Renaissance Art and Music in Umbria: Where to See It

To see Renaissance art in Umbria, start in Perugia at the National Gallery of Umbria and the Collegio del Cambio, then add the Baglioni Chapel in Spello, the San Brizio Chapel in Orvieto’s cathedral and the fresco cycles of Montefalco and Spoleto. Umbria produced two great painters of the period, Perugino and Pinturicchio, and attracted others from Tuscany. The music of the same years lived in churches, lay confraternities and courts; you can still hear it in early music concerts in the region’s churches.

The Umbrian school in brief

In the second half of the fifteenth century, Umbria developed a recognisable painting style: calm figures, soft light, clear spaces and open landscapes of hills and lakes. Its leading figure was Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, born in Città della Pieve and active in Perugia, Florence and Rome. His workshop trained many younger painters, among them the young Raphael.

Bernardino di Betto, known as Pinturicchio, came from Perugia. He worked in Rome and Siena as well as at home and is known for detailed, decorative frescoes full of colour and gold.

Where to see it

Place	What to see	Artists
Perugia, National Gallery of Umbria	Altarpieces and panels from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century	Duccio, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca, Perugino, Pinturicchio
Perugia, Collegio del Cambio	Painted audience hall of the money changers’ guild	Perugino and workshop
Perugia, San Severo	Fresco begun by Raphael and completed by Perugino	Raphael, Perugino
Spello, Santa Maria Maggiore	The Baglioni Chapel fresco cycle	Pinturicchio
Montefalco, San Francesco museum	Fresco cycle of the life of St Francis	Benozzo Gozzoli
Spoleto, cathedral	Apse frescoes of the life of the Virgin	Filippo Lippi
Orvieto, cathedral	San Brizio Chapel with the Last Judgement	Fra Angelico, Luca Signorelli
Città della Pieve and Panicale	Adoration of the Magi; Martyrdom of St Sebastian	Perugino

Perugia

The National Gallery of Umbria in Palazzo dei Priori is the place to understand the whole story. Highlights include Piero della Francesca’s polyptych for the convent of Sant’Antonio and Fra Angelico’s triptych painted for a church in Perugia, alongside rooms of Perugino and Pinturicchio. Next door, the Collegio del Cambio shows Perugino at the height of his fame: a guild hall painted with classical heroes, prophets and sibyls around 1500. Our page on things to do in Perugia puts both into a walking route.

Spello and Montefalco

In Spello, Pinturicchio’s frescoes in the Baglioni Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore include a self-portrait hung on a painted wall. A short drive away, Montefalco has Benozzo Gozzoli’s cycle on the life of St Francis in the former church of San Francesco, now a museum. See Spello and Bevagna for the area.

Spoleto and Orvieto

Spoleto’s cathedral holds Filippo Lippi’s last work in its apse; the painter died in the town and is buried in the cathedral. In Orvieto, the San Brizio Chapel was begun by Fra Angelico and completed by Luca Signorelli, whose powerful scenes of the end of the world are among the most memorable images in Italian art. Our Orvieto guide explains how to visit the cathedral.

Before the Renaissance: Assisi

Many visitors come to Umbria for the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. Its frescoes are earlier, from the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, by Cimabue, painters linked to Giotto, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti. They are Gothic rather than Renaissance, but their storytelling and sense of space prepared the ground for what came later. Our guide to visiting the Basilica of St Francis covers tickets, dress code and the photo rules.

Renaissance music in Umbria (around 1450 to 1550)

Umbria did not have one dominant court like Florence or Milan, so its music was spread over several worlds.

Church music

Cathedrals and large churches in Perugia, Orvieto and other towns employed singers and organists for the liturgy. Polyphony, several voices singing independent lines, spread through Italy in the fifteenth century and reached Umbrian churches as well.

Laude and confraternities

Umbria has a special place in the history of the lauda, a devotional song in the local language rather than in Latin. The tradition began in the Middle Ages, linked to the Franciscan movement and to poets such as Jacopone da Todi, and was kept alive by lay confraternities who met to sing and pray. In the Renaissance, laude were also set for several voices.

Music in paintings

The best way to ‘see’ Renaissance music in Umbria is to look closely at the paintings. Angel musicians appear again and again in altarpieces of the period, playing lutes, viols, harps, small portable organs and wind instruments. They give a good idea of the instruments in use at the time.

Where to hear it today

Early music concerts are held in churches and historic halls across the region, particularly during festivals. The Sagra Musicale Umbra in September is a long-running festival of sacred and classical music, and other summer festivals include Renaissance repertoire. Our festival calendar lists the typical months.

Practical tips

• Many frescoes are in working churches. Dress modestly and avoid visits during services.
• Some chapels have coin-operated lights; carry a few coins.
• Museum hours change by season. Check the official site before you go, and allow at least two hours for the National Gallery in Perugia.