Itineraries for Your Trip to Perugia
3 Days in Perugia for Foodies
In addition to an elegant old town bursting with restaurants and historic cafès, the provincial capital of Perugia also offers a base for exploring Umbria’s gourmet delights. Nibble your way through the historic center, set off to the surrounding hills to hunt for truffles, sip wines from the vineyards of Orvieto and Montefalco, and sample olive oil so rich that it is known as “liquid gold.”
I have lived near Perugia since the 1990s and have enjoyed the area’s traditional farm-to-table cuisine. The capital city has a few white-tablecloth restaurants, but rustic trattorias serving no-frills local fare are what Perugia and the surrounding region of Umbria do best Here’s how to savor the best local food and wine over three days.
Perugia and the surrounding region get significant rain in the spring and fall, so bring wet-weather gear for gastronomic excursions outdoors.
If you only have time for one thing, make it a heaping plate of truffle-laced pasta washed down with a bold sagrantino wine from Montefalco.
Kick off your time in Perugia by sampling the old town's best nibbles and sips. Explore with a local foodie guide to discover the culinary landmarks and hot spots along the main Corso Vannucci thoroughfare and the winding medieval lanes in the historic center, sampling sweet and savory specialties along the way.
End the day on a sweet note with a visit to Perugina’s chocolate museum and factory outside the city center (drive or take a taxi). Perugina has been one of Italy’s premier chocolatiers for more than a century, and its iconic Baci and other chocolate confections are still produced here.
The wooded hills ringing Perugia are known for prestigious black truffles. Drive out to join a local forager on a truffle hunt. Learn how the pups are trained to sniff out wild truffles beneath the leaf cover and watch as they discover buried treasure. Then, roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class to prepare (and eat) truffle-laced dishes.
The Umbrian hills outside Perugia are where some of the region’s top extra-virgin olive oils are produced. This afternoon, visit a family-run olive farm and mill to learn about traditional production, then relax over a guided tasting of artisan olive oil.
Dedicate your final day to sampling the region’s flagship wines. Set off across the Umbrian Valley to Montefalco, home to Umbria’s premier red sagrantino di Montefalco wine. Visit a boutique winery to learn the story of this bold, tannic wine almost lost to history and sample a few labels.
Alternatively, explore Umbria’s white wines in the vineyards surrounding Orvieto, located south of Perugia. The old town is set on a volcanic cliff, and the surrounding valley is famous for its dry grechetto and trebbiano wines with a distinct minerality. Visit a family-run winery for a stroll, cellar tour, and tasting.
