Favourite places to eat/drink/be

Cafes:

YouGrifo – So far, this is my favourite café I’ve found in Perugia. Located in Piazza Matteotti, it is nothing flashy or special, but I love that it has lots of seating where you know you can relax and enjoy a drink, rather than doing what the locals do which seems to be grab your espresso, basically gulp it in one, have a flick of the newspaper and head back to work. It’s just nice and chilled, and I’ve seen people sitting either alone, catching up with friends or having business meetings. On top of this it is cheap! A latte and a croissant comes to around 2 euros. It’s impossible to not justify this. And the hot chocolates are incredible, but I think this is probably the same anywhere…

Speaking of hot chocolate, there was a café I went to with my flatmate Klaudia, but it was hidden away in a street and I can’t remember the name… Maybe I’ll update this the next time I walk past it! Anyway, it just seemed like a cute little café until I read the menu and saw that they did alcoholic hot chocolate?! Can we just take a moment to reflect on this? What could be better on a cold November day than a cup of hot chocolate? A cup of hot chocolate with a dash of rum, that’s what.

Food:

I haven’t eaten out at restaurants so far but I really don’t think there are any ‘hidden gems’ or ‘places that aren’t worth it’. Let’s be honest, this is Italy, and if there’s one thing they know how to do right, it is food. I’ve seen countless warm-looking-pizza-cooking trattorias and takeaway shops - they are around every corner. A slice of pizza is generally only about 1 or 2 euros, which is amazing but also dangerous. If you go by the saying ‘a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’ then you really are in trouble because here the ‘moments’ will be endless. It’s bloody great.

Aperativo bars may or may not be one of the greatest inventions brought to mankind. Again, I haven’t been to enough yet to name names, but wherever you go is bound to be lovely, and the fact you feel like you aren’t even paying for it makes everything taste better.

I’d just like to mention one more typical Italian (I think?) thing. Arancini. Maybe google this to find out what they look like but they are essentially like a huge scotch egg but instead with rice/cheese/ragu or other fillings inside. And fried. Naughty.

Bars:

Bottega del Vino is definitely one of my favourites so far. To be fair, if you take me anywhere with nice wine and live jazz music I’m likely to be pretty happy so this bar fits the bill perfectly. It’s an upstairs bar that overlooks the city’s main piazza. The jazz trio they have on a Wednesday evening are lovely, the staff are really friendly and they have a massive range of wines including some local Umbrian ones which is nice. Unfortunately I do not feel anywhere near sophisticated enough to start trying out different ones. I am a student, wine is wine, I am happy.

Trottamundo café is also really nice, I think with a younger age group perhaps. There is also live music here every Sunday, nice sofas at the back and lots of books, and there’s even two swings to sit on! Basically a kids playground but with alcohol – perfect.

Other:

There is a ‘Convenience’ shop type thing behind the University for Foreigners, which has literally all you could need. From bedding, blankets, rugs, to all things kitchen, toiletries, clocks, stationary, there is even a whole wall of bras! I’ll be honest, I can’t say they look appealing enough for me to try right now, but at least I know they’re there if I ever, you know...run out of bras.

Via della Viola - my street is definitely up there with one of my favourite places in Perugia. It is fairly quiet, except for a few bars and restaurants which get quite busy at certain times. There is an association – Fiorivano le viole – that has made an aim to set up little art projects around the street, which explains why I’ve seen so many cute paint and pottery shops. The association also set up a room filled with sofas and a piano, and is for essentially anyone in Perugia to use, but is often used for small lessons and meetings. It is a quirky, artsy street that I’m happy to be living on!