Early bird’s eye view of Perugia

Early 'map-view' of Perugia, published in the 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum', the first series of printed town plans. Seen from the south in a bird's-eye view, the city sprawls across several hills and in places is protected by city walls and gates that make it look like a fortress. Some of its most important churches are on the periphery: on the northern edge of the city are Sant'Angelo at the centre and, near the southern boundary, San Pietro with a flat roof. Slightly above it in the picture is San Domenico. The complex comprising San Francesco and San Bernardino is on the western edge of the city. At the centre is the cathedral of San Lorenzo, a Gothic hall church. In front of the cathedral tower stands the celebrated Fontana Maggiore. An early ingenous settlement, Perugia flourished in the Middle Ages. It belonged to the Papal States from 1520 to 1680. Today the city with its university founded in 1276 is the capital of the province of Umbria