Perugia Car Hire

A city with a long history and a rich artistic heritage, Perugia is described in different ways: “Perugia Etrusca”, “Perugia Rinascimentale”, “Perugia Universitaria” and “City of Chocolate” are only some of the nicknames given to the Umbrian capital city, which are testimony of the different souls that characterise it.

Rebuilt by the Etruscans on a pre-existing Umbrian settlement, Perugia has also been a Roman colony with the name of Perusia, a free commune and city under papal rule. These different “dominations” have left important traces, well visible today in the city’s his-toric centre.

Besides being a city of art, Perugia is also a renowned centre of national and internation-al studies, thanks to the presence of one of the oldest universities in the world and the most important university for foreigners in Italy.

Perugia, what to see in the historic centre

Although it is not a classic destination for mass tourism, Perugia and its surrounding are-as have so much to offer and the best way to experience it all is by car.

You can rent a vehicle with Maggiore, which has several offices in Perugia: one at the central station, another at San Giacomo di Spoleto, where you will find a friendly and pro-fessional staff and a large rental fleet consisting of modern and well-equipped cars.

Safety is the priority for Maggiore and for this reason all the rental cars are scrupulously inspected and sanitised before delivery.

After renting your car, you can head to the city centre and start your visit from the Fontana Maggiore of Perugia, located in the heart of Piazza IV Novembre and considered one of the most famous fountains in Italy. You can then continue to Palazzo dei Priori, which houses the magnificent Sala delle Udienze frescoed by Perugino, to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, whose Chapel of S. Bernardino preserves the “Deposition of the Cross” by Federico Barocci, and to Rocca Paolina, a majestic fortress erected between 1540 and 1543 at the behest of Pope Paul III.

Worth visiting in Perugia are also the Gothic-style Basilica of San Domenico, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, seat of the Court of Perugia in the communal era, the Oratory of San Bernardino built in 1452 and the National Gallery of Umbria, which houses works of great prestige such as the “Madonna col Bambino” by Duccio di Buonin-segna and the “Madonna della Consolazione” by Perugino.

If you want to see something really exceptional, then take the car and drive to the Etruscan Well of Perugia, located in the underground section of Palazzo Sorbello and con-sidered a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering. While exploring San Giovanni you can visit the Hypogeum of Volumni, an ancient Etruscan tomb and part of the Necropolis of Palazzone.

Finally, among the things to see in the Umbrian capital are the House of Chocolate and the Historical Perugina Museum located in the hamlet of San Sisto, where you can re-trace the history of chocolate and participate in courses at the Chocolate School.

Perugia and its surroundings: the most beautiful villages to see near the Umbrian capital

After an intense tour of the city, we suggest visiting its outskirts, which has many places that are really worth seeing.

In fact, the outskirts of Perugia hides picturesque villages that will captivate you with their beauty and unique charm, and make your stay unforgettable.

In about 20 minutes by car you can reach Corciano, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”, accessible via Porta Santa Maria and Porta San Francesco. On entering the town, wander around the beautiful historic centre made of stairways and alleys and don’t miss the beautiful Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which contains the “L’Assunta” by Perugi-no, the Church San Cristoforo built in 1537 and the Paleontological Museum, with Etrus-can and Roman artefacts.

From Corciano head to Deruta, a village known for its famous Deruta majolica, where you can visit the Gothic Church of San Francesco and above all the Museum of Ceramics be-fore driving the 11 km to Torgiano, a village that welcomes you with the beauty of its me-dieval old town and rich traditional cuisine, well represented by two important museums, namely the Museum of Wine and the Museum of Olive Oil.

Other things to see in the area surrounding Perugia are the towns of Spello, a medie-val village known not only for its vast artistic heritage, but also for “L’Infiorata”, a religious event that takes place on the day of Corpus Domini when the streets of the city are adorned with beautiful flower carpets, Strozzacapponi, where you can visit the Etruscan necropolis, and Pretola, a small town east of Perugia, which houses the Church of S. Ni-cola di Bari and the beautiful Villa Mencaroni in Art Nouveau style.

There are many other places to visit in and around Perugia and you can easily discover them all with a road trip.