Perugia sits on a ridge above the Tiber valley, with a long history and a student population that keeps it young. The Etruscans founded it, and the Etruscan Arch still stands in the old walls, with Roman lettering added later. From the top of the hill you can see across Umbria to Assisi, Spello and, on a clear morning, the line of the Apennines. The city is large, about a hundred and twenty thousand people, so you have every service you need.
Arriving by bike is fine but not relaxing. The old centre is partly closed to traffic, parking is awkward and the streets are steep and cobbled in places, with tight turns at low speed that can be tricky with luggage. Most riders leave the machine at a car park on the lower edge, and use the escalators that run up through the old Rocca Paolina fortress, which is an experience in itself, a tunnel through a medieval quarter buried under a papal fortress.
The city's story is full of conflict. It was a free commune, then fought neighbours for centuries, and in 1540 Pope Paul III built the Rocca Paolina to put it firmly under papal control, razing the houses of the Baglioni family who had ruled. The Fontana Maggiore in Piazza IV Novembre, finished in the thirteenth century, is the highlight, a marble fountain carved with scenes from the Bible, the months and local legends. Perugia is also known for chocolate, with an annual festival in October, and for Umbrian cooking: lentils, truffles, roast pork and strangozzi pasta.
For riding, the surrounding hills offer quiet roads with gentle curves, olive terraces and view after view. Fuel is easy to find on the ring roads around the city. Spring and early autumn are lovely, whereas midsummer is hot and winter mornings can be icy on shaded ground. Park low, walk up, and give the old streets an afternoon. The Tiber valley has a way of drawing you down again, and the ride out feels pleasant and unhurried.