2025 is a jubilee year for the Catholic church – a Holy Year during which Catholics can choose to embark on a pilgrimage to Rome, seeking a spiritual experience and the remission of sins. It is also a very busy time to visit Italy. Whilst the heart of the Jubilee celebration will be Rome and the Vatican city, you can expect religious sites in the likes of Venice and Florence to be particularly busy too.
Should I travel to Italy in a Jubilee year?
A Jubilee year is a time to travel to Italy, and especially to its beautiful churches.
If you are concerned about overcrowded attractions, Italy has so many magnificent cathedrals, I can assure you do not need to visit Rome to soak in the Jubilee atmosphere.
Throughout Italy, there are special events, exhibitions, and you may be able to visit buildings – or parts of buildings – not normally open to the public. Churches on beloved pilgrimage paths such as the Via Francigena become even more fascinating during the Jubilee. You will feel like you are being whisked back to medieval times.
The difference between a medieval cathedral and a basilica
Let’s start with the basics. Not all great churches, despite their beauty and importance, are classified as cathedrals. A cathedral is the seat (Cathedra in Latin) of a bishop or archbishop. Other large and historically and/or culturally significant churches are called Basilica. So, to give an example, Saint Mark’s in Venice is a cathedral, because it is the seat of the Archbishop of Venice; Saint Peter is a Basilica, because the seat of the Bishop of Rome is San Giovanni in Laterano.
The middle Ages are traditionally considered as the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476AD) and the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire (1453AD). Everything built between those dates is considered medieval. However, many Italian religious buildings are actually in a blend of styles. Due to earthquakes, fires, and in some cases a human desire to leave a mark in history, many of the most important churches were modified, sometimes drastically, throughout the centuries. However, it is rare for a building not to have a prevalent style. The churches featured in this post prevalently retain their medieval appearance.
Italy’s 12 most beautiful medieval cathedrals and basilicas
Overcrowding is the opposite of a mystical experience, and of a travel experience in general. Being mindful of that, I have deliberately left out the magnificent churches of Rome, Florence, and Venice. They all deserve to be seen, but , and tried to feature less-visited ones. Some receive millions of visitors per year; others are magnificent and yet somehow escaped the worse of over-tourism, and you can have them almost to yourself. To honour the fact that the Jubilee and religious pilgrimage are medieval traditions, I have selected exclusively churches built during the middle ages, and excluded the world-famous architectural wonders of the Italian Renaissance.
All of these cathedrals are in cities with a train station, so they are all easy to visit by train. You can book through Trainline or Trenitalia.
So, here is my selection of Italy’s most fascinating medieval cathedrals, why I chose them and a bit of their history, so you can see by yourself what makes them special
- Siena cathedral
- Trani cathedral
- Milano’s Sant’Ambrogio basilica
- Parma’s cathedral
- Aquileia’s basilica
- Assisi’s basilicas
- Modena cathedral
- Monreale cathedral
- Palermo cathedral
- Lucca cathedral
- Ravenna’s Basilica of San Vitale
- Pisa cathedral
1.Siena cathedral
The city of Siena rivalled with Florence in the late middle ages, and its duomo is one of the most incredible churches you’ll ever see.
The current structure dates mainly from the 13th century. It may lacks the impact of Brunelleschi’s dome but is so visually striking with its black-green and white alternating marble slabs. The exterior, in a blend of romanesque and Gothic style, is elegant and balanced. The interior will simply blow you away. The black and white theme continues along the internal walls, that are also a triumph of statues and paintings of so many great names of medieval and Renaissance art. Within the majestic structure stands out the Gothic pulpit sculpted by Giovanni Pisano, son of Nicola Pisano, the architect who designed the building.
A special mention goes to the floor, inlaid with 56 panels depicting historical and biblical scenes. Amongst the most memorable are the Wheel of Fortune (1372) and The She-Wolf of Siena with the Emblems of the Confederate Cities,
The floor is covered for most of the year to protect it from damage, so try and visit in the summer if you can. For exact dates, check this page.
The stunning Battistero, with a baptismal fond decorated by Ghiberti and Donatello amongst others, is unusually within the church – underneath the choir.
For more information and to plan your visit, check the cathedral’s website.
The location: Siena gets its fair share of visitors, especially during the Palio. Avoid the Palio dates to enjoy the city at its best. The city has other fantastic monuments and art galleries, and you can visit the stunning Siena countryside in the same trip. From Pienza to Montalcino to San Gimignano and the Chianti, there is more than enough to see!
2. Trani cathedral
The southern region of Puglia, roughly corresponding to the heel of Italy, is home to some of Italy’s most incredible churches.
Trani is a classic example of the Norman Romanesque style you will find in other great Puglian cathedrals such as Otranto. I have chosen Trani over Otranto because of its breath-taking beach front location. It had been a dream of mine to go and see this white stone wonder by the sea, and I felt blessed when the dream came true!
Construction of the cathedral started in 1097 on the site of a Byzantine church and was completed in the 13th century.
Puglia was the first part of Italy conquered by the Normans so its cathedrals are more ancient than the Sicilian ones. They are also more austere in style. The interior of Trani feels almost bare, but its minimalist simplicity draws the visitor to its incredible features, such as the rose window, the elegantly sculpted portals and columns, and the almost white colour of its tuft stone.
The colour is striking from the outside too, and make the cathedral stand out from the distance, like a vision of heaven. it is at its best on a sunny day, with the Adriatic sea glittering beside it. The stone surface is sparsely decorated, which again is great, as it allows you to appreciate the refinement of the decorated parts, such as the portal arches.
The cathedral retains its original – and magnificent- bronze doors (now displayed inside, with replicas standing in their original place). They were the work of a local artisan whose name survived, Barisano da Trani,
The location. Trani is very compact but it is worth staying overnight, enjoying a dinner in the marina, with stunning views of the cathedral. Stay longer if you are planning to leave the incredible Castel del Monte, a mysterious castle built by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, which may have had a religious/mystical purpose too.
3. Milano’s Sant’Ambrogio Basilica
Milan’s magnificent Duomo is the unofficial symbol of the city, and one of Milan’s most visited attractions. However, I have to recommend a church in Milan, it would be the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio.
Sant’Ambrogio (Saint Ambrose) is the patron of Milan. Although the current building is mainly Romanesque in style, a journey through the interior is a journey through the history of Milan. In the late 4th century Milan became for a few decades the capital of the Western Roman empire, and many elements of the original buildings survive. From a famous late roman sarcophagus, to sculptural features, to the wonderful mosaics of the chapel of Saint Victor (San Vittore), the basilica is a treasure trove of late Roman art. Carolingian features and relics are also well represented. You can read more about the magnificent building here.
Check opening times and special closures linked to religious ceremonies to plan your visit.
The location: Milan is Italy’s second city and offers plenty of other attractions, from the Gothic-style Duomo, to first-class museums. The Castello Sforzesco (former home of the dukes of Milan) and Leonardo’s last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie are also worth a visit.
4. Parma cathedral
Parma is one of Italy’s most under-rated cities. Equidistant from Milan and Bologna, it is often overshadowed by both. Yet the city boasts a delightful and compact historical centre, at whose heart is one of the most important cathedrals in the country’s art history.
Built after a fire destroyed the late Christian basilica that stood in its place, the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is mainly Romanesque in its external appearance, Internally, the medieval nave is now surmounted by a dome, famously frescoed by Correggio. Amongst its other highlights is the Deposition of Christ, one of the masterpieces of Sculptor Benedetto Antelami,
Antelami was he first post-Roman Italian sculpture whose name is known. He operated in the 12th century and had probably travelled to France, introduced a new style in sculpture and maybe architecture too. He sculpted the panels at the base of the baptistry, and is possibly also the architect that built the baptistry – in the gothic style he had familiarised himself with in France.
The location: Parma is a wonderful small city, which often punched about its weight. Its winter atmospheres have been compared to Venice, because it can be foggy and humid. Summers are glorious, if at times very hot. Being the city of Giuseppe Verdi, it hosts a music festival and takes pride in its musical tradition. It produced an important Renaissance dynasty, the Farnese, which turned it into one of Europe’s great cultural centres. After Napoleon’s defeat became the small kingdom of his second wife, the Haugsburg Princess Maria Luisa. For my in-depth guide to the beauty of Parma, check this post. If you have time to explore the countryside, it is worth it! The countryside is dotted with magnificent medieval and early Renaissance castles. For more info on them, check the Castelli del Ducato website.
5. Aquileia Cathedral
Instead of Venice, why not visit the city the first inhabitants of the lagoon escaped from? It was called Aquileia and it still exists!
Aquileia had been an important Roman colony when Rome was still a Republic, and during the empire it became the most important fortified city protecting Italy and the empire from incursions from the north-East. It was ranked amongst the most important cities in the empire and even had its own imperial palace. Until Attila arrived and the inhabitants escaped, settling on the lagoon that would gradually become Venice.
Aquileia’s cathedral is a layered affair: an austere medieval frame encloses the space of the late Roman basilica. The floor of the basilica, covered in mosaics, is from the age of Constantine. After Attila left, Aquileia recovered its former glory, as seat of one of the most important archbishops of the dark ages and the Holy Roman Empire- the Patriarchate of Aquileia. The current walls and belltower are from this age, and so are the brightly-coloured 11th century frescoes in the apse. You can read more about the cathedral here.
The location: What is left of Roman Aquileia? Much more than you’d expect. Ruins of the forum, mosaics of villas, a perfectly preserved ship in the archeological museum, roads, the port. Countless other remains are scattered in the countryside, rising from the folds of cultivated fields, or along the side of the roads. Aquileia is the largest unexcavated Roman city in western Europe, and a UNESCO-Heritage site, without the crowds of the most famous ones.
6. Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi
A papal minor basilica and the final resting place of Saint Francis, this basilica is one of the most loved pilgrimage sites in Italy.
A majestic complex built in the side of a hill that dominates the undulated Umbrian landscape, the basilica comprises two churches (known as the Basilica Superiore (‘Upper Church’) and the Basilica Inferiore (‘Lower Church’) and of course a crypt, where the Saint’s tomb is.
Although built in quick succession, the Lower and Upper Churches are different in style. The lower church is Romanesque, the upper church is Gothic. Wandering through the immense structure, and its deeply coloured frescoes, you feel like the life of the Saint unfolds before your eyes. It was the medieval equivalent of a very beautifully realised film. And the authors of the scenes are the most important early Italian painters, from Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, and Pietro Lorenzetti. Browse the Basilica’s website to get a feel for its pictorial richness.
The location: Assisi is a beautiful town, with stunning Roman buildings (a temple, an amphitheatre and the domus of the Latin poet Sextus Propertius) and many beautiful churches from the Fransciscan era, such as Santa Chiara and the cathedral. It also boasts a castle and medieval houses and alleways. The surrounding countryside offers wonderful hiking opportunities.
7. Modena Cathedral (Duomo)
When I was studying Art history in high school in Italy, The 12th-century Modena cathedral was taught as a supreme example of early Romanesque art. The grandiose cathedral was commissioned by Matilda of Tuscany, the Grancontessa who ruled over a half of Italy and defied the power of Emperor Henry IV (one of the builders of Speyer’s Kaiserdom).
The cathedral was innovative in many ways. replacing an early Christian basilica, the current building is nevertheless covered with ancient roman stones. The architect, Lanfranco, was thus paying homage to the splendor of Roman temples.
The sculptures are the work of Wiligelmo, which could be considered the Giotto of sculpture, the first sculptor whose name is recorded since the the days of the Roman, and it is recorded on the cathedral itself! An inscription on the façade gives the date of the cathedral’s foundation in 1099 and names Wiligelmo as the chief sculptor. The individuality of his work and His co-workers willingness to acknolewdge an individual’s creation marks, in a way the end of the dark ages. It appropriate then, that the marble covering of the cathedral coats the brickwork in a white cloak.
The location: Modena’s historic centre includes other highlights such as the Ducal Palace and the Galleria Estense Art Gallery. The city is also notoriusly the home of Ferrari, and one of Italy’s food capitals. Balsamic vinegar, filled pasta, and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients produce mouth-watering dishes. For wines, the Lambrusco hills around Castelvetro are as delightful as some of Tuscany’s.
8. Monreale cathedral
The Norman cathedrals of Sicily are so unique and different from all other medieval churches that at least one had to make this list.
Built after the Virgin Mary appeared to King William II of Sicily in a dream, for me, Monreale it is the medieval equivalent of the sistine Chapel. Architecturally, the church displays the unique of Bizantine, Arab, and Christian Romanesuqe architecture that is typical of the Norman kingdom of Sicily. Arab architects worked on the project.
The local and Venetian mosaicists that worked on decorating the interior belonged to the great Bizantine tradition. The cathedral walls are almost entirely covered in mosaics of biblical stories on a golden background. An enormous Christ Pantocrator dominates the apse and you feel like you move under his gaze in the sacred space. It is one of the most incredible pieces of visual arts I can think of. I had heard of Stendhal’s syndrome before, and when surrounded by the mosaics of Monreale I did experience it first-hand. Unsurprising, King William chose to be buried in his beloved church.
The wonders of Monreale do not stop at the cathedral itself. The Benedictine cloister attached to the cathedral feels more like a Moorish courtyard in Andalucia than a Christian building. The columns are decorated with plant, animal and fantastical motifs and are all different.
The location: Due to its hilltop position, there are great views of Palermo, from the roof of the cathedral and from viewpoints around the centre. Monreale is a small city today, and outside the cathedral square it remains very authentically Sicilian. Food is incredible, and the bread is so famous that people travel from Palermo to buy it!
9. Palermo
A photo of the exterior of the cathedral of Palermo is sufficient to show what a unique building it is. As I mentioned in my section on Trani, when the Normans crossed the strait and conquered Sicily, the complexity of the island’s civilisation strongly impacted their architecture.
Prior to the Norman conquest, Siciy had been held by the Arabs, and the Palermo cathedral was built on the site of a mosque, in turn built on the site of a Christian basilica.
The cathedral was the labour of love of 12th century archbishop of Palermo, Walter of The Mil, a Norman from England who asked to be buried in his building. While the interior has been modified quite significantly over the centuries, the exterior still shows the syncretism of Norman and Arabic elements that Walter of the Mil tried to achieve – and that is so typical of Sicily. The cathedral has some gothic additions from the 14th century, when Sicily was ruled by the Catalan royal house. a column of the southern porch is proof of the building’s previous life as a mosque. It is inscribed with a passage from the Koran.
In the interior, the most interesting parts are the royal and imperial tombs, such as that of Emperor Frederick II (the builder of Castel de Monte) and of his wife Constance, whose magnficient Bizantine-inspired tiara is one of the highlights of the treasury.
Frederick, German on the father’s side and Norman on the mother, considered himself essentially a child of Palermo, spoke fluent Arabic and Greek and was one of the most remarkable medieval rulers and intellectuals. The people of Palermo still consider him one of their own, and it is not unusual to see fresh flowers placed by his tomb.
Location: Palermo is one of Italy’s most fascinating cities. Its seaside location, baroque square, arabic palaces and mosques turned into churches make it both unique and unforgettable. The food is to die for.
10. Lucca Cathedral
I often think of Lucca cathedral as an Italian Taj Mahal. It doesn’t have a dome of course, and its size, shape, style and setting are incredibly different. But there is a specific part of the cathedral that is poignantly dedicated to a man’s love for his late wife.
It is the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, the wife of a 14th-century Duke of Lucca. She died young in childbirth, and her inconsolable husband, Duke Paolo Guinigi, asked Jacopo della Quercia, to capture her features in stone. The tomb was never used for her body, but it remains testament of her husband’s devotion, and to Della Quercia’s talent. He was a groundbreaking sculptor often considered the bridge between the gothic style and Michelangelo,
There is also a labirynth of the floor which predates the famous one at Chartres, in France.
The interior of the cathedral contains other treasures, such as the Volto Santo, or ‘Holy Countenance,’ a wooden Crucifix image of Jesus that according to Legend was carved by a companion of Jesus and is his only surviving real-life portrait. This important relic made Lucca an important stop for pilgrims from Northern Italy and Northern Europe on their way to Rome. There are also paintings by Ghirlandaio and Tintoretto
The exterior of the church is delightful, a blend of Tuscan Romanesque style, as visbile in the original belltower, and Gothic, with a magnificent marble portico surmounted by graceful arcades.
The location: In the early medieval times, Lucca was the most important city in Tuscany, more prominent than Florence. It had splendid churches such as the Duomo and San Frediano, but also grand civic buildings and towers. Like in Bologna, noble families competed with each other, trying to built the tallest tower. The Tower of the Guinigi family that Ilaria del Carretto married into still stands. No visit to Lucca is complete without a stroll around Piazza dell’Amphiteatro, a square built inside the ruins of the city’s roman amphitheatre. For more on Lucca, check this post.
11. Ravenna’s Basilica of San Vitale
Yeats famously wrote his Byzantium poem after a visit to San Vitale, the church in Ravenna that contains the most important surviving Byzantine mosaics.
You will be familiar with the portraits of 6th-century Emperor Justinian and his wife Thedora from history books or documentary. Ironically, they are not in Constantinople, where they spend most of their life, but in Ravenna, then one of the most important cities in Italy.
It was unusual for Emperors to be represented on the walls of a sacred buildings, and according to Judith Herrin, the most respected academic expert on Ravenna, they got away with it because Ravenna was quite far from Constantinople.
The famous portraits are not the only claim to fame of San Vitale. Like the great churches of Constantinople it is surmounted by a dome, and has an hoctagonal shape. It is on two levels, with side buildings to add to the complexity, You can get a feel for its complexity from this video.
San Vitale was such a unique and daring building that it inspired imperial church building for centuries to come. Charlemagne used it as the model for his Palatine Chapel in Aachen (Achen Kaiserdom).
The location: If you love history, it is hard to beat the fascination of Ravenna. Its buildings tell the story of the city from the last decades of the Roman empire, when it became its western capital, to the 14th century, when Dante sought refuge in the city – he is buried there. Unmissable are the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, one of the last Empresses of Rome; the tomb of the Gothic king Thedoric; San Vitale; the church of Sant’Apollinare in Classe (outside the walls, on the site of the most important Roman port); The other church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo (Theodoric’s Palace Chapel); the baptistries for Arians and Catholics; Dante’s tomb.
12. Pisa cathedral
The Leaning tower of Pisa is actually the belltower of Pisa’s medieval cathedral. Even without the tower, the cathedral is one of the most remarkable in Italy, and a masterpiece of Italian Romaneque style.
If you compare it with the Modena Duomo, though, the difference is remarkable. Pisa’s cathedral reflects Pisa’s role as one of the leading maritime powers in the Mediterranean.
The rich exterior decoration contains multicolored marble, mosaic, and numerous bronze objects from the spoils of Pisan military campagins from the Balearics to the Middle East. The influences gathered by Pisan merchants across the Mediterranean are reflected in the structure of the building, which displays, Moorish, Bizantine and even Armenian influences (the blind arches with lozenge shapes).
In the interior, again a blend of Moorish and Bizantine elements, The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the apse are spoils from the mosque of Palermo.
The large Mosaic of Christ enthroned between the Virgin and Saint John in the apse, influenced by the mosaics of Bizantine and Sicilian Norman churches such as Monreale, is quite special. Like Wiligelmo’s sculptures in Modena, it is a milestone in the history of European art. The face of Saint John was painted at the onset of the 14th century by Cimabue, the first medieval painter who broke with the conventions of his time. He experimented with and shading proportions to achieve more lifelike representations, taking the first steps towards representing volume after almost 100 years of bi-dimensional painting.
Location: No visit to Pisa is complete without visiting the Leaning Tower, of course. The eclectic Moorish-influenced baptistry and the Camposanto, resting place of famous pisans and Italians, are also worth a visit.
There are many other great medieval religious buildings in Italy
The diversity of italy’s cathedrals and basilicas bears witness to the incredibly complex past of the country and to the creative skills of the people who settled in different parts of it. If you want to experience the beauty of Italy’s religious buildings but avoid Rome, Florence, and Venice in a Jubilee year, you will not feel short-changed. Actually, you will feel quite the opposite!
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[…] not the reason I had included it in my itinerary. My dream was to see the cathedral. Not only it is one of Italy’s most beautiful medieval religious buildings, it also has the most scenic setting overlooking the sea. You can read more about the stunning […]