Art, stars and evocative Igloos! Here’s what to do for Christmas in Perugia during this winter 2019

Faced with the many initiatives undertaken for this Christmas period by the most important Italian cities and winter tourist attractions, the City of Perugia also wanted to present its rich offer. The ability to confirm itself as a sought-after destination for winter holidays, combined with the persistent nature of reinventing itself and inventing new solutions, makes the Umbrian capital one of the first choices of national and international tourists.That’s why even in this Christmas season 2019, there will be only to get lost among the thousand play of lights and suggestive decorations that will make the center of Perugia a magical place to spend peaceful and cultural holidays. The great novelty in terms of decorations is described by the presence of igloos and the planetarium. Adding to these an important calendar of cultural, artistic and entertainment events, here’s what to do for Christmas in Perugia.

As anticipated municipal administration wanted to enrich the tourist offer of an original as well as winter Christmas gift. First of all, as if to recall with more emphasis the evocative “stellar” theme, a planetarium will be set up in Piazza Matteotti, next to the skating rink which, like every year, will entertain children and adults. The stars will still be well present even in the most canonical form of illuminations that will sprinkle streets, corners and squares of a historical center that is always welcoming and populated.

Borrowing one of the most famous Arctic traditions, in Perugia there will be as many as 6 transparent design igloos set up outside bars and restaurants. In essence they will act as an extension of some restaurant activities, and will allow guests to taste a meal or an aperitif with optimal temperatures and surrounded by an atmosphere magically illuminated by the stars at night.

Christmas Markets, Theater and Music: What else to do and see in Perugia for the 2019 Christmas holidays

The theme of the novelties regarding decorations and restaurant solutions was anticipated, with the 30-meter igloos for a capacity of 24-28 people, it is worth noting that the protagonist of Christmas in Perugia 2019 will once again be art. There are many reviews in progress that will offer their best shows and concerts in December. Those who choose Perugia know they always find, and even more in winter, a wide choice of theater performances, exhibitions, guided tours and international quality concerts. Here is a brief presentation of the events not to be missed in December in Perugia:

• THE AUTUMN OF THE MIDDLE AGES IN UMBRIA: Sala dei Notari – free tours

  Until 04th January 2020, every Saturday at 5.30 pm,  guided tours of the exhibition on the wedding coffins in golden plaster and a forgotten shop in Perugia. A visual investigation that goes beyond the common medieval evidence of altarpieces and cycles of frescoes of religious destination. In this exhibition the rarest furnishings of domestic reality are exhibited such as the wedding chests, in which the bride placed her talents and precious objects. The wedding bonnets are considered the most refined objects of the luxurious residences of the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. In Perugia, some shops excelled in the production of these artifacts: decorated with gilded plaster reliefs, minutely engraved with punches or with the tip of a stiletto. The hoods were only partially colored, in the faces and in some garments.

  These are real stories of the most secret stories in the life of noble families, of their way of life and self-representation, transporting us to the figurative culture of Perugia in the 15th century. Here other info and reservations!

• Perugia Jazz Club: international event on December 23rd at Teatro Morlacchi

In the umpteenth jazz festival and in the city of jazz par excellence, the opportunity to exchange greetings at Gospel rhythm.
J. David Bratton, a true gospel phenomenon, returns to Italy with EVERY PRAISE & VIRGINIA UNION GOSPEL CHOIR. A musical and singing formation that brings together the best American gospel singers and musicians from Virginia and New York, for a total of 30 artists. A modern show, in which elegance and style are elevated to the same level as the sung themes and vocality. A concert that proposes magnificent voices, which, joining together, reach an incredible force of impact and a musical balance of great artistic depth.

• Traditional Christmas Markets: Rocca Paolina from 06th December

Among the most awaited things to do for Christmas in Perugia could certainly not miss one of the most awaited traditions in every place for the Christmas period. From 06th December the usual appointment returns to the Rocca Paolina, with the Christmas markets in Perugia that will excite visitors and tourists with typical products and Christmas objects.. Every year among these historic walls, an evocative Christmas market is set up. Also this year there will be over 50 exhibitors who will offer to the many visitors the most sought after and the less known typical products of the place and traditional objects of the period.

• Concerts of the festival “Amici della Musica”: Sunday 15 December and Saturday 28 December at the Cucinelli Theater

The “Amici della Musica” Association confirms its role as a key player in the dissemination of quality music for the entire city and for Umbria. During the Music Season 2019/2020, two events not to be missed during the approach to Christmas and the new year. In the dynamic framework made up of young international talents, refined interpreters and world-famous orchestras, two appointments are entered with the Perugia Chamber Orchestra. The task of reinforcing the close ties with the local public, and to serve as a pleasant discovery for tourists, will therefore go first to the orchestra with Simone Soldati at the piano and Hugo Ticciati director. Music by Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert and Domenico Puccini. Free admission for the next appointment with “Cantiones Sacrae”, with the Canticum Novo Choir, the Perugia Chamber Orchestra and the director Fabio Ciofini.

• Christmas time in Perugia with children: A theater performance in December for the festival “Teatro di Domenica”

Christmas is known, it is above all the children’s celebration. For all those who are about to visit this green corner of Italy with children it could be important to be mark a December appointment within the “Il Teatro di Domenica” event. As a respectable tradition, then it will be the turn of a timeless masterpiece. A Christmas Carol, based on the story by Dickens, will focus on Scrooge’s relationship with the beyond and on the mechanisms that will lead him to redeem himself. Staying true to the narrations of the original work, this show entirely in English, shows a somewhat darker but also hilarious vision of the relationship between the world of the afterlife and the protagonist.

We have only proposed some of the many winter events in Perugia!

Do you want to find out more about what to do for Christmas in Perugia? Book your stay in December and discover the city in a magical atmosphere like in no other period!

Ten Days in the Middle Ages … That’s why you can’t miss the Gaite Market in Bevagna

As always, we are about to experience an exciting summer in Perugia. Between the countdown to world events like Umbria Jazz and the success of important art exhibitions, it is good to broaden the tourist horizons, highlighting very interesting things to see even near Perugia. There are so many attractions within easy reach that it is always difficult to choose which one to recommend first. The summer period often coincides with the putting in dinner of extraordinary medieval re-enactments in Umbria. The best time to visit the fortified and enchanting villages is in the months of May and June. That’s why you should be ready to discover these places even during the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019.

On the occasion of what is a real Medieval Festival in Bevagna, the streets of the village are populated by the “noise” of ancient shops. Ten days in which each time is like going back a thousand years, recalling the importance that Bevagna had between 1250 and 1350. The whole community participates in the most awaited event, in a festive entertainment between games, taverns, banquets and shops. The aim is to immerse yourself completely in the daily life of that time, respecting the organization of the ancient medieval city divided precisely into neighborhoods called Gaite:

• Saint John
• Sancta Maria Filorum Comitis
• Saint Peter
• Saint George

In order to obtain a meticulous reconstruction, a group of scholars has examined the 16th century Statute of the Municipality of Bevagna since 1983. This is why the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019 will still take place based on reliable information on the life of the time. All this has allowed us to know what the Gaite are and to give the public one of the most beautiful medieval re-enactments in Italy.

What to see in Umbria from 20th to 30th June with the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019

For ten days, at the end of June, Bevagna takes a dip in a remote past. The ancient shops of medieval crafts reopen their doors and resume their activities. The streets are populated with “bevanati” that live in everyday clothes of their ancestors eating, working, playing just like them. Admiring this charming village in Umbria, every tourist will therefore be able to find a great variety of gastronomic objects and products:

• fabrics
• leather objects
• wicker and ropes
• paper
• wrought iron
• copper
• handmade candles
• cheese
• fish
• freshly baked bread and buns.

In the Gaite Market of Bevagna each “gaita” has been able to give its market an autonomous and, in some ways, characterizing physiognomy. Each of them is also animated by the competitive spirit with which it gives life to the four races typical of medieval festivals.

• Market competition
• Race of trades
• Gastronomic competition
• Archery sports competition.

A complex system of points, assigned by expert professors in the different fields called to judge the historical relevance of the reconstructions, decrees the receiving winner as a gift of the Palio della Vittoria. The competition of ancient crafts is particularly fascinating. Walking among the only paths of Bevagana it is thus possible to meet a painter and the art laboratory, the zecchiere and the coinage, the blacksmith and the bell-ringer, the ars cartaria or even the glassmaker.

The strong spirit of belonging to each “gaita” makes competitions compelling and all to be lived, while raising the quality level of medieval re-enactment. The Gaite Market in Bevagna is today one of the most important historical events in Umbria and is part of the Regional Association of Historical Events.

Stay in Perugia from 20th to 30th June to take advantage of an extraordinary medieval visit to Bevagna!

Thanks to the Gaite Market 2019 you will experience the emotions of Umbria for almost a thousand years!

Unforgettable as Umbria: In Perugia, Unforgettable Umbria art exhibition until November 2019

Few other terms like “unforgettable” are associated with a place or territory characterized by more or less evident characteristics that make it. It is even more common to feel able to associate the term with a travel experience, a journey made up of stages that remain, and must remain, connected and in memory. Among the unforgettable places in many aspects there is obviously Umbria, with its green landscapes unobtainable elsewhere and with deep and varied artistic forms that in every corner of the region reinforce and reinterpret the link between past and present. It is indeed a true artistic journey that promises to do with its visitors the Unforgettable Umbria Art exhibition in Perugia.

The Landscape and the memory in Umbria represent absolutely central and indissoluble values over time. Even during the last century and more precisely from the second half of the twentieth century. It was at this time that great contemporary artists settled in different parts of Umbria. Places where it was possible to trace that ideal dimension for the search for identity, interpreted, enriched and manifested with authentic masterpieces.

Umbria is therefore a land of contemporary art. A message that seems to be in contradiction with the ancient history and the classic style that make memorable Umbrian medieval towns and villages. Yet the relationship between this form of expressiveness and Umbria is also incredibly present and incredibly present. This is why the art exhibition Unforgettable Umbria in Perugia represents a precious occasion to discover and remember many contemporary art itineraries in Umbria. with any doubt this is one of the most important exhibitions in Perugia in 2019, from April 13th to November 3rd at Palazzo Baldeschi.

The history of Contemporary Art in Umbria at the art exhibition Unforgettable Umbria in Perugia

The fascinating story between contemporary art and Umbria began on April 13 at the noble floor of Palazzo Baldeschi in Perugia. A must-see for lovers of the genre and for all visitors to the city. Inserted among the most important artistic events of the year 2019, the painting and sculpture exhibition will be open until November. An extraordinary selection of over fifty works including paintings and sculptures made by the most famous of world renown such as:

• Alighiero Boetti
• Alberto Burri
• Alexander Calder
• Giuseppe Capogrossi
• Piero Dorazio
• Yves Klein
• Leoncillo
• Brian O’Doherty
• Sol LeWitt
• Beverly Pepper
• Ivan Theimer
• Giuseppe Uncini

The many testimonies that link these and other artists to the cities of Umbria will be discovered. Stories like those of Piero Dorazio and Alighiero Boetti so tied to Todi; or that of William Congdon, who left New York, and having converted will be in Assisi for 20 years. And then the story of Giuseppe Capogrossi and his large murals for the former Convent of the Capuchins of Gubbio. Or again, the love between Sol Lewitt and Spoleto and Yves Klein, who in his five years spent in Umbria bequeathed the extraordinary ex voto in the Monastery of Santa Rita in Cascia (click here to see the video).

A long and fascinating series of interventions on the territory, often favored by a far-sighted patronage. A prestigious mosaic of presences that becomes an exhibition opportunity among the first things to see in Perugia in 2019. An exhibition not to be missed and destined to become an era as it was for the great sculpture exhibition “Spoleto 62” and “The space of the image”  in 1967.

UNFORGETTABLE UMBRIA – “Art at the center between vocation and commissioning” until 03rd November, Palazzo Baldeschi – Corso Vannucci, 66 Perugia

• Opening time
  From Tuesday to Thursday: 3.00 pm – 7.30 pm; from Friday to Sunday: 11.00 – 13.30 / 14.30 – 19.30
  For info and reservations: Tel 075.5734760 (during museum opening hours) – palazzobaldeschi@fondazionecariperugiaarte.it
  www.fondazionecariperugiaarte.it

Are you ready to undertake the most extraordinary journey in Contemporary Art?

From now until November it is always the right occasion to not miss the most beautiful show in Umbria in 2019! Book your stay now!

Every last weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of each month a typical market fair is waiting you! The event is held in Piazza Italia and at the Giardini Carducci Park of Perugia, and during winter it is partially moved to the premises of the mighty fortress of Perugia, named Rocca Paolina.

The fair, organized by Confesercenti Umbria, is dedicated to  collectors and antique trade lovers. Here you can find antiques, modern antiques, collectable items and many exotica on sales!

Opening Hours: 8.00 a.m – 8.00 p.m.
For further information, please visit: http://turismo.comune.perugia.it

For room reservation, please click here!