Pinacoteca Comunale, Città di Castello

The Pinacoteca Comunale of Città di Castello is one of the most important picture galleries in Umbria, housed in the elegant Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, a 16th-century Renaissance palace whose facade is decorated with grisaille sgraffito and whose interior preserves frescoed halls and a grand staircase. The collection, drawn from the churches and confraternities of this upper Tiber town near the Tuscan border, spans roughly the 14th to the 19th century. Its great early treasure is a youthful work by Raphael, who was active in the town, alongside a standard fragment and a processional banner attributed to him, while Luca Signorelli is represented by a Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian painted for a local confraternity. Other highlights include works by Ghirlandaio, a glazed terracotta by the Della Robbia workshop, panels by Umbrian and Tuscan masters, and a fine collection of sculpture, furniture and decorative arts displayed through the palace's frescoed rooms, so that setting and collection reinforce one another. A visit typically takes an hour to ninety minutes. Città di Castello is also celebrated as the home town of the 20th-century abstract artist Alberto Burri, and the gallery pairs naturally with the two Burri museums, in the Palazzo Albizzini and the former tobacco-drying sheds, for visitors interested in modern art. The town lies in the green hills of the northern Tiber valley and is reached by car or by the regional FCU railway. The gallery keeps seasonal hours and closes on most Mondays, so it is worth checking before visiting this corner of northern Umbria.