City of Castello

Città di Castello - Città di Castello is a city in the province of Perugia, and is also the only Renaissance city in the Umbria region. There are numerous monuments and places of historical interest in the city. The main place of worship is the cathedral of Saints Florido and Amanzio. The church is the result of works carried out over the centuries, which is why it is a mixture of different styles.

Outside, the seventeenth-century façade is unfinished while the one on the north side is embellished with a Gothic portal. The round Romanesque bell tower is located next to the church and is in Ravenna style. Inside, the building has a typical Renaissance plan with a single nave, coffered ceiling and side chapels. The chapel of Santissimo Sacramento di Barbioni and the chapel of San Paolo with the fresco depicting the Conversion on the road to Damascus. In the crypt or lower church, the relics of the saints from which the church takes its name are kept. In the crypt are also preserved the skull of San Crescente and the black Madonna of Città di Castello, Madonna very different from the others, since she does not hold any child in her arms but on her left hand she holds a small woman who in turn holds a sphere also on her head. it has a crown typical of the popes. A monument to visit is the Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, so called because there was a cannon foundry on the site. It is one of the 5 palaces that belonged to the Vitelli family, today it has become the seat of the Pinacoteca. Inside the hall of honor the landlord had the stories of the great leaders painted, while in the other rooms there are other paintings such as the so-called 'Banner of the Holy Trinity' by Raffaello Sanzio and the 'Martyrdom of San Sebastiano' by Signorelli. The Palazzo also houses an Italian garden. The diocesan museum was founded in 1940 to house 'the treasure of Canoscio'. The first room houses Canoscio, made up of 25 pieces of liturgical furnishings from the 5th century. In the other rooms are kept, in chronological order, other objects of sacred art, such as the frontal, a pastoral and a series of paintings. Among the most famous are the Madonna and Child by Pinturicchio, Angels by Romano and Christ risen in glory of Florentine. Typical local dishes are: potato flan, potato gnocchi with white truffle, cappelletti in chicken broth, strangozzi, that is pasta without egg pulled by hand and sautéed with garlic, parsley and mushrooms. Typical dessert are chestnuts seasoned with sugar, vanilla and honey glaze.