Description of the attraction
Citta di Castello is a picturesque town in the province of Perugia in the northern part of the Italian region of Umbria. It stands on the slopes of the Apennines in the floodplain of the Tiber River, 56 km north of Perugia.
The city was founded by the Umbrian tribes. The Romans called it Tifernum Tiberinum - Tifernum on the Tiber. Not far from it, the ancient Roman politician and writer Pliny the Younger built his villa, which today can be seen in the town of Colle Plinio - walls, mosaic floors and marble trim elements have been preserved. In 550, Tifernum was destroyed during the Ostrogothic campaign by order of King Totila. Later, the city was rebuilt around the castle at the initiative of the Bishop of Floridus and was named Castrum Felicitatis, and even later - Civitas Castelli. In 752, at the behest of the Frankish king Pepin the Short, he came under the control of the Holy See, despite the fact that control over the city was contested by Perugia and Florence. Subsequently, the city repeatedly changed rulers, until in the 15th century Niccolo Vitelli, who was supported by Florence and Milan, reigned in it. At the same time, the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger built a magnificent palace for the Vitelli family.
Today Citta di Castello with its industrial plants, roads and highways has significantly expanded its boundaries - in the north the city reaches San Giustino. It produces textiles, ceramics, furniture, and agricultural machinery.
Most of the city's buildings are built of bricks, as the local sandstone decays very quickly. Among the main attractions of Citta di Castello are the medieval Palazzo Comunale with the high tower of Torre Comunale and the Pinacoteca Municipal, a museum that contains works of Renaissance art and which is famous for its decorations by Giorgio Vasari.
Significantly rebuilt in the 18th century, the cathedral is notable for an unfinished 17th-century façade, a 12th-century silver altar and a bishop's staff that is about 600 years old. Inside you can see works by Niccolo Circignani, Rosso Fiorentino and Raffaelino del Colle. The bell tower of the cathedral was built in the 13th century in the Romanesque style. And the cathedral's museum contains silver spoons and plates with Christian motifs made in the 2-5th centuries, a silver altarpiece donated by Pope Celestine V in the 12th century, as well as the image of the Madonna by Pinturicchio and the Angels by Giulio Romano.
A museum dedicated to the life and work of the local sculptor and abstract painter Alberto Burri is open in Palazzo Albizzini. It is also worth noting that Citta di Castello is the hometown of the world famous Italian actress Monica Bellucci - her many relatives still live here.
