cathedral of san pietro

From the outside the inside of the rugged Cathedral of surprise. The decoration is fantastic and colorful.

A Benedictine Abbey founded in the 10th c. The highlights include wonderful carvings in the Gothic wooden choir as well as a very beautiful painted, guilded ceiling. There are a large number of frescoes and paintings, all in a small space which can be seen in 30 to 45 minutes.

This is a church you would not think to go into if you didn't have a guide. We had a great guide and went in for what I thought might be a time killer and turned out to be super. We followed a Monk in and then spent an hour in there fascinated by the story and the prolific artwork that is in this ancient building. Well worth the time spent

Certainly not my favorite church in Umbrie, but go there often for organ concerto's. Perugia has various other churches which are more beautiful than this stranges mixture of styles. Best is San Pietro.

Perugia; definitely not a chocolate box pretty city but with a very interesting and impressive mediaeval heart. We walked up to the old Cathedral and saw Mary’s (the Virgin’s) wedding ring which according to the local myth changes colour depending on the character of the person wearing it. The Cathedral also has a painting of the Virgin Mary that allegedly can answer prayers and has the countless thanks of those that have benefited from its miraculous powers over the centuries expressed in heart shaped tokens encased in panels all around the column that holds the picture. We bought pork sandwiches at the stand ‘Antica Salumeria Granieri Amato’ on the corner of Piazza Matteotti and Via cesare Fani. Lauded by Trip Advisor they were very nice but, unlike the Focaccia at All'Antico Vinaio in Florence they weren’t ‘special’. We strolled along the Corso Pietro Vanucci munching on our pork to the Carducci gardens, admired the views and wondered whether it was worth walking further to the Abbazio De San Pietro, which the Rough Guide had recommended highly. We decided that it was too far to walk in the midday sun, but if we could find it by car we’d give it a go. When you eventually find it there is ample parking nearby so that wasn't a problem for us but the Chapel was closed for siesta and the Chapel snack bar closed just as we arrived. We were in two minds as to whether to cut our losses but, with half an hour and half a litre of fuel invested in driving around the roler coaster of Perugia’s narrow roads we decided to walk round the nearby Giardini del Frontone for the remaining half hour until the Chapel re-opened. As the bells struck three the Chapel doors opened and we stepped inside the gloomy but, even in the half light, ornate old church. Sat in the cool of the nave we were all independently thinking the same thing; that it was very impressive but only justified the hanging around by a small margin. Then a young priest arrived and announced to the dozen or so guests in broken English that if we wanted to see the antechamber we should follow him. Only half remembering what the Rough Guide had said, we followed his lead and he showed us a room that had, amongst a treasure trove of art, two ‘Caravaggi’, a painting of the Virgin by Michaelangelo when he was 18, a 500 year old set of cupboards that, as he showed us, worked as well as they were when they were new and decorated floor tiles that were even older. The ceiling and walls were painted beautifully and he explained the recurring theme of the main wall frescoes being different episodes in the life of San Pietro himself. He then asked us if we wanted to see the ‘old’ chapel, as if 500 years didn’t qualify as old. We were all still reeling a bit from what we’d seen so far, so if he’d asked if he wanted to see a picture of his mother eating ice cream we would probably have said yes, so we all nodded and dutifully followed him back across the nave and down an old staircase to a chapel that had only been re-discovered in 1987 but had been used by the earliest Christians to live in Perugia. He also showed us some Etruscan pottery and brickwork that had also been discovered indicating that the Christians weren’t the first to gather there.To round off his guided tour he took us back into the main church and picked out some highlights from the 160 old masters including, he claimed, the biggest painting in Italy: “The Apotheosis of the Benedictine Order” painted in 1952 by Antonio Vassilacchi (also called L’Aliense) Ostensibly it portrays hundreds of Benedictine pontifs, cardinals, bishops, abbots and representatives of other monastic orders but if you step back from the detail you see a vast image of the devil staring out from the canvas. He also showed us a large medieval crucifix that could be secretly worked to make the eyes, lips and limbs of the wooden Jesus appear to come to life. The guided tour probably only lasted half an hour but made an indelible impression and was definitely one of the highlights of our holiday; we’re so glad we didn’t give it a miss and woud def. recommend anyone visiting Perugia not to give it a miss either.

Despite its semi-remote location, this church is well worth a visit. Wonderful history and art, ancient building.

The architecture and paintings here are nice. But note that to get here, you need to walk. The route goes past the archaeological museum so you can drop in there

...Of our month-long travels through Italy. The choir itself is amazing - probably the best and most intricate we've ever seen - and there is so much more inside. A delightful time, very close to our hotel, the Signa....and if all of that weren't enough, a lovely flower-filled garden right next door.

concerts here is this beautifull adorned basilica are amazing, the atmosphere magical. the paintings on the wall could do with a cleaning, but then it's nice to see the passage of time and the age of things.

Perugia is infested with Junkies and addicts. I didn't enjoy it at all. I was threatened and when I reported it to a police officer he was rude and dismissive. He even threated to have me locked up! South America is civilised compared to this horrid place. NEVER AGAIN!

Beautiful cathedral on the outskirts of Perugia, but an easy walk from the center.The signs in the garden are written in Italian, but many of the names are the same in English, so you can follow what each symbol is.

Attended the Christmas concert given by The Sixteen at Basilica San Pietro and it was an enlightening experience in the historical architectural as well as musical sense.A stunning building in Medieval Perugia with fabulous views across Bella Umbria.In close proximity is the Medieval Medicinal Herb Gardens and Municipal Gardens where the Spring and Autumn Perugia Flower Shows takes place.http://www.thesixteen.com/page/the-sixteen-at-christmas-perugia

The art in the San Pietro is some of the best in Italy. Not many visitors so you will have the feeling you are on your own special tour!

Need to get their act together in terms of managing people through the facility and providing value for money

Absolutely the most striking of the Perugian churches and cathedrals. There is a bit to walk from the centro storico, but it is defo worth the effort.