The MiniMetrò Arrives in Perugia
Perugia has always been on the avant-garde of public transport. In the early eighties the city built a series of parking lots around the base of the hill on whichPerugia stands, where people could leave their cars and go up on escalators.Perugia’s newest innovation is the MiniMetrò, a light rail system that extends from the valley below the city, past the train station, and on up to the center. The MiniMetrò was inaugurated on 29 January, the feast day of the most important of Perugia’s three patron saints, San Costanzo. It was a marvelously sunny day, the normal January weather, and everyone was in good spirits. The light rail was free for the day and many citizens and many “temporary citizens” (like the Umbra students) had a ride and even a free piece of San Costanzo cake (a fruitcake called torcolo). One of the stations is right below Umbra’s Via dei Priori building, so students can go right down the escalators and off to the train station!