman structures. On the walls is a three line inscription in Etruscan, one of the longest of its kind known toexist. Above the hypogeum (3rd century BC) is a churchrestored in the 16th century, with traces of frescoes from the 14th century and a fresco by Scilla Pecennini (1585).

IPOGEO DELLO SPERANDIO. Near-the Villa Sperandio (Porta Sant'Angelo) lies an important Etruscan hypogeum (2nd century BC). You go down about five metres and enter the vaulted sepolchre dug out of stone. In the large sarcophagus made of travertine wasa skeleton of a woman. The rich archeological finds (gold objects) have been transferred to the Archeological Museum of Florence. An archaic sarcophagus was found int he necropolis with engravings of a procession of warriors, now displayed in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Perugia (6th century BC).

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Legend of the Pictures:

8. The fountain at Fontivegge