A Guide to Citta di Castello

This is Umbria’s northern most town and is home to Umbria’s second most important art gallery, the Pinacoteca Comunale. The town was once known as the “Castle of Happiness” and was later an attraction for some of the great Renaissance masters such as Raphael and Signorelli. The town’s history is thought to date back to the Stone Age, however what you will find there today is primarily medieval with a few Roman remains and more modern outskirts.

The town changed hands frequently over the centuries, from Perugina, to the church of Florence, only becoming property of the papacy in 1500 under Cesare Borgia. The sites of interest include the Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo Comunale, the Cathedral, the Church of St Domenico, the Church of St Maria Maggiore, and the Church of St Francis.

The Pinacoteca Comunale is where you can find numerous paintings by Raffaello, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Signorelli, evidence of the rich artistic heritage of Città di Castello. Amidst the history and the art there is also the famous local wine, the Colli Altotiberini.