Evening star., 1926-10-03
NOTED UNIVERSITY
At PERUG|A, ITALY
Unique Medieval Town Pos
sesses Reputed Wedding
Ring of Virgin Mary.

Adding still another title to the
many he possesses-that of college
professor-Benito Mussolini Is to
lecture to students of the newly
organized University for Foreigners in
Perugia, Italy, according TO news
dispatches. The city in which stu
dents pencils are to fly while Italy $
Premier describes the glories of
ancient Rome. is tho subject of the
following bulletin from the National
Geographic Society.
"Porugias setting is almost unique
for a town of nearly $4,000 inha bit
ants" says the bulletin. 1T is like
some medieval robber baron's castle
expanded magically into a city. 1t
lies on the top Of a beetlinS ridge
that rises 200 feet over the nearby
Tiber. its walls and palaces and houses
clinging to the narrow heights like IVY
turned to stone.
Once Civic Bully.
The city's history during the
Middle Ages and the Renaissance was
not unlike that of a glorified robber
baron. 1t was the civic bully of
I-mhria. It's people of those days
we'll earned a reputation for GRIM
blood.thirsty and vindictive turbu-
lence They took life seriously and
passionately in all its phases: war.
religion, sport
THE surrounding towns were all
.-ubdued, and If the conquered neigh
bors failed to evidence abject hu
mil;ty toward the proud victors. bloody
rcprisals were visited on them. The
religion Of st. Francis Of Assist
assist is only II miles away influ-
"ncod the I'erugians at one time so
greatly that between a quarter and
third of the male inhabitants are said
to have taken the Franciscan habit.
The influence was not lasting, how
ever, for soon they were again at
their bloody wars. both against their
noighhors and among themselves.
Their sports had almost the brutality
of Il Roman holiday. a favOrite con
test was stone-throwing in the main
piazza. Often as q result of such
wanton sporting bouts numbers were
killed and many more seriously
injured.
Stone ThrOwerS Now Gentle.
But these chapters in Perugias
fife are Of the past The change
that has taken place in the char
acter of the populace is astounding
Today the Perugians. while main
tanning a certain independence of
spirit that their falcon nest c ity could
hardly fail to impart, are quiet,
gentle and considerate.
When Perugia grew from its small
Ftruscan beginnings it extended it
self along the ridges of its hill. then
made use of some of the slopes im
mediatcly below the crests. Few of
it's streets. therefore. are level. Most
Of the little open spaces that the city
possesses have been made artifically
and are Shored up by walls and but
treSseS. The modern American city
hat creates parks from refuse dumps
is following a lead set by this Italian
hill town many centuries ago. The
Piazza Sopramuro. which is the
market heart of the city. owes its
"XiStenCe to the medieval counter
part of our tin cans waste paper
and junk. Finally the accumulation
buried an ancient F;truscan wall.
hence the name Of the square, Upon
the Wall
Medieval Building Boom.
"In the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries there WAS an almost con-
tinuous building boom In Perueia
and chroniclers write of the dittl
rhlty of obtaining motar stones and
each with its lofty tower. In the
,urhulent days that followed most Of
these towers We're pulled down by
rival families. a few still stand
and the trunks Of many more can
he traced in walls OF later buildings.
'PeruGia was nominally u posses
sion of The pOpes from the tenth CEN
turN. But for a long Time its eccleSi-
astical owners left the city pretty
1.~.,. ! tN
relsome life, virtually independent
About the middle OF the sixteenth
century Pope Paul III took definite
hold of The town and built a huge
fortress TO awe the people into sub
mission This great pile on the city
highest point became for centuries
the symbol tu the people of their loss
OF freedom
Perugia'S 'Bastile" Demolished.
They revolted in 1889. but Swiss
guards We're rushed in and put hun
dreds OF the citizens To the sword.
The follow in@ wear Il general of Vic
tor Emanuel drove out the papal
forces ana The people set about de
molishin% their hated BaStille. The
level space SO obtained was turned
into perU@ias pre>tiest square.
around which are modern government
buildings. The view from this lofty
piazza is one nf The best in non
alpine Italy. Below is spread out
me great fertile l'mbrian plain. once
The bed "t Il large lake geolOsiSt~
SAY. At intervals rise hills. lower
than that ON which l'eruGia sits
enthroned, and on each of these
smaller emirenrcS are The walls Of
towns and villages This is the
domain over which PevuSia ruled
with a strong arm and over which
She still hnlds economic and political
leadership.
'PeruSia'S Cathedral or 'Duomu.
dates from the fourteenth century.
It's greatest treasure is a finger ring
said 10 he The wedding ring OF the
Virgin This relic is kept in 10 or
more caSkejs. each locked inside
another. The key IL each is kept
hN a separate custodian. They meet
several times each year open the
caskeJs and bring th" ring to view.
Filming Perils.