Perugia

Capital of Umbria, Italy, 520 m/1,700 ft above the River Tiber, about 137 km/85 mi north of Rome; population (2001) 149,100. Textiles, liqueurs, and chocolate are produced. One of the 12 cities of the ancient country of Etruria, it surrendered to Rome in 309 BC.

There is a university, founded in 1276; a municipal palace, built in 1281; and a 15th-century cathedral.

The town was taken by Octavian (later the Roman emperor Augustus) in 40 BC, and by the Ostrogoth king Totila in the 6th century. It came under the rule of the popes in 1534. The exchange building, the 15th-century Collegio del Cambio, and the Palazzo del Priori (Prior's Palace) contain works of art, including frescoes by Perugino. There are Etruscan walls and a gateway.

Perugia

Province of central Italy in northern Umbria region; capital Perugia; area 6,334 sq km/2,446 sq mi; population (2000 est) 612,600.