Perugia Cathedral

Perugia Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Perugia Cathedral, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, stands on the Piazza IV Novembre at the top of the hilltop city of Perugia, capital of Umbria in central Italy, facing the Fontana Maggiore and the Palazzo dei Priori, and entry to the church is free. The Museo del Capitolo, the cathedral museum, and the underground archaeological area beneath the cathedral and its cloisters are visited with a ticket. The cathedral is on every walking tour of Perugia, together with the National Gallery of Umbria in the Palazzo dei Priori, the Collegio del Cambio with frescoes by Perugino, the Etruscan Arch, the Rocca Paolina, an underground fortress reached by escalators, and the lively Corso Vannucci.

Perugia is about two hours from Rome and Florence by train, and the minimetro and escalators link the lower town with the historic centre. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. The steps along the side of the cathedral are a favourite meeting place for students of the city's universities, and they are busy in the evenings. Combine the visit with Assisi, about twenty-five kilometres away.

Visiting Perugia Cathedral: what to see

The present cathedral was built between 1345 and 1490 in the Gothic style, on the site of earlier churches, but its main facade was never completed and still shows rough stone, while the side facing the Piazza IV Novembre is partly decorated with patterned pink and white marble. On this side stand an outdoor pulpit, built for Saint Bernardino of Siena, who preached to crowds in the square, a Renaissance portal by Galeazzo Alessi and a bronze statue of Pope Julius III. Inside, the cathedral is a hall church with three aisles of equal height, decorated in the baroque period.

The Chapel of the Holy Ring holds a relic venerated as the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary, kept in a reliquary locked with several keys and shown to the public once a year. The chapel once also held Perugino's painting of the Marriage of the Virgin, which was taken to France under Napoleon and is now in Caen. The cathedral holds a Deposition by Federico Barocci and a venerated image of the Madonna delle Grazie. The museum displays paintings, including an altarpiece by Luca Signorelli, illuminated manuscripts and silverwork. The Fontana Maggiore, in front of the cathedral, is carved with reliefs by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.

Perugia Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime, and the museum has its own hours. Perugia is lively all year, with students filling the centre. Umbria Jazz, one of Europe's major jazz festivals, takes over the city for ten days in July, and Eurochocolate, a chocolate festival, is held in autumn. The Holy Ring is shown on 29 and 30 July. Summer afternoons are hot, and spring and autumn are ideal for walking the hilly streets. Allow about forty-five minutes for the cathedral and museum, and sit on the steps in the evening to watch the square.