Walking in Perugia’s main square: Piazza IV Novembre with its distinctive fountain, you will be captured by the majestic Perugia Cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence located just in front of Palazzo dei Priori.

The current structure is the result of the complete makeover of a former building. The old church dates back to 930 A.D. while the radical renovation was ordered during the XIV Century under the supervision of Friar Bevignate. The works began in 1345 and were completed in 1490.

The Museum is located in the ancient residences of the Canons of the Cathedral and is spread over 25 rooms adjacent to the cloister. It houses works from the cathedral itself and from churches belonging to the diocese.  The Museum was created in 1923 with the help of the art historian Umberto Gnoli who collected and cataloged finds from nearby dioceses.

It preserves jewels, liturgical vestments, and silverware as well as sacred books such as gospels and antiphonaries. You can also admire paintings and sculptures from the 11th to the 19th centuries, including Arnolfo di Cambio, Meo da Siena, Pompeo Cocchi, Bartolomeo Caporali, Agostino di Duccio, and the only work by Luca Signorelli in Perugia.

The outfitting and the exhibition were recently renewed. In 2000, for the Jubilee, the collection was enriched with new pieces and an archaeological itinerary with Etruscan and Roman remains from the Acropolis of Perugia was also added to the exhibition.

You can visit the original acropolis built right above the Etruscan terrace with layers of various periods: Etruscan, Roman, late antique, and medieval. The route, about half-mile long, reveals not only the Etruscan walls but also the foundations of a temple dating back to the same period, an imposing Roman Domus and an Etruscan-Roman road.