Perugino and Piero della Francesca
On the upper floors of the Palazzo dei Priori, in the heart of Perugia, the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria is one of the most important museums of Italian art, with the largest collection of Umbrian painting in the world, from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century, in about forty rooms, renovated in 2022. The visit follows the development of art in central Italy through masterpieces of medieval sculpture and painting, such as the works of Arnolfo di Cambio, the Madonna of Duccio di Buoninsegna and painted crosses of the thirteenth century, and then of the Renaissance.
Among the highlights are the Polyptych of Perugia by Beato Angelico, with its gold backgrounds and refined figures, and the Polyptych of Saint Anthony by Piero della Francesca, crowned by an extraordinary Annunciation set in a perspective portico. But the heart of the museum is dedicated to the two great masters of the Umbrian Renaissance: Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, the master of Raphael, with his serene, harmonious figures immersed in luminous landscapes of the Umbrian hills, of whom the gallery displays many works, including the Adoration of the Magi and the Pala dei Decemviri; and Pinturicchio, with his rich, colourful and decorative paintings, such as the Pala di Santa Maria dei Fossi. The collection continues with the painters of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, a section of goldsmith's work and textiles, and views of the city. In the same palace, the Collegio del Cambio preserves the frescoes painted by Perugino around 1500, with a famous self-portrait.
Tip: allow at least two hours; combine the visit with the Collegio del Cambio, on the ground floor of the same palace.
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