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Well worth the visit
APPEALING Perugia town with its `Big Fountain in the Centre' PHOTO: MONISH MUKHERJEE
Mi Piace Italia. I love
Italy. This was my
third visit to the country
in the last five
years, and that's how I feel
about it.
The best possible way to
see a country is to stay with
the local people, get to know
their culture and lifestyle
and enjoy their food and
wine. And head for the lesser
known names. Generally
people select places such as
Rome, Venice, Florence, etc.,
but they miss out on those
not-so-frequented places in
Italy.
I was in Perugia, a small
but a picturesque town, the
capital of the region of Umbria.
Pronounced Peruja, it is
a small hill station about two
hours' train ride from
Rome's termini station. The
ticket is approximately 11
Euros one way (by regional
train). Ask for the Treno Regionale.
Perugia is an old Etruscan
City with attractions such as
the Historical Centre (Centro
Storico) and Etruscan
churches and arches.
The best way to see Perugia
is to stay there for two
days and walk around the
town at a leisurely pace. At
the Centre of Perugia is the
Corso Vanucci.
A walk down this road
with its historical buildings,
shops and caf‚s on both
sides leading up to a fountain
and the famous stairs of
Perugia is always enthralling.
A university town, it is
buzzing with concerts, Jazz
festivals, chocolate festivals,
wine and food festivals, etc.,
all year round.
There are plenty of hotels
ranging from 75 Euros to
200 Euros a night, but if you
are backpacker, there are
youth hostels too, like the
one in the city centre that
charges 12 Euros per night
per person.
The best thing about this
hostel is that you can cook
your own food in their large,
well-equipped kitchen. But I
would say it's a crime if you
are there and do not taste
the food at Perugia's osterias,
where you get to taste
the best authentic Italian
home food. A full threecourse
meal with wine costs
only 13 to 15 Euros.
A gourmand's delight
I have been to more than
30 cities in Italy, but Perugia
has the best food, ice creams,
pizzas, yoghurt and coffee.
When in Perugia, the one
thing you should not do is
diet.
Another aspect of Perugia
is its easy access to many
beautiful places, such as Siena,
Assisi, Orvieto, Florence,
Ancona, Foligno and Arezzo,
which are within one to two
hours' train ride. Being a
university town, it is cheaper
than other cities and also
is located in the heart of
Italy.
MONISH MUKHERJEE
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