Perugia

Perugia is a quaint little town Northeast of Rome in the province of Umbria. It's an ironic place, where designer shops inhabit the lower levels of old, well restored buildings dating back to the Renaissance and earlier. The architecture of Perugia was my favorite characteristic of the town. It basically has not changed since the days of the Renaissance, and wandering around there, one can imagine what it must have felt like in centuries past. Restaurants and shops are tucked down dark alleyways, giving the town a mysterious and
intriguing feel. The town is high in the mountains, and the view from the town’s periphery was absolutely breathtaking. The train ride there was only about 2.5 hours, so my friends and I made a day trip out of it, leaving Rome very early in the morning and returning late at night. I have come to love riding on trains. The country landscape is so peaceful, and leaving early as we did, I could watch the sun come up over fields and vegetable patches scattered over the hills North of Rome. The trains are rarely crowded, and they provide me with a nice break from the world, and a good place to think while looking out the window.
Perugia's claim to fame is that it is the home of the Perugina factory where Baci candies are made. Baci are Italy's version of Hershey kisses (only they taste much better). They are made with dark chocolate, filled with hazelnut crème and pieces of hazelnut. We stopped in the Perugina store while there and I bought a ton of Baci as well as some of their other chocolates. Mushrooms are indigenous to Perugia and as it is mushroom season, I wanted to get a dish prepared with mushrooms while I was there. A friend of mine who had been to Perugia before recommended a restaurant to us called "La Lanterna", which unfortunately was closed "per ferie". Gotta love that Italian Bureaucracy. However, all worked out well since the closing of La Lanterna led us to Ristorante Vecchia Perusia, a restaurant of old to say the least. It was one room big, run by a husband and wife, and upon entering we could see into the kitchen where there sat an elderly Italian woman, cooking all the meals herself surrounded by fresh veggies and meat cuts. The menu was handwritten, simple, stated all over it were affirmations of the fact that everything they served was made in the home. We ordered Bruschetta to start- 2 euro for four pieces of bread topped with the freshest, most delicious tomatoes, drizzled in olive oil and the perfect blend of spices. For the main course I ordered Tagliatelle al Tartufo, which is basically spaghetti noodles with truffles in a oil and garlic sauce. This was the most expensive dish on the menu, which, at 9 euro, wasn't really that expensive at all, especially considering the fact that a dish made with truffles is extremely hard to find in America, and even if you could find it, you would pay at least $30 for it. The pasta was simple, but perfect. The truffles were chopped so finely that they blended into every bite. The owner of the restaurant, name-not kidding- Frank Banana, was very friendly and conversive with us. He wanted to know where we were from, what we were studying, what we were doing in Perugia, etc. I think he was a legend around the town becuase there were newspaper articles about him and the restaurant all over the walls, as well as pictures of him posing with different people, some of whom looked to be very important, though I can't say I recognized them. The restaurant has been around since 1930, and was obviously passed down through the generations of the family. Experiences like this one have been my favorites throughout this study abroad experience. They are the realizations of the Italy I've read about in romance novels; a place where mom and pop establishments run the show, the food is freshly prepared by grandma in the kitchen, everything smells like basil and fresh bread, and the people are friendly and warm. This is the Italy part of Italian culture I will always love. After lunch we hiked out of town and up a mountain for about an hour to find the Perugina factory where Baci candies are made. The factory gives tours daily from 9:30 am to 8 pm...or so we thought. Apparently, as we learned when, exhausted, we reached the factory, tours do not start until November. Looking back at the experience now, my friends and I laugh at it. At the time however, after climbing up a mountain in 80 degree sunshine, no one was laughing. We got over the disappointment quickly however. Tempus fugit, even if you're sweaty and not having fun (i.e., walking uphill for a long time) and there was still more to see in Perugia. We spent the rest of the day going to a museum which held a lot of beautiful artwork, and just wandering in and out of shops, and of course, eating Baci and other Perugina chocolate.

Perugia Photos