# Perugia: the climb is the problem, and it is solved

> The MiniMetro lifts you 160.6 meters into the old town every 2 minutes 30. Under the streets there is a buried quarter you cross for free.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/perugia
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Perugia sits on a ridge and the practical answer to that is the MiniMetro: 3,020 meters of line that lift you 160.6 meters from the Pian di Massiano car park into the old town, with a car every 2 minutes 30.

## The MiniMetro does the climbing

The line runs 3,020 meters from Pian di Massiano to Pincetto, overcoming 160.6 meters of height difference at a maximum gradient of 11.5%, with five intermediate stops. The 50 seat cars arrive every 2 minutes 30, the system moves up to 3,065 people an hour at 25 km/h, and it operates 7:00 am to 9:05 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 8:45 pm on Sundays and holidays (last departures, 2026).

This is the reason to park at the bottom rather than fight the hill. During the 2026 Umbria Jazz week the line logged 160,000 validations, which tells you what the alternative would have looked like on the road up. See [events in Perugia](/towns/perugia/events).

## A whole quarter buried under a fortress

The Rocca Paolina was built between 1540 and 1543 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger for Pope Paul III, swallowing an entire medieval district: the Baglioni houses, the Santa Giuliana borgo and the church of Santa Maria dei Servi.

You now walk through those buried streets for free, on escalators running 6:15 am to 2:00 am, with Porta Marzia open 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (2026). The gate itself is Etruscan, 3rd century BC, taken down and remounted by Sangallo in the face of his fortress. It is the fastest way between the bus stops below and Corso Vannucci, and most people use it without realizing what they are in. Read [Perugia buried a whole quarter](/stories/perugia-buried-a-whole-quarter).

## The Etruscan Arch, and a Roman edit

The arch stands 11 meters high, built of travertine blocks in the 3rd century BC as a gate in the Etruscan walls. The inscription Augusta Perusia was carved about two centuries later.

The reason for that edit is a war. Augustus had the city rebuilt after the Bellum Perusinum of 41 to 40 BC destroyed it, and the new name went on the old gate. Two building programs, 200 years apart, on the same stones.

## Thirty-seven meters straight down

The Etruscan well on Piazza Piccinino, also called the Pozzo Sorbello, was cut in the second half of the 3rd century BC and goes down 37 meters. The upper part is a cylinder 5.6 meters in diameter and 12 meters high, narrowing to 3 meters below.

Its roof is the engineering: two travertine arch beams of 80 quintals each, assembled without mortar or any binder, still carrying the square above. Three perennial springs feed it, so there is water at the bottom, and the stair down is narrow and damp. See [the Etruscan well and Rocca Paolina](/attractions/pozzo-etrusco-e-rocca-paolina) and [the national gallery of Umbria](/attractions/galleria-nazionale-umbria).

## Umbria Jazz owns July

The 54th edition is announced for July 9 to 18, 2027, and the festival has been a July fixture in this city for decades. The 2026 edition, July 3 to 12, set the record: over 46,000 tickets sold, more than €3 million in box office, 500 musicians in 80 line ups and 160 free events on the organizers' count.

The paid venues are the Arena Santa Giuliana, the Teatro Morlacchi and the Sala Podiani; everything else spills into the streets. For scale, ticket sales were 42,035 in 2024. If you want Perugia quiet, come in June. If you want Perugia at full volume, this is the week, and you book a bed months out. See [Umbria](/regions/umbria).

## FAQ

### How do you get up to the old town in Perugia?

The MiniMetro from the Pian di Massiano car park to Pincetto: 3,020 meters of line climbing 160.6 meters, with 50 seat cars every 2 minutes 30. It runs 7:00 am to 9:05 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 8:45 pm on Sundays and holidays in 2026.

### Is the Rocca Paolina free to visit?

Yes, entry costs nothing. The escalators through the buried quarter run 6:15 am to 2:00 am and Porta Marzia opens 7:00 am to 8:00 pm in 2026. It is also the shortest route between the lower town and the center, so most people use it as a corridor.

### How deep is the Etruscan well in Perugia?

37 meters. The upper section is a cylinder 5.6 meters across and 12 meters high, roofed by two travertine arch beams weighing 80 quintals each and set without mortar or binder. Three perennial springs still feed it. The entrance is on Piazza Piccinino.

### What is the Etruscan Arch in Perugia?

A gate in the Etruscan walls, 11 meters high, built of travertine blocks in the 3rd century BC. The inscription Augusta Perusia was added about two centuries later, when Augustus rebuilt a city wrecked in the Bellum Perusinum of 41 to 40 BC.

### When is Umbria Jazz in Perugia?

July. The 54th edition is announced for July 9 to 18, 2027. The 2026 edition ran July 3 to 12 and broke the record with over 46,000 tickets sold and more than €3 million taken, 500 musicians in 80 line ups, and 160 free events on the organizers' count.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il MiniMetro di Perugia collega il parcheggio di Pian di Massiano alla stazione Pincetto nel centro storico con una linea di 3.020 metri che supera 160,6 metri di dislivello e pendenza massima dell'11,5%; le vetture da 50 posti passano ogni 2 minuti e mezzo e il servizio va dalle 7.00 alle 21.05 nei feriali e dalle 9.00 alle 20.45 nei festivi (2026). | [Minimetro S.p.A.](https://www.minimetrospa.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Rocca Paolina di Perugia fu costruita fra il 1540 e il 1543 da Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane per volere di papa Paolo III inglobando un intero quartiere medievale, comprese le case dei Baglioni e la chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi: oggi il quartiere sepolto si attraversa gratuitamente con le scale mobili, attive dalle 6.15 alle 2.00 di notte, mentre Porta Marzia apre 7.00-20.00 (2026). | [Comune di Perugia](https://www.comune.perugia.it/luogo/rocca-paolina/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Arco Etrusco di Perugia, alto 11 metri e costruito in blocchi di travertino nel III secolo a.C. come porta delle mura etrusche, porta l'iscrizione 'Augusta Perusia' aggiunta circa due secoli dopo, quando Augusto fece restaurare la citta' devastata dal Bellum Perusinum del 41-40 a.C. | [Comune di Perugia](https://www.comune.perugia.it/luogo/arco-etrusco/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Pozzo Etrusco (o Pozzo Sorbello) di Perugia, scavato nella seconda meta' del III secolo a.C., e' profondo 37 metri: la parte alta e' un cilindro di circa 5,6 metri di diametro per 12 metri di altezza, coperta da due travature ad arco in travertino da 80 quintali ciascuna montate senza malta ne' leganti, ed e' alimentato da tre sorgenti perenni. | [Comune di Perugia](https://www.comune.perugia.it/luogo/pozzo-etrusco/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Umbria Jazz si tiene a Perugia in luglio e la 54esima edizione e' annunciata dal 9 al 18 luglio 2027; l'edizione 2026 (3-12 luglio) ha battuto il record con oltre 46.000 biglietti venduti e piu' di 3 milioni di euro di incasso, 500 musicisti in 80 formazioni e circa 160 eventi gratuiti. | [Fondazione di Partecipazione Umbria Jazz](https://www.umbriajazz.it/); [doc 2](https://www.umbriajazz.it/nuovo-record-di-umbria-jazz-con-oltre-46-000-biglietti-venduti-e-piu-di-3-milioni-di-euro-al-botteghino/) | medium | 2027-08-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.perugia.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Dawid Skalec. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fontana_Maggiore_a_Perugia_4.JPG

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/perugia.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/perugia.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/perugia.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/perugia.md