Perugia

I only knew two things about Perugia prior to this past weekend.  First, that it was home to Perugina Baci, Italy's most famous candy.  And second, that one of my dance alums, Julie Falk, was living there.  Both seemed like good reasons to explore this ancient city. 

First a little bit about the chocolate.  For those of you who have never encountered a Perugina Baci, it's a piece of gianduja (chocolate, nougat and ground hazelnuts) wrapped around a whole hazelnut, which is then covered in several layers of dark chocolate. "Baci”, which translates as "kisses" (and, needless to say, are way better than Hershey’s kisses), are then covered in a silver wrapper with blue stars.  Inside the wrapper are romantic expressions written in a number of languages.  Next time I am in Perugia, a factory tour is definitely on the agenda. 

Julie, a Gustavus alum of ’08, is doing an internship at the Umbra Institute, an accredited study abroad program where students learn Italian while taking courses in art, political science, history and culture.  She met us on Saturday at the Fontana Maggiore, a monumental medieval fountain located right in the center of Perugia. Located in the Piazza IV Novembre, it is not only the geographical center, it is clearly the artistic and social center of the city as well.  Julie escorted us through the steep and narrow streets where bits of the Etruscan past bump up against the medieval and the modern.  We eventually found our way down to the Christmas market, however the one in Perugia was like none other we have seen.  First of all, it was down underneath the city, in the labyrinth like substructure remains of the Rocca Paolina, a once great fortress from the 16^th Century, which is gradually being excavated.  And, second, it had beautiful artisan crafts and foods. I bought a pair of knit fingerless gloves (the better to take photographs) and we sampled some of the food.  

After negotiating the crowds in the Christmas market, we met up with two of Julie’s friends, graduate students in architecture from Clemson University, for dinner at Osteria Del Tempo Perso (Osteria of Lost Time). This was a wonderful hidden treasure.  There is no sign advertising this spot, you simply need to know which door to open, in a particular little alley.  It is the opposite of fast food.  Everything is prepared from scratch, by one person, while you are there.   Many of the foods (baked potatoes with gorgonzola cheese, meats, vegetables) are cooked on coals in the fireplace in the corner.  It was a great meal at a more than reasonable price.  After a two hour dinner of lively conversation and delicious food, Julie and friends escorted us back to a familiar landmark, and Josh and I found our way back to our hotel. 

I found Perugia fascinating on so many levels.  First of all, it is visually stunning.  The panoramic views of the valleys, and Etruscan arches and aqueducts, the narrow alleys, and mile long stone stairs, all add up to “something ancient and mysteriously new.” (Alan Whykes)

I find it also interesting, because it is literally overflowing with students which gives it a different energy than the cities that are overflowing with tourists.  The Universita degli Studi di Perugia, was founded in the 13^th Century and currently has a student body of close to 35,000.  And, the University for Foreigners of Perugia, conceived and founded by Mussolini in the 1920’s, adds another 8,000 college-age students to city’s population.  There is also a music conservatory and Fine Arts Academia.  Students from all over Italy, and all over the world, come to Perugia to study.  This, of course, has its negative side, such as when busloads of drunken college students stumble back from the dance clubs during the wee hours of the morning.  But it also gives Perugia a vibrancy and at least the possibility for real intercultural dialogues.

I have become fond of chain of bookstores in Italy called La Feltrinelli.  Here in Perugia at La Feltrinelli, I found this interesting book called Within These Walls: A Perugian Anthology, edited by Alan Whykes.  It is a collection of reflections, stories and poems about the experience of foreigners in Perugia.  Here is an excerpt from my favorite, an entry that was simply a long letter written to friends and family at home by a student from Minnesota named Megan Sangster.  “I love Perugia when the fog rolls in, as I does in January.  The city sits along on a hill, overlooking seven valleys, and when the fog is on them, it’s like the city is an island unto itself.  The Etruscans built Perugia long before Christ, even long before Rome.  It’s hard imagine that the city has been here since the very beginning of history, but it has.  The evidence is literally outside my door; the huge gate that the Etruscans built to protect the city and intimidate their enemies is visible from my road. Even though the gate and the ancient wall that encircles the city still stand, Perugia evokes the Middle Ages more than any other.  The tiny side streets that make the center such a labyrinth are narrow and dark; the light barely reaches the ground through the closely-set buildings, and the lanterns strung between them offer hardly any help.  In daylight they look charming and quaint, inviting you to come and explore them, but when night comes they become almost sinister.  I always half imagine that inside the building some medieval mad man lurks, writing frantic letters, hunched over his desk, planning some dramatic intrigue.”

Two days was barely enough to catch a glimpse of this complex and ancient city. I bought a small box of Perugina Baci so I could take a little of Perugia with me to Rome.  I just ate one.  The “expression” inside said, “If you know how to seek fortune, it is closer than you think.” I must know how to seek fortune, because I am quite sure it has been our traveling companion from the beginning.