Titolo: Frontone Gardens
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Frontone Gardens

The Frontone Gardens are a historic green area in Perugia, located in the Borgo XX Giugno or Borgo Bello district, adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica.

The park consists of four parallel avenues adorned with ancient trees, symbolizing the antiquity and importance of the place, which converge into an amphitheatre.

From a piazza of arms to a piazza of love

Today it has become a meeting space and a venue for concerts, events and film festivals, but in an earlier time, around the 13th century, the place was the centre of one of Perugia's greatest passions, the popular game of sassaiola: a playful battle activity between citizens using actual stones. Later, from a parade ground for military exercises known as Piazza d’Arma under Braccio Fortebraccio, it became Piazza d’Amore under Braccio Baglioni. In the 15th century the amusements changed, the warlike games were replaced by new pastimes, such as the palio race, tournaments, and numerous festivals.

Arcadian paradise

After the death of the grand Baglioni, the area was abandoned. Only with the arrival in Perugia of the Academy of Arcadia in the early 18th century did the place come back to life: the literary movement, which opposed the bad taste of Italian Baroque literature of that period, created the Colonia Arcadica Augusta and transformed the gardens into a place of culture

The park changed its function, becoming a venue for cultural initiatives and summer poetry readings, along with its appearance, which has remained the same as it is today: the literati replaced the earthen steps with today's travertine seats, planted century-old holm oaks, hedges and built an initial walled enclosure.

The Travertine Arch, designed by Baldassarre Orsini, was erected, placing it right in the centre of the Amphitheatre, designed by architect Vincenzo Ciofi.

In the mid-20th century, six stone statues of muses, by Hungarian sculptor Livia De Kuzmik, were added to complete the work, representing the arts: painting, poetry, architecture, sculpture, theatre, and music.

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