City Walls, Gates & Buildings
The plan of the Etruscan city can be surmised from the circuit of city walls, three kilometers of travertine winding up and down across the steep sides of the hill. Rows of rectangular rough stone blocks laid without mortar form its characteristic structure, and long stretches are still visible.
This imposing monument was built in about the second half of the 3rd century BC, probably in a relatively short period of time. The line of the wall is broken by large and small gates, openings for carts or pedestrian traffic. Flanked by two towers, the Etruscan Arch (Arco di Augusto) rises majestically. A bulwark lashed by the north wind, it proudly keeps watch over the mountains of Gubbio.
A more monumental gate, steeped in symbolic values, Porta Marzia seems to welcome those who come from the Tiber, from Assisi, Orvieto or Rome. Articulate messages expressed in the language of architecture. Within the walls, water – a vital resource during lengthy sieges. Thus there are wells, conduits and cisterns, public works conceived by Etruscan engineers to quench the town’s thirst. Impressive and unique for its daring architectural design is the Sorbello Well, dug into the acropolis. Again we find blocks of travertine, perfectly laid with the same masterly skill seen in the courses of rock encircling the town.
At Santa Elisabetta a beautiful mosaic covers a vast floor of over 100 m², depicting a tousled Orpheus charming animals with his music. At Piazza Cavallotti, a stretch of road was excavated just below the pavement. Entering through a trapdoor, one can see the paved street and other Roman structures.
Tombs and Necropolises
The city gates open onto a horizon of hills arranged in a circle. Natural and manmade paths facilitated contacts between Perugia and the other Etruscan cities, and as far as the lands of the Umbrians. The necropolises lie along these routes.
The Volumni Hypogeum, a monument holding seven members of the Velimna family, is a true gem. An underground edifice, it reproduces the rooms of a house of high social standing. The tomb is part of the vast Palazzone necropolis, recently structured to allow access to visitors.
Barrel-vaulted tombs lined with travertine can also be found in the Perugia area. An example of this type of tomb is the San Manno Hypogeum in Ferro di Cavallo. This well-preserved structure has an inscription of three lines on its left wall.
The Faggeto tomb lies hidden in the midst of a wood a few kilometers outside Perugia. Dug into a ridge in the Pantano area, its travertine door still groans on hinges hewn from stone.