The Perfect Saturday in Perugia

Are you studying abroad in Perugia or visiting for a weekend? This city has plenty of things to see, do, and eat! Although this list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, it’s still my top two activities that you can easily do in a single day to make your weekend trip amazing. 

Let’s be real: sitting down on a Thursday night and suddenly realizing you don’t have any plans for the weekend is a study abroad student’s nightmare. I know because it happened to me. Twice. And when it happened to me and my roommates last week, we quickly brainstormed some of the things that we had been wanting to do but hadn’t scheduled time for yet and pulled together what I think may be the perfect way to spend a Saturday in Perugia: the Saturday market and horseback riding.

Known by locals as the Mercato del Sabato, this huge flea/farmer’s market takes over the Piazzale Umbria Jazz every Saturday. If you need it, parking is free and easy. And if you’re a car-less student like me, you don’t have to worry one bit about transportation; the market is about a 30 second walk away from the Minimetrò’s final stop, Pian di Massiano. Unfortunately the area is not covered, so make sure to go when its not raining and bundle up if it’s chilly out. 

When I say that this market has everything, I mean it has everything. Vintage leather jackets, designer apparel, organic produce, home goods, eggs so fresh you can literally see the chickens off to the side, porchetta of every size and cut, jewelry, intricate English tea sets, shoes, baby gerbils, underwear, wheels of fantastic Italian cheese, electronics, potted olive trees, books, live goldfish, everything. When I first arrived, all I could see was table after table of secondhand clothes. As I moved through the aisles, oohing and ahhing at all the coats and jackets (I did not bundle up as well as I should have), I eventually got a view of the rest of the market: rows and rows of stalls literally as far as I could see. I wandered through the market for two and a half hours and I’m still not convinced I saw everything it had to offer. 

Of all the wonderful things I saw at the market, my favorites were the leather goods. There were at least four full tables of secondhand leather jackets, many of which were still in like-new condition. I got one for 15€. Others were selling for even less. I looked up something similar online and found that it was on sale for 55% off and is now only $179.00! There were also leather belts, purses, and shoes. So if you’re looking for a leather jacket that won’t break the bank, I highly recommend checking out Perugia’s Saturday market before you sprint off to Milan or Florence. 

I also have a tip for if you’re walking around the market and the smells of the porchetta and fresh bread are starting to drive you crazy. You may not see sandwiches in the windows of the stalls, but the vendors will make one for you! Just tell them you’d like a sandwich with this meat or that meat and with this cheese or that cheese. If the stall also sells sauces, you can ask for that too! Depending on where you go, it will probably even be cheaper than your typical lunch sandwich at a café. And although I haven’t tried it yet, I hear the same is true at some local grocery stores! If you ask whoever is behind the counter, they’ll make you a quick sandwich using the ingredients they sell there. 

And my final pro tip: bring cash! Many of the stalls don’t accept card payments, so make sure you have plenty of euro on you in case you fall in love with two sweaters rather than just one. 

After the market, my roommate and I decided to visit a little ranch on the outskirts of Perugia called H RancH. They offer horseback riding lessons, a summer camp for kids ages 5-14, and, of course, horseback riding excursions through the Umbria countryside. The walk that we took was an hour and a half, cost us 50€, had a guide who speaks both Italian and English, and was perfect for both beginner and experienced riders. 

We started by going around a small arena with the rest of our group (we had five total people in our group plus an instructor) to get familiar with our horses and used to the English saddle. Then we ascended up a paved road where we had a view of a stone castle peering up over the tops of the trees. Our guide said that the castle was originally built and lived in by some Italian nobles, but then turned into a “war basement” during WWII (her English wasn’t exactly fluent, but we got the point!). For decades after the war, the castle remained abandoned and random passersby could walk in and tour the estate’s unkempt interior. In 2023, however, a couple from Perugia finally bought the castle and is in the process of renovating it to be their private residential estate. Personally, I’m hoping that they decide to turn it into an AirBnb after the renovations are complete. Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend in a castle in the Perugian countryside? 

From there our walk switched from paved road to dirt paths. This was my favorite part of the walk because right after the road turns to path, there is a sharp right turn that opens up to the most beautiful landscape view of Umbria’s rolling hills and nearby cities. I couldn’t help but audibly gasp when I saw it unveil itself before my eyes. 

We walked along the clear plain for quite a while, but even so I still wasn’t ready to say goodbye when the view began to disappear and we moved to a new area. Despite my hesitance to leave the stunning vista behind, much more was in store. At this point we came to a part of the walk that became very steep and a little intimidating, but our guide was very patient, carefully explained to everyone exactly what to do on the horse, and waited to make sure everyone got up the slope safely. Even though I’ve never ridden English-style before, I felt completely comfortable; I definitely recommend this ride to beginners who are wanting to try out horseback riding. 

Eventually we came to the next lookout point, but this time we were on the top of a hill looking out into the valley below. On the other side we could see the hills that surround Lake Trasimeno, the area where our guide is actually from! Unfortunately the hills themselves block our view of the lake itself, but the valley is incredible nevertheless. Our guide took lots of pictures of us (a service that is included with the booking price) and made sure we had plenty of time to admire the pretty view since the lookout point wasn’t as long as the first one. Then we headed back the way we came and got to admire everything one more time before the walk ended.

Once we had returned to the stables, our guide helped us descend from the horses and get them put away, fed, and watered. Afterwards we were free to hang around and interact with any of the various animals that were roaming around the ranch. I developed a particular fascination with pony so small it was about the size of a Great Dane. It had free range of the stable and loved to approach us newbies to ask for pets and carrots. 

If you want to check out H RancH to learn more, visit their website by clicking on this link. And if you want to book the same walking tour that I went on, click here. I highly recommend the 15:00 (3:00 pm) slot if you want to see the sunset over the beautiful Umbrian hills. Make sure to hurry up and grab that slot before the time changes, though! 

There are lots of amazing ways to spend a weekend in Perugia, and two recommendations these just happen to be my favorites so far. You could also take a walking tour of the historic city center, visit one of the many museums, feast on fantastic charcuterie at La Prosciutteria, or explore any other of the city’s attractions. Even if you’re not in Perugia, you can still admire the city and its history by checking out the book Home Street Home: Perugia’s History Told Through Its Streets by M. Rita Zappelli. However you spend your Perugian weekend, I’m sure you’ll love it.