Città di Castello (, is a city and (municipality) in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria.
It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. The city is north of Perugia and south of Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, on the highway SS 3 bis.
It is connected by the SS 73 with Arezzo, Tuscany, and the A1 highway, situated 38 km (23 mi) west. The of Città di Castello has an exclave named Monte Ruperto within Marche.
Etymology
Città di Castello is identified in antiquity as Tiphernum Tiberinum, a name attributed to its position on the left bank of the Tiber. According to Adone Palmieri, its foundation is connected to a Gaius Tiphernius Sabinus, and the name Tiphernum is linked to this origin, although an alternative derivation connects it to the term tifae, referring to marsh plants or wooded growth, from which both the ancient name of the Tiber and related toponyms may have originated.
History
Prehistory and antiquity
In the 9th–8th century BC the area of Città di Castello was largely outside Etruscan influence. From the 7th century BC it was linked to the Adriatic regions through Apennine passes, while other trade routes connected it with coastal Etruria and extended as far as central Europe.
Città di Castello corresponds to the ancient Umbrian city of Tifernum Tiberinum, distinguished in antiquity from Tifernum Metaurense.
During the Diocletianic period it was included in the province of Tuscia et Umbria under direct Roman administration. Christianity spread during this phase. Eubodio is given as the first bishop of Tifernum.
With the rise of the communal age, the citizens asserted their liberties, at times under imperial protection and at others under papal authority. The city was governed successively by consuls and podestàs and, as it grew in power, became divided by the conflicts between Guelph and Ghibelline factions, alternately rebelling against or submitting to the emperor or the Church depending on which faction prevailed.
Subdivisions
The municipality includes the localities of Armanni, Badia Petroia, Badiali, Baucca, Belvedere, Bivio Canoscio, Bivio Lugnano, Bonsciano, Breccione, Campersalle-Canalicchia, Cavine di Sopra, Cerbara, Cinquemiglia, Cinquevie, Città di Castello, Col di Chio, Cornetto, Croce di Castiglione, Fabbri, Fabrecce, Falerno, Fraccano, Giove di Sopra, Grumale, Lerchi, Lugnano, Martignano, Marzocchi, Mezzavia, Molinello, Molino dei Lunghi, Morra, Muccignano, Nuvole, Olmitello, Palazzone, Passerina, Petrelle, Piandana, Picchetto, Piosina, Pistrino, Ponte d'Avorio, Promano, Ripole, Ronti, San Leo Bastia, San Maiano, San Pietro a Monte, San Secondo, Santa Lucia, Santo Stefano del Piano, Scarzola, Segapeli, Sterpeto, Tassinara, Terme di Fontecchio, Titta, Trestina, Trito, Uppiano, Userna, Vallurbana, Volterrano.
In 2021, 5,253 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. Until the abolition of feudalism, Città di Castello exercised baronial rights over the castle of Monte Ruperto.
In 1274, the men of Monte Ruperto formally recognized the authority of Città di Castello and agreed to pay an annual census of five soldi per hearth. In 1278 Pope Nicholas III ordered that Monte Ruperto be restored to the Church as part of the possessions of , threatening excommunication for those who held it. Città di Castello opposed the claim, maintaining that Monte Ruperto had always belonged to its district; this claim prevailed.
Economy
In the 19th century, the territory produced wheat, wine, maize, tobacco, timber for construction and fuel, and clay suitable for bricks and pottery.
The interior has a Latin cross plan with a single nave, side chapels and a coffered ceiling dating to the 18th century. The side chapels were commissioned by leading families of the city between the 16th and 17th centuries and contain frescoes and paintings on canvas. The chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento, known as the "Cappellone", formerly housed the panel Christ in Glory (1528–1530) by Rosso Fiorentino, now kept in the adjacent Museo del Duomo. Other works in the cathedral include paintings by Bernardino Gagliardi and the Conversion of Saint Paul by Niccolò Circignani.
Amphitheater
The amphitheater is an elliptical structure formed by two parallel walls with a gap between them and an outer facing in vittatum masonry. The structure lacks clear supports for a raised seating area, but it may have used the natural slope of the ground. It resembles so-called provincial amphitheaters, with a sunken arena and seating partly cut into the terrain and partly built up with earth.
Remains of ancient Tifernum Tiberinum include a colored mosaic with animal figures, now preserved in the municipal gallery. Outside Porta San Florido, in the area known as the Cascine, are the remains of a large structure in reticulated masonry with traces of mosaic pavements, possibly belonging to public baths.