Overview
The wide open space of Piazza IV Novembre is overlooked by the two main landmarks of medieval Perugia society: the cathedral of St. Lawrence and the Palazzo dei Priori, which has housed the municipal government since 1293 and the National Gallery of Umbria.
Of Romanesque foundation, later modified to Gothic style and remodeled several times over the centuries, Perugia's most important church was never completed, as can easily be seen by observing its bare and austere facade. Symbolic of this unfinishedness is, for example, the cathedral's left flank, which dialogues with the instead perfectly completed forms of the major fountain in Piazza IV Novembre: a wide wall covered in red and white marble is interrupted at mid-height, under the watchful eyes of the statue of Pope Julius III.
Inside the church holds a legendary relic, that of the ring received by Mary on the occasion of her marriage to Joseph; instead, one must head to the cathedral cloister to access the Chapter Museum to contemplate an admirable collection of paintings, jewelry and ancient codices.
