Umbria · Perugia
Città della Pieve
A red-brick hill town at 508 meters above the Valdichiana, the birthplace of Perugino and the home of Italy's narrowest alley.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 45 min from Perugia
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 7,466
Known for
PERUGINO
Pietro Vannucci was born here around 1448; the Oratorio dei Bianchi and the Duomo together hold three of his major works.
RED BRICK
The centro storico is built almost entirely of local terracotta brick, fired in the area since the Middle Ages.
INFIORATA
Petal-carpet tradition for Corpus Domini, recognized by Infioritalia, transforms the streets every June into a temporary mosaic.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J9°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J31°
- A30°
- S25°
- O20°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Gervasio e Protasio, 19 June
Why come
Città della Pieve sits on a hill at 508 meters between Umbria and Tuscany, about 260 meters above the Valdichiana and within sight of Lake Trasimeno. The town is built almost entirely of the local red brick that has been fired here since the Middle Ages, which gives the centro storico a uniform terracotta color. Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, was born here around 1448 and returned in 1504 to fresco the Adoration of the Magi inside the Oratorio di Santa Maria dei Bianchi, one of the largest works he ever painted.
The Cathedral of San Gervasio holds two more Perugino panels from 1510 and 1514. Pope Clement VIII elevated the town from Castel della Pieve in 1600, restoring its episcopal seat. Vicolo Baciadonne, eighty centimeters wide, threads between two brick walls and is regularly cited as the narrowest alley in Italy.
The Sunday letter
Città della Pieve is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Città della Pieve comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Città della Pieve in our articles
The best hill towns that live slowly within 90 minutes of Perugia6 towns, Città della Pieve among them.
The best medieval festivals in Umbria7 towns, Città della Pieve among them.
The best towns that live slowly in the province of Perugia7 towns, Città della Pieve among them.
The best hill towns that live slowly in Umbria8 towns, Città della Pieve among them.
How to get there
From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 19m by car.
Rome (FCO) is about 2h 29m away.
By car from the centre of Perugia 45 minutes, Siena 1h 21m or Florence 1h 35m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Perugia? Città della Pieve is about 41 minutes away by road.
What to see
Cattedrale dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio
Cathedral on the main piazza with two Perugino panels, the Madonna and Child with Saints of 1514 and the Baptism of Christ of 1510.
Oratorio di Santa Maria dei Bianchi
Confraternity oratory holding Perugino's Adoration of the Magi, frescoed in 1504 and considered one of his largest single works.
Torre del Pubblico
Twelfth-century civic tower in Lombard Romanesque style, thirty-nine meters tall, set next to the cathedral on Piazza Plebiscito.
Rocca
Triangular fortress raised in 1326 by the rulers of Perugia, with five towers originally, of which the Torre del Castellano and remains of the Torre del Frontone survive.
Palazzo della Corgna
Sixteenth-century palace by Galeazzo Alessi, frescoed inside by Salvio Salvini and Pomarancio with mythological and sacred scenes.
Vicolo Baciadonne
Eighty-centimeter gap between two brick walls, regularly cited as the narrowest alley in Italy and walked single file.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Città della Pieve fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Palio dei Terzierihistorical re-enactment
usually held in August. sagritaly.com
Living here
- Population 7,466
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 19 min drive
- Regional capital Perugia, 45 min drive
Common questions
- What is Città della Pieve known for?
- Città della Pieve is a red-brick hill town at 508 meters above the Valdichiana, the birthplace of Perugino and the home of Italy's narrowest alley.
- Where is Città della Pieve?
- Città della Pieve is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Città della Pieve?
- Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 19m by car.
- Can you get to Città della Pieve without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Città della Pieve?
- About 45 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Città della Pieve?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Città della Pieve?
- Yes. Palio dei Terzieri. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Città della Pieve?
- Acqualagna, Susa and Arpino.
- How many people live in Città della Pieve?
- 7,466 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 508 m
- Population: 7,466
- Surface area: 110.94 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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