An area rich in history and monuments, with a centuries-old culture in an environment where a vital industrial reality accompanies respect for nature... #tuttitaly
Città di Castello, located in northern Umbria a few kilometers from Tuscany, has a very ancient history with testimonies still visible today.
The medieval and Renaissance palaces recall the period of prosperity that Città di Castello experienced thanks to the contribution of the Vitellis, a family of leaders and patrons very close to the Medici of Florence. In this period, the city became a destination for great artists such as Raphael and Luca Signorelli.
What to see
The former Seccatoi del Tabacco, in via Pirandello, recalls the period from the 1800s onwards when the city became one of the Italian capitals of tobacco cultivation and processing. This place later became the laboratory of the contemporary artist Alberto Burri and housed his large-scale works.
The more minor works are kept in Palazzo Albizzini.
The city's main buildings overlook the square named
Venanzio Gabriotti: the Palazzo dei Priori, the Cathedral, and the Torre Civica.
Palazzo dei Priori is an elegant fourteenth-century building characterized by ashlar work and a row of Gothic mullioned windows on the first floor.
The Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Florido and Amanzio, presents a set of overlapping styles due to the numerous interventions it underwent from the 11th century to the 19th century. The circular bell tower remains the only surviving part of the Romanesque church.
The Civic Tower, from the XIII century, keeps some stone coats of arms walled up and the remains of a fresco by Luca Signorelli.
Among the things to see, Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera is also worth a visit. This is a Renaissance palace whose interior boasts a valuable cycle of frescoes celebrating the exploits of the Vitelli family.
The enterprises of the Tifernate family are also illustrated in the sixteenth-century Palazzo Vitelli in Sant'Egidio, a magnificent Tuscan-inspired building with a beautiful enclosed garden.
Gastronomy
The typical dish of Città di Castello is the "Bagiana": a soup of broad beans, tomatoes, and basil to accompany tigella, a small piadina made with flour, water, and salt.
One of the typical products is the barrel-aged Pecorino, embellished with various herbs that give it a unique flavor.
At the end of October, the Market Exhibition is set up where you can taste the precious mushroom that grows in these areas, the white truffle.
