The villages of the Umbrian Valtiberina (Tiber Valley): Citerna, Città di Castello, Montone

Umbrian Valtiberina is the part of territory in the valley, which is located in the Province of Perugia  It is better ti use car to visit these places.. Starting from La Casa che Sogna,  you can take the road towards Arezzo and turn left at the lights of St. Leo. Then continue to the intersection that indicates Citerna and turn right. It is a pleasant street, between verdant hills, and spring-summer, between stretches of colourful flowers.

Citerna

Already at the turn from the bottom you will see the splendid medieval village, which was decorated classification "One of the most beautiful villages in Italy." The origins of the name of the country are uncertain. It could result from a contamination of linguistic “ cisterna “ (tank), since in many buildings have cisterns to gather rainwater. Finds of clay and coins testify to the Roman presence (Citernae castrum) in a territory already inhabited by the Etruscans. The location of Citerna  denotes the feature small fortress with the functions of sighting of the military flows from surrounding lands, Romagna, Marche and Tuscany, of which the High Valley of river Tiber constitutes the natural confluence . This city was contested often to its strategical position and it still keeps in city walls, in side medieval walkways and in the Acropolis, which is  dominating the village, the memory of its rich historyThe historic core of Citerna is enclosed within the walls, built between XIII and XIV century with two main entrances: south and north Porta Romana Porta Fiorentina. Immediately behind the first develops the Monastery of St. Elizabeth, in whose church a hexagonal shape is a Vesperbild, German iconography depicting a Pietà secolo.Lungo XIV of the perimeter of the walls on the east and west sides, are the medieval walkways with arched openings on all perfectly preserved. From the main house is accessed Prosperi - Vitelli, where you can admire the chimney of the sixteenth century , known as  the the chimney of  Innamorati ( lovers ) .Next, over the entrance to the town hall meeting is part of the conventual church of San Francesco, the Church confiscated after the unification of Italy. San Francesco is a church-museum to the great number of works of art that you keep. Built in the early decades of the sixteenth century, has a Latin cross with nine richly decorated altars. There are paintings by Simone Ciburri, a fresco by Luca Signorelli and his school (circa 1550), a deposition Pomarancio, some paintings by Raffaellino del Colle and a collection of sacred vestments, finely wrought in silk and gold. Continuing the journey along the river you will reach the main square, Scipione Scipioni, which can be admired in all its beauty the natural amphitheatre that stretches to the foot of Citerna: the drainage basin of the Tiber and the Apennines crowned the boundary as a enormous basin from the mountain of La Verna in the north to the Sibillini Mountains to the south. the square, the tower bears a civic clock mechanical joints in wood dating from the XVI century. On the gentle slope in front, the façade towers of the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, built around 1680, which houses within it a beautiful Madonna and Child from the school of Giovanni della Robbia, a valuable painting Crucifixion (1570) with wooden altar of Pomarancio and a bell dated 1269. On the eastern side of this ancient nucleus of Citerna opens the square of the small but elegant theater Bontempelli, built by the family Vitelli in the sixteenth century, now recovered to full activity.  On the west side stands the fortress, however, the oldest part of the castle. It was of Longobard origins (VII century), was rebuilt in 14 th century and was the ancient residence of the lords of the place. The West bastion and the Round  Tower ,  are symbols of the country and complete the western side of the town walls.You can visit the home of Flora Volpini by appointment :  she was a citizen of Citerna and one of the first female mayor in Italy. Known writer and painter, throughout his life, which took place between the salons and literary circles of fashionable Milan and Rome, he continued to return to Citerna, who led the country for life in the heart and of which he was mayor for 10 years. Inside the house you can admire works, personal items and photographs of the artist, pieces of a very important stage in the history of Italy. Before leaving Citerna will stop at a bar on the main square, where Fabio and Patrizia will offer you an excellent coffee and home-made cakes, you can buy local products at the grocery shop of Marisa (taste the Tuscan ham !). If you are hungry you can stop for lunch at the Belvedere Restaurant, which offers a beautiful view on Valtiberina.
 

Città di Castello

By car you can reach  Citta di Castello,  and then park in one of the many free public parking near the center, for a walk in the historic center. The settlement of the original city was founded by the Umbrian on the left bank of the Tiber near the territory subject to the control of the Etruscans, from the third century BC, due to the expansion of Rome, the city was federated in Rome and, subsequently, was included in Regio VI Umbria. In Città di Castello you must visit  the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, built between  late  400 and early '500  in the place where once stood a small thirteenth-century church. Elegant structure of late-Gothic style with Renaissance, the church is testimony of the architecture of Vitelli. He was wanted by Niccolò Vitelli to celebrate the victory over Giustini, supporter of  Pope It has a three-nave interior with  ogive buttresses .You can then visit the Museo del Duomo: major attractions of the museum are the "Pastorale"  a work from Siena of the first half of the fourteenth century, of refined elegance, attributable gold production of the first' Tuscan 300 ; Treasure of the Canoscio is a set of glasses, trays and other items of liturgical use dating back to the V-VI century collectors who are rare in Europe and of immense historical value, the "Madonna with Child and Saint John" by Pinturicchio.  In the center then you will visit the Pinacoteca di Città di Castello in Umbria second, most important of the works stored, only the National Gallery in Perugia, preserves masterpieces by Castello di Maestro, Luca Signorelli, Raphael, Andrea and Giovanni Della Robbia, Ghiberti, Ghirlandaio , Raffaellino del Colle, Pomarancio, Santi di Tito. Before you go on a tour of two important museums outside the city  you will taste the best Italian wines in  bar or wine shop in the center. We will visit the Museum Burri, situated within the former driers of tobacco. They have  arisen between the end of the'50s and half of'60 for the 'dry tropical tobacco from the Fattoria Autonoma Tabacchi, in 1978 s use of one of the dryers was granted Burri in'79 and was open to the public the first of the vast cycles of paintings that marked its production until 1993. The  buyout of' whole complex  in 1989 has launched the general project of recovery and adaptation of the unique museum and huge (7500 square meters) building was opened in 1990 that houses 128 works of large dimensions. Particularly interesting to understand the Umbrian civilization and not far from the Museo Burri is the Documentation Center of Popular Traditions: located in Garavelli in  a farmhouse, which is  overlooking Villa Cappelletti.

Montone

The visit of this day will end in Montone: take the E45 towards Perugia, is expected to Promano and follow the signs to Montone, which boasts of the classification "One of the most beautiful towns in Italy" and "Orange flag ". Narrow and winding roads that run in each direction, with staircases that allow you to easily overcome the most steep, in a succession of unforgettable images of Umbrian landscapes and overlapping architecture. After this pleasant walk, we will stay in Montone for dinner in one of the many typical refreshed or return to La Casa che Sogna for a well earned rest. 
 

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