rocca paolina

I do not know what I expected, but I'm certainly not this. Beautiful , labyrinthine alleys in the old fortress , with no more info . Empty space nicely and well cared for . A few cannon or a statue here and there. In the end, slidingstairs to the old town. Wasn`t disoppointment, but nothing so special I waited.

Just going up and up and up through the old Rocca itself is an amazing experience. Then upon arrival, the little park and the panoramic view of the city is lovely. The entire pedestrian area is also lovely if you like shopping. It open and welcoming.

Perugia is the city on hill, and Rocca Paolina is amazing experience because you can pass through the Rocca, and at the same time through the hill, by foot and by escalator from bottom to top of for few minutes.... When you go out on the top, you will come into the old city of Perugia.

Tremendous opportunity to walk through a recovered medieval city! The area is also used for markets and displays.

I am on an escalator then I am being raised up into an under world of catacombs. This area is not only the way to get from the lower part of Perugia to the top, it is a fascinating destination. Leading up to Christmas the Rocca is full of craft and art stalls of a high quality making it an easy place to linger and enjoy the atmosphere.

A series of constructions and destructions over time can be read in these magnificently weird and mysterious underground spaces.. A medieval neighborhood, probably based on ancient foundations, is buried inside a pope's defensive fortress ... Evocative and mysterious, and beautifully restored and lit, it also contains several exhibition spaces. Children too will be fascinated by the Rocca Paolina.

When you just take the escalator from the parking or the bus station, it looks interesting. But when you read the history is becomes intriguing. Great what Perugia did with this part of town.

See the old neighborhood of the Baglioni while you ride escalators to and from the historic center. Yes, escalators. Perugia's been trying to keep cars out of the center, and the escalators as well as the minimetrò are a way of getting people in without their cars.

With a friend from the local area we walked down into these tunnels at night. They are all lit up and have an air of mystery. With 6 kids tagging along we walked from room to room. We learned that this was the original streets of the medieval town centre. Then the Pope of 1300-something wanted to build on top, so he literally just capped off the whole area, which looks intentional now, like it was always there. But then we learned that it was in fact just built upon the old, turning that zone into tunnels. The escalator is out of service, so there was a limit to walking around. A safe, easy and interesting walk tondo with kids.

A strange castle which has an escalator inside it, leading to the main streets of centro storico. It's impressive from the outside and inside houses ancient ruins. A cool place to escape on a hot day but it is a little creepy.

Rocca Paolina is such an interesting, cool place to go through with the escalator built within it. While walking underground, one gets to see the remains of medieval times. From the outside, it is visible from many areas and is quite impressive.

This was thoroughly enjoyable for two reasons. First, it was great to literally walk through the ruins on ancient times. They are very well preserved, with a few rooms off to the side -- some of which are used as places to present shows etc. Second, within this "rock" are a series of escalators which transport you up and down Perugia. Wonderful! Effortless!

This is the remains of a part of Perugia which was destroyed by the then pope for the purpose of providing foundations for the fortifications that the same pope built in about 1540. It is possible to walk through the partially restored foundations and see the building structures which remain. The papal fortress above was destroyed in the 19th century.

Rocca Paolina can be accessed from Piazza Italia and Via Masi across from Hotel Brufani Palace. I thought I was going to an underground shopping center, but it's far more interesting-cavernous rooms from the past with a very eerie feeling. By taking the first free escalator down you can walk through the caves and out to Porta Mariza-this is the most interesting area. You can return to the second escalator and continue down a series of escalators, but it's not near as interesting as at the bottom of the first escalator from Piazza Italia. It's free and there are several security cameras and occasional "police" to watch over activities, so it seems very safe. It was very unexpected and I really enjoyed walking through this area. Of course this isn't a new construction project, so expect uneven bricks in the street and watch your step. Recommended if you are strolling the nearby Piazza Italia for a 20 minute visit.

My first impression of "the rock" were feelings of mystery and magic. Its medieval history is most impressive and despite its cavernous nature feels safe in part due to sentinels who keep vigil over the tourists.