Skip menu

Rocca Paolina

Overview

The salt trade, a dear and precious product until the industrial age, is at the centre of the events that led to the construction of the Rocca Paolina, a cyclopean defensive fortress at the southern end of Perugia's historic centre.

In 1540, in an attempt to enrich the coffers of the Church to finance the religious wars in the Holy Land, the then Pope Paul III tried to impose a much higher payment on the government of Perugia for the purchase of salt than had been agreed upon up to that time.

Irritated by this exorbitant demand, the Perugians, who had no way of procuring their own salt, rebelled against the papal decision and started a series of violent clashes against a military force, that of Paul III, which was much larger and more organised than theirs.

As predicted, the papal army occupied Perugia after a few months and the pope decided to assert his new role of dominion over the city by building the Rocca Paolina, which remained unused in the following centuries: Perugia was in fact never attacked, remaining permanently under Vatican control until 1860.

After careful restoration and recovery work, the Rocca Paolina now welcomes visitors along a fascinating walkway, which traverses the underground of the Umbrian capital with escalators and underground tunnels. One is in the heart of the 'buried city', and along the underground Via Bagliona one walks among streets and small squares, courtyards and fondachi, overlooked by the windows of ancient dwellings or bakeries and workshops. But along the tour, at the top of the escalators and in the midst of the 'past', in the Salone delle Acque, does not go unnoticed by Il Grande Nero created by Burri in 1980, an imposing 7.5 metre high kinetic sculpture in the shape of an irregular prism: on its top you can see a sort of lunette that, thanks to an internal mechanism, moves in a slow, silent and constant manner.

Rocca Paolina

11, Piazza Italia, 06121 Perugia PG, Italy

Call +390753681405

Related articles

Tours and experiences
terraces perugia

5 urban hikes to see 5 panoramic terraces in Perugia

Spirituality
Gubbio’s Festa dei Ceri

Gubbio’s Festa dei Ceri

Spirituality
Gubbio and the "Festa dei Ceri"

Gubbio and the "Festa dei Ceri"

Food and wine
Umbria, on the pursuit of flavor

Umbria, on the pursuit of flavor

Historical sites
PG Castiglione del Lago

Castiglione del Lago, a balcony on Lake Trasimeno

Cycling tourism
Umbria's artistic and landscape treasures by bike

Umbria's artistic and landscape treasures by bike

Tours and experiences
gran tour umbria

A Grand Tour of Umbria - Combined bus and cycling trips will let you discover some well-hidden treasures

Nature
Umbria: the scenic flight here takes place against an enchanting backdrop of villages, hills and blooming meadows

Umbria: the scenic flight here takes place against an enchanting backdrop of villages, hills and blooming meadows

Cultural cities
2 days in Perugia: the itinerary

2 days in Perugia: the itinerary

Nature
Mount Subasio Park: a protected and sacred natural area

Mount Subasio Park: a protected and sacred natural area

Cycling tourism
Nera River Cycle Path: cycling through forests and waterfalls

Nera River Cycle Path: cycling through forests and waterfalls

Villages
Lake Trasimeno and its villages

Lake Trasimeno and its villages

Cultural cities
Perugia

Perugia: a historical and artistic jewel and beacon of central Italy

Villages
Castiglione del Lago

Città della Pieve: a mini medieval masterpiece

Food and wine
In Umbria, cuisine speaks nature's language

In Umbria, cuisine speaks nature's language

Celebrations
the cable car in Gubbio

Christmas in Gubbio, 5 unmissable things for a dream itinerary

UNESCO
Assisi, a sanctuary with a priceless historical heritage

Assisi, a sanctuary with a priceless historical heritage

Art and culture
The Third Paradise in Assisi, the unexpected work of art in the Bosco di San Francesco

The Third Paradise in Assisi, the unexpected work of art in the Bosco di San Francesco

Art and culture
PRECI | Umbria

Lush valleys and pristine environments: Umbria, the green heart of Italy

Leisure
The Todi Festival

The Todi Festival

Ops! An error occurred while sharing your content. Please accept profiling cookies to share the page.