The Fortress if one of the most important monuments of the city with a long-term purpose and used till the 20^th century. Carefully restored, it is now part of the cultural and touristic circuit of the city. The evocative tour travels among spaces of cultural importance, narrow tunnels, ancient prisons and some towers. The city of Perugia decided to build the fortress on december 1326, after the continuos revolts in Castel della Pieve, to control the entire town and to secure its garrison there.  The previous year Lorenzo Maitani, the architect famous for the facade of the Orvieto Cathedral, was already entrusted by the Perugia Municipality with the supervision of every fortification in the Trasimeno territory. In October 1326 his brother Ambrogio was in Castel della Pieve to study in loco the design of the new fortress, The Roccawas then built in front of the city walls, right beside Porta Perugina and the Via Pievaiola (1296), which was the quickest route connecting Perugia to Castel della Pieve, a center of strategic importance for its territorial control at that time.

The triangular layout is typical of the cuspidate form of gothic cathedrals, such as the facade of the Orvieto Cathedral, designed by Lorenzo Maitani. The fortress was originally surrounded by a moat and a wooden fence, with five towers, some of them only reachable through the drawbridge. Every tower has a view over Perugia thus allowing, via visual signaling, the request of reinforcements in situations of dire need.

The high security military structure favored the settlement of many mercenaries, such as Buoro Michelotti and Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone. Starting from the 15^th century the fortress was restored several times. In 1505 the Valentino, while crossing the Chiana Valley to assault the Siena Republic, settled in the Rocca and ordered the murder of Paolo Orsini and Francesco di Gravina, guilty of having partecipated to the “Magione Conspiracy”. Since 1529 the fortress, with the Cardinal Coppi, known as Il Tranense, had lost its defensive purpose and became seat of the Perpetual Governors appointed by the Pope himself, who were always cardinals or nephews of various Popes. At the end of the 18^th century the Government Palace, probably designed by Andrea Vici, pupil of Vanvitelli, was built in front of present day Piazza Matteotti.With the Unification of Italy the Rocca finally became the District Prison of the Orvieto Territory.