“Castello” was an ancient Umbrian centre that was never conquer by the Etruscans. The flourishing roman Municipio was called Tifernum Tiberinum. The young plity wrote about it in hi letter and built a template there in the second century. A roman legionary called S. Crescenziano preached the gospel in the fourth century and it is said that the Tiferno was later destroyed by Tatila and rebuilt by Bishop Florido. Unde the Lombard rule the town was called Castrum Felicitatis and then in the Middle Ages I was a guelf free town called “Civitas Castelli”.

The territory included land beyond the Appenines. Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo del Podestà both date from that period. Sometimes the town was free, and at the other times it was governed by the Church, Perugia and Florence. For a while Pietramala ruled and in the 1300’s Branca Guelfucci commanded. Braccio Fortebraccio occupied the town in 1422 and here were civil wars between the Tarlati, Giustini and Fuccifamilies until the Vitelli family took power. This family built beautiful palaces and bought works of ar. Under Cesare Borgia in finally  became part of the church lands although the Vitelli Family continued to govern locally. In the centuries that followed the town suffered under papal dominion and a lack of communications and gradually declined.

Freedom came at last in 1860 with the arrival of the piedmontese troops. Being a cultural crossroads Città di Castello  has developed a rich collection of works of art dating from many historical periods that go from the Middle Ages through the renaissance, right up to modern times. The smal corner of Umbria finds itself with an immense artistic heritage of extraordinarily beautiful masterpieces. Città di Castello hasn’t only got this great artistic heritage, it is also enriched by the hard-working, creative craftsmen who live and work among the places and town of the old town centre. There are weavers, potters and printers who hand down their knowledge and keep old traditions alive giving the town a gentle human dimension.