Scavi di Colle Plinio

Tifernum, originally a very ancient Umbrian centre in the Upper Tiber Valley, after conquest by the Romans, became towards the end of the 1st century a rich and flourishing municipium named Tifernum Tiberinum. A powerful patron, Pliny the Younger, adorned it with fine temples and public buildings. The town was destroyed by Totila's Goths, and later rebuilt and fortified by Bishop Florido.
The name was changed first to Castrum Felicitatis and later to Civitas Castelli, whence Città di Castello. A very mighty Guelph free city, it spread its dominion over the neighbouring territory, stretching well beyond the Apennines. The two magnificent palaces of the Priors and the Podestà bear witness to its strength and influence. Towards the end of the 15th century, the Vitelli family prevailed over the other clans in a fierce struggle for predominion, and gave the town its current aspect, beautifying it with churches, palaces and monuments which together reflect the elegant grace of the Tuscan Renaissance. Artists of great renown, such as Signorelli and Raphael, to name but the greatest, worked at length in Città di Castello where they created some of their most significant paintings. The town then fell under Papal sway until 1860, when it was liberated by Piedmontese troops and annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.