The three main religious monuments of the city overlooking Piazza del Comune, formerly the ancient platea magna, signal with their grandeur the importance of Cremona in medieval times.

The Cathedral was founded in 1107, but its construction, interrupted by a major earthquake in 1117, was only completed with the transepts in the mid-14th century. The façade features, in addition to the Fregio dei Mesi by Antelami, a statue of the Madonna, patron saint of the church, flanked by the city's patron saints, SS. Imerio and Omobono di Marco Romano.
Inside, the central nave is decorated with an important cycle of frescoes depicting the Storie della Vergine e di Gesù, begun in 1514 by Boccaccio Boccaccino and completed in 1520 by Pordenone with the large Crocifissione on the counter-façade.

The Renaissance portico of Bertazzola connects the Cathedral to the Torrazzo, symbol of the city, which was built in several phases between the 13th and 14th centuries and, at 112 metres, is the tallest medieval brick bell tower in Europe. Decorated with a large astronomical clock dating back to 1582, it houses the Museo Verticale dedicated to the theme of time measurement.

The Baptistery, a monumental terracotta building with a traditional octagonal shape, dates back to 1167 and has a large interior room covered by a structurally self-supporting dome similar to Brunelleschi's in Florence. The large red marble basin, actually a cistern for holy water, was created by Lorenzo Trotti between 1520 and 1531.