We arrived in Perugia, capital of Umbria, the first week of May just in time for spring flowers and warm sunny days. The primary reason we chose to stay here is to check out the University for Foreigners of Perugia which offers Italian language and culture classes which we hope to attend.  Perugia is known for art and culture and hosts the Umbria Jazz Festival in July and the Eurochocolate Festival in October. Get an overview of the city by walking around the 3 km wall and see 8 ancient gates including the travertine Etruscan Arch; you will need a good pair of legs to face the challenge of some of the steep streets. Check out this website for more information Tourism Perugia.

We spent our first week locating essential places for our next few weeks staying at the Airbnb Apartment; a great neighborhood wine bar, Venti Vino and a large Saturday market located in the parking lot of the soccer stadium which has everything from produce and meats to housewares and clothing.  On top of the hill near the main piazza we discovered Ristorante del Sole built into the hillside with a spectacular view of the countryside; we ate there several times and highly recommend it for either an aperitivo, lunch or dinner.  

Wandering the hillside streets one day we happened upon a medieval garden linked to the Benedictine complex of San Pietro complete with an alchemist lab exhibit and a tower where a monk watches over the garden. The garden layout planted with species typical of the time was proposed and advocated by Charlemagne in 812 AD to encourage the interest and cultivation of plants for the remarkable improvement of health conditions of the people.