[3] Casamari was originally built as a Benedictine church but was rebuilt entirely to meet the standards of simplicity and austerity of the Cistercians.

The upper parts of their first major church, the Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi (1228–1253) were decorated with colourful murals by Cimabue depicting the lives of the Saints.

[1] The Basilica was in the form of a simple Latin cross, and had none of the aspirations to great height of the French Gothic style.

[5] The Franciscans constructed another important church, San Francesco, Bologna, in 1236 to 1230 that was closer to the French Gothic model.

The facade was similar to those of Romanesque churches, but inside it had a more Gothic form, with aisles, an ambulatory with radiating chapels, and flying buttresses.

A modified new plan adopted in 1366 called for a massive dome, as wide as the combined nave and aisles, on an octagonal base with three apses.

It was begun by Pope Urban IV as a pilgrimage church to display the relic of a proclaimed miracle, the Corporal of Bolsena.

Under Maitani It gradually became a showcase of Gothic art; the interior and upper portions of the facade were decorated with mosaics, sculpted figures and reliefs in marble and bronze.

[6] [8] A number of churches in this period followed the style of San Francesco in Bologna and were built of red brick, plastered on the inside, instead of stone.

The planning and early work involved an extraordinary number of prominent master masons from across Europe, including Jean Mignot and Nicolas de Bonaventure from Paris, Hans Parler from Germany, and a renowned Italian mathematician, Gabriele Stornaloco.

[9] Construction continued, with many interruptions, over the centuries; it was not finally completed until 1965; the style was kept generally consistent, especially for the exterior, but for example the doors and windows on the front facade have classicizing Renaissance-Baroque door-frames.

[10] The mostly-15th-century Certosa of Pavia, built by the rulers of Milan just south of the city, shows a similar extravagantly ornamented style, but now edging into Renaissance classical revival.

Built of brick, it featured three naves and an apse with six radiating chapels, and rib vaulting that sprang from massive cylindrical columns.

[11] The Dominicans also built a new church, Santi Giovanni e Paolo (15th century), with three naves separated by columns, and Gothic capitals, arches and decoration.

[11] Beginning in the second half of the 13th century, Italy produced more examples of secular Gothic architecture than other parts of Europe.

[9] Another notable example of Gothic city planning is the fan-shaped Campo, or town square, in Siena, which is dominated by the Palazzo Publico (1298–1348) and the Torre della Mangia, the tallest municipal tower in Italy.

A major example of a private Florentine palace is the Loggia della Signoria (1370s), next to the Palazzo Vecchio, whose round arches and roofline suggest the coming Renaissance.

The most important works include the Castel del Monte in Apulia and the Castello Maniace protecting the harbour of Syracuse, Italy.