A flight of steps sweeps down to Spoleto's pale-stone cathedral, photogenically set on a graceful hillside piazza. Originally constructed to a Romanesque design in the 12th century, it later underwent various modifications, including the addition of a Renaissance portico in the late 15th century. The interior, revamped in a 17th-century baroque makeover, features a Cosmati marble floor and frescoes by Pinturicchio and, in the domed apse, by Filippo Lippi and pupils. This rainbow-coloured design depicts stories from the life of the Virgin Mary.
Lippi died before completing the frescoes and Lorenzo de Medici travelled to Spoleto from Florence and ordered Lippi's son, Filippino, to build a mausoleum for the artist. This now stands in the right transept.
