Citerna

Discover Citerna

The clock inside the Torre civica still runs on wooden gearing cut in the sixteenth century. From the central square, Piazza Scipione Scipioni, the mechanism’s tick is the only mechanical sound in a town of 3,460 people sitting at 480 m (1,575 ft) on a hill between the Cerfone and Sovara streams.

To the north the hill drops sharply into a natural amphitheatre; to the south the Tiber valley opens flat and wide, with the profiles of La Verna and the mountains above Gubbio visible on clear days.

Knowing what to see in Citerna means tracing a route through three medieval churches, two intact town gates, a circular tower that survived the 1917 earthquake, and a terracotta Madonna attributed to the young Donatello.

Citerna, Umbria, Italy is listed among I Borghi più belli d’Italia — the national register of Italy’s most beautiful villages — and stands 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Perugia. Visitors to Citerna find a self-contained hilltop settlement where the density of documented artworks is disproportionate to its size.

History of Citerna

The earliest recorded name of the settlement was Civitas Sobarie, a Latin toponym derived from the nearby river Sovara. Local tradition holds that the founders were populations who fled enemies, first settling along the Sovara before choosing the higher defensive position that became Citerna.

By the eleventh and twelfth centuries a castle here was already documented, held by the Marquises del Colle — later known as the Marquises of Monte Santa Maria — whose lords included Guidone and Uguccione da Citerna, who controlled numerous fiefs and castles across the territory of Perugia.

From 1215 onward the town was drawn into the political conflicts of central Italy. It was compelled to submit repeatedly to Città di Castello, seized in the early thirteenth century by the forces of Monteauto, and then absorbed in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries by the Tarlati di Pietramala of Arezzo.

Control shifted again in the early fifteenth century to the Malatesta family of Rimini: by 1447, Sigismondo Malatesta — former commander of the papal army — held the territory. By mid-century he had relinquished it, and Citerna was incorporated into the Papal State. From 1464 it fell under the Governor of Città di Castello through a locally appointed commissioner. The Vitelli family took control in 1482 following their exile from Città di Castello; in 1519 Pope Leo X formally granted the territory to the Vitelli as a marquisate, a status their family maintained until 1584.

The community statutes were revised in the late sixteenth century on the basis of a 1518 model and received formal approval from Pope Clement VIII on 6 February 1603.

The First War of Castro, fought between 1643 and 1644, caused severe damage to both the population and the surrounding territory. Under French administration in the late eighteenth century, Citerna was established as an autonomous municipality within the Department of Trasimeno; papal authority returned in 1814. In July 1849 Giuseppe Garibaldi and his wife Anita were received in the town, and Garibaldi remained for three days on the hill known as Colle delle Felcaie after departing Rome. The inhabitants erected a stone spire there in 1883 to mark the event. In September 1860 the territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy, and by 1895 the population stood at 2,589.

What to see in Citerna, Umbria: top attractions

Church of San Francesco

The Church of San Francesco presents a Renaissance façade built over the lower courses of an earlier structure, the older stonework still visible at the base of the front wall.

Construction of the present building began in the second half of the fifteenth century on a Latin-cross plan, and the interior holds four sandstone-and-wood altars, painted and gilded.

The most documented work is a polychrome terracotta Madonna and Child dated to around 1415, attributed to the young Donatello — a specific attribution that makes this church central to any account of what to see in Citerna. Further paintings by Raffaellino del Colle, a Deposition by Niccolò Circignani dated 1570, and a fresco attributed to the school of Luca Signorelli complete the interior. The wooden choir dates to 1550 and retains its original form. The church stands on the main street and is accessible on foot from Piazza Scipione Scipioni in under two minutes.

Torrione Circolare

The Torrione circolare — a circular medieval tower — is the only major structure in Citerna that survived the 1917 earthquake intact, while much of the town’s built heritage was damaged or lost. Its cylindrical masonry rises above the roofline of the surrounding streets and serves as the clearest visual reference point for the settlement’s former defensive perimeter.

The tower functions today as the architectural symbol of Citerna and appears on local municipal signage.

Standing at its base, the scale of the original fortification system becomes apparent: the town walls form an irregular ellipse around the hilltop, with Porta Romana to the east and Porta Fiorentina to the west still structurally intact. The stretch of medieval walkway running along the inside of the walls, accessible through a small arch near Palazzo Prosperi-Vitelli, connects the tower to the broader circuit of the old defences.

Piazza Scipione Scipioni and the Torre Civica

The central square of Citerna, Piazza Scipione Scipioni, organises the social geography of the upper town. The Torre civica that rises from it contains a clock mechanism with mechanical wooden gearing that dates to the sixteenth century — one of the few surviving examples of its kind in the region, and a detail that anchors the square’s character far more precisely than its proportions alone.

The view from the square over the Tiber valley, reaching on clear days to the mountains above Gubbio and Assisi, covers a horizontal distance of several tens of kilometres.

The medieval walkway accessed near Palazzo Prosperi-Vitelli begins close to the square, leading along the perimeter walls through a sequence of arched loggias. Outside the walls along this route stands the Pozzo Vecchio, an ancient well positioned above the larger Grande Cisterna below.

Church of San Michele Arcangelo

The Church of San Michele Arcangelo, dedicated to the patron saint of the town, presents a gabled façade with a central rose window and organises its interior around a single nave with six lateral chapels. The choir terminates in a square plan covered by a barrel vault. Inside, the primary documented works are a painted panel of the Crucifixion by Niccolò Circignani, dated 1570, and a terracotta sculpture of the Madonna and Child from the school of Giovanni della Robbia.

The patronal feast of San Michele Arcangelo falls on 8 May, and the church is the focal point of the annual celebrations.

For visitors planning what to see in Citerna over a single day, this church complements San Francesco in terms of dated, attributed works — both contain pieces by Circignani from the same year, 1570, which allows a direct comparison across two sites within a few hundred metres of each other.

Church of the Crocifisso and its Cloister

The Church of the Crocifisso is distinguished by its entrance portal, a piece of architectural sculpture bearing the carved date 1532. The presbytery contains a fresco depicting the Virgin with Jesus, Saint Francis, and Saint Bernardino, attributed to the school of Perugino. The cloister attached to the building dates to the thirteenth century and represents one of the oldest surviving structural elements in the municipality.

Among the works formerly recorded here were a Crucifixion attributed to Spinello Aretino and an oil painting at the high altar described as a composition by Pomarancio.

The combination of the dated portal, the Perugino-school fresco, and the age of the cloister makes this building the third anchor of Citerna’s documented artistic heritage alongside San Francesco and San Michele. The nearby Umbrian village of Montone, roughly 20 km (12.4 mi) to the southeast, similarly holds a concentration of Umbrian Renaissance panel painting in a compact hilltop setting, making it a natural second stop if time allows.

Local food and typical products of Citerna

The territory of Citerna sits within the upper Tiber valley, a zone where the agricultural economy historically revolved around cereals, wine, tobacco, and olives. Mid-nineteenth-century accounts describe the surrounding hills as densely planted with olive trees and fruit varieties, with vineyards producing table wines consumed locally and traded in regional markets. Livestock breeding was well developed, and sericulture — the production of raw silk — formed a secondary industry alongside arable farming.

This combination of hill agriculture and small-scale animal husbandry shaped a cooking tradition built on preserved meats, legumes, bread made from locally milled grain, and dishes that used every part of slaughtered animals without waste.

The vegetable most specifically documented in historical sources is the large turnip, grown in rotation after the grain and hemp harvests.

These turnips served a dual function: as a food for the local population during winter months and as fodder for livestock through the cold season. Hemp cultivation also left its mark on local cooking in the form of hemp-seed preparations, a practice common across upper Umbria and the Tiber valley. The broader Umbrian tradition of torta al testo — a flatbread cooked on a hot stone disc, typically filled with cured meats or cooked greens — appears throughout this part of the province of Perugia.

Stringozzi, a thick hand-cut pasta made from flour and water without eggs, is the standard first course across the Perugia province and is served here with truffle-based sauces or slow-cooked meat ragù. Porchetta, whole pig roasted with wild fennel, garlic, and rosemary, remains the most consistent street-food presence at local fairs and markets throughout the calendar year.

The hills around Citerna fall within production zones for Olio Extravergine di Oliva Umbria (PDO), the protected designation of origin covering Umbrian extra-virgin olive oil. The oil from this sub-zone of the upper Tiber valley tends toward a low acidity profile with a grassy, slightly bitter finish typical of Frantoio and Moraiolo olive varieties.

Local producers press the harvest between October and November; oil from this period retains the highest polyphenol content.

The Colli Altotiberini DOC wine designation covers red, white, and rosé wines produced in this part of the province of Perugia, with Sangiovese as the dominant red variety.

Small local markets and the occasional sagra — a traditional food fair centred on a single product or dish — take place in Citerna and the surrounding frazioni (hamlets) during late spring and summer. The hamlet of Pistrino, which in 2021 held the largest share of the municipal population at 1,609 residents, hosts its own seasonal events tied to the agricultural calendar. Visitors looking for locally produced oil and wine are best served by visiting between October and December, when new-harvest products are available directly from producers.

Festivals, events and traditions of Citerna

The principal annual event in Citerna is the feast of the patron saint, San Michele Arcangelo, celebrated on 8 May. The day centres on the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, where a formal religious ceremony marks the morning, followed by a procession through the streets of the historic centre. The route passes through the two town gates — Porta Romana and Porta Fiorentina — and returns to the church for the closing liturgy.

The feast draws residents from the outlying localities of the municipality, including Pistrino, Fighille, and Canciolo, and functions as one of the few occasions when the dispersed population of the municipal territory gathers in the hilltop centre.

The memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s three-day stay on Colle delle Felcaie in July 1849 retains a place in local civic identity.

The spire erected by the inhabitants in 1883 on that hill remains a reference point for the town’s historical self-presentation. Beyond the patronal feast and the Garibaldi commemoration, the summer months bring smaller community gatherings tied to the agricultural calendar, consistent with the broader Umbrian tradition of outdoor evening markets and food-centred events in July and August. The village of Cerreto di Spoleto in the Valnerina similarly maintains a strong patronal feast tradition, offering a comparison point for visitors interested in Umbrian civic and religious calendar events.

When to visit Citerna, Italy and how to get there

The best time to visit Citerna falls between late April and early June, and again in September and October.

Spring brings mild temperatures at 480 m (1,575 ft) and clear visibility over the Tiber valley, making the panoramic views from the town walls and Piazza Scipione Scipioni most rewarding. The patronal feast on 8 May adds a specific reason to target that week. September and October combine comfortable walking conditions with the olive and grape harvests in the surrounding countryside. July and August are warm and dry; the town itself is compact enough that heat is manageable, but the wider Umbrian region sees its highest visitor numbers in this period. Winter is quiet, with reduced services in smaller establishments.

Citerna is located approximately 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Perugia and 29 km (18 mi) from Arezzo, placing it within straightforward day-trip range of both cities. From Florence the distance is roughly 110 km (68.4 mi), achievable in about 90 minutes by car via the E45 motorway.

If you arrive by car, the most practical approach is via the E45 (Superstrada Orte–Ravenna), exiting at Città di Castello Sud and continuing west for approximately 6.7 km (4.2 mi). Parking is available at the foot of the hill, with the historic centre accessible on foot from the lower car parks.

The nearest train station with regular connections is Città di Castello, served by Trenitalia on the Perugia–Sansepolcro regional line; from the station, Citerna is a 10–15 minute drive. The nearest international airport is Perugia San Francesco d’Assisi, approximately 55 km (34.2 mi) to the southeast; Florence Amerigo Vespucci airport lies roughly 130 km (80.8 mi) to the northwest. For those who prefer public transport, bus connections link Città di Castello with the surrounding municipalities, though frequency is limited on weekends. International visitors should note that English is not widely spoken in smaller local shops, and carrying euro cash is practical for markets, church entrance fees, and rural establishments.

Visitors extending their trip through the upper Tiber valley may find it worth stopping at Sant’Anatolia di Narco further south in Umbria, which shares the region’s pattern of small hilltop municipalities with concentrated medieval heritage. The official municipal website for Citerna is maintained at citerna.net, where updated information on events and access is published.