First inhabited by the Umbrians, it was not subdued by the Etruscans. it was called Tifernum Tiberinum under the Roman rule. After being destroyed by the Ostrogoths, headed by Totila, the town rose again under the Bishop Florido. It had the name of Castrum Felicitatis during the Lombard period and Civitatis Castelli in the Middle Ages. It was an independent municipality under the Guelphs who extended their dominination over the neighbouring territories up to the Apennines. The Priors and Podesta’ Palaces witness this flourishing period. After being ruled by Braccio Fortebracci in the the fifteenth century, it was disputed by the Tarlati, Giustini and Fucci families, then in the second half of the fifteenth century the Lordship of The Vitelli family was established under whose rule the city was embellished with splendid palaces (Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, Palazzo Vitelli in San Giacomo, Palazzo Vitelli in Piazza, and Palazzo Vitelli in Sant’Egidio) and works of art. Although it continued to be governed by the Vitelli until 1550, the city became a papal possession with Cesare Borgia. Subsequently the city went through a continuous decline until 1860. The city suffered devastation also during World War II until the war of liberation headed by Lieutenant Colonel Venanzio Gabriotti who fell victim to the Nazis and fascists.
What to see
A large number of artists were called during the Renaissance to enrich the city with works of art, one important artist was the young Raphael who worked in the city between 1499 and 1504. The splendid Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera is the seat of the Municipal Art Gallery, where it is possible to admire the decorations of the façade facing the garden made by Gherardi and Vasari and the works by artists such as Raphael, Signorelli, Raffaellino del Colle, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Pomarancio and others Lorenzo Ghiberti, Pomarancio and others Along with the Art Gallery, there is the Cathedral Museum with two important works of art: the “Christ in Glory” by Rosso Fiorentino and “The Madonna with the Child” by Pinturicchio.
Moving on to contemporary art, there are the two collections by the artist Alberto Burri, one at the Albizzini Palace, with works created from 1948 to 1989 (Tars, Sacks, Woods, Plastics, Cracks, Cellotex) and another one in the sheds previously used for drying tobacco. Burri’s pictorial cycles and sculptures created from 1974 to 1993 are exhibited there.
The Tela Umbra Museum and the extraordinary educational system which Maria Montessori used in the “Montessori schools” of San Lorenzo in Rome and Niguarda in Milan.