Perugia
Perugia, like almost all the cities of the Umbria, is located on a hill and was Etruscan city of great importance, like testifies monuments which the Etruscan Arco, the Porta Marzia, the Etruscan Pozzo. In II century d.C. Ottaviano emperor encircled and besieged it, he conquered Perugia giving it the name of "Augusta Perusia". After the fall of the Empire Romano the city endured numerous invasions until delivering up itself in free Comune in XI century and was in that period that the city started to engage that urban aspect that still countersigns it today, becoming rich of splendid palaces, scultoree of remarkable value. Perugia is not however refolded on his past. Modern mobile staircases pass under the rests of the fortress constructed in the 1540-43 from Papa Paul III, (the Rocca Paolina, destroyed between 1849 and 1860) and catch up the center of the city, crossing seven centuries of history. We are in Corso Vannucci, of forehead to the greater side of Palazzo of the Piori. The portale to all sixth accommodates the three knows patrons statues of the city: Lorenzo Ercolano and Costanzo.
Exiting from Palazzo of the Priori, on the left, there is the Collegio of the Mercanzia: with close Collegio of the Cambio, he testifies the importance of the two "Arti Grosse" in the city life and the prosperity caught up in communal age.
Umbria Jazz Festival is, without doubt, one of the more important manifestations dedicated to the jazz of Europe. From when in 1973 he was inaugurated the first edition of Umbria Jazz Festival, the greatest artists have exhibited themselves to Perugia of the sort:
in 70 years ' Dizzy Gillespie, Sam Rivers, Herbie Hanckok, Enrico Rava, Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton and in the more recent editions of festival the Dedee Bridgewater, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Terence Blanchard, Paul Conte, Vinicio Capossela, Nicholas Arigliano, Miriam Makeba, Renzo Arbore and its Swing Maniacs, Sergio Cammariere, The Coolbone Brass Band of New Orleans, Lyle Henderson & Emmanuel Gospel Singers.
Usually Umbria Jazz Festival is carried out in the month of July for approximately ten days during which they give the morning to the evening, without solution of continuity, in the historical center of Perugia will keep tens of concerts with musical proposals that space by now on the entire musical horizon in order to embrace the tastes of public the most heterogenous one.