Umbria · Perugia
Sellano
A medieval village in the upper Valnerina at 641 meters, twice flattened by earthquakes, now linked to Montesanto by Europe's highest pedestrian suspension bridge.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Sellano is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
The nearest town with a letter is Campello sul Clitunno, No. 77, 14 km away.
Subscribe and you get Sellano's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 4 min from Perugia
- Population
- 944
- J8°
- F11°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J25°
- J30°
- A29°
- S23°
- O19°
- N13°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Sellano sits at 641 meters on the eastern edge of Umbria, looking over the Vigi stream toward the Marche border. The Vigi feeds the Nera; the valley is the upper Valnerina, one of the most isolated stretches of the Umbro-Marchigiano Apennines. The 1979 and 1997 earthquakes hit the commune hard.
The 1997 quake destroyed the sixteenth-century Palazzo dei Collicola at Montesanto and emptied most of the surrounding hamlets. Reconstruction took two decades. In March 2024 a new structure opened: a 517-meter suspension footbridge across the Vigi gorge linking Sellano to the Castello di Montesanto, 175 meters above the valley floor, 1,023 steps, claimed as Europe's highest tibetan bridge alongside Portugal's Arouca 516.
Funded by NextAppennino, 1.6 million euros from PNRR earthquake-area development money. The bridge has become the visible decision of a small commune to bet its future on something other than waiting out emigration.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 2 h 3 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 39 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 1 h 4 min or Ancona 2 h 3 min.
Coming by train into Perugia? Sellano is about 1 h 3 min away by road.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Ponte tibetano
517-meter suspension footbridge opened March 2024, 175 meters above the Vigi gorge, 1,023 steps linking Sellano to Castello di Montesanto.
Castello di Montesanto
Medieval fortress hamlet across the Vigi, depopulated after the 1997 earthquake, reachable on foot via the new bridge.
Borgo medievale di Sellano
Compact walled centro storico looking east toward the Marche, partially rebuilt after the 1997 quake.
Valle del Vigi
Right-bank tributary of the Nera, deep forested gorge that defines the commune's geography and the bridge's drop.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
La Casa Rosa del Castello di PostignanoRistorante
La Casa Rosa del Castello di Postignano carries one Gambero Rosso fork (76/100).
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Sellano is at the end of the road.
- A village of 944. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Foligno, is 38 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Foligno, a city of 55,303, is 38 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 944, down 15.6% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Foligno, 38 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Foligno, 15 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 86% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Perugia airport (PEG), 59 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 4 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, North Macedonia and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. There are 657 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 62% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Perugia province ranks 37th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Foligno, 15 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Terni, 41 km away. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 85 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Assisi International School, 33 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds nothing to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Umbria spends about €2,310 a month, €550 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €677 a year for water, on the Umbria average. In Perugia, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.23, a meal in a pizzeria €12.04 and a man's haircut €20.47.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, under 1% in a high or medium one. 5% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
PONTE TIBETANO
517 meters, 175 meters high, 1,023 steps, opened March 2024, claimed as Europe's highest pedestrian suspension bridge.
1997 EARTHQUAKE
The Umbria-Marche quake destroyed Montesanto's Palazzo Collicola and emptied most surrounding hamlets, two decades of reconstruction followed.
VALNERINA
Upper Vigi gorge on the Marche border, one of the most isolated forested valleys in Umbria.
PATATA ROSSA DI COLFIORITO
The commune lies inside the Patata Rossa di Colfiorito IGP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Sellano known for?
- Sellano is a medieval village in the upper Valnerina at 641 meters, twice flattened by earthquakes, now linked to Montesanto by Europe's highest pedestrian suspension bridge.
- Where is Sellano?
- Sellano is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Sellano?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Perugia (PEG), about 59 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Sellano?
- About 1 h 4 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Sellano?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Sellano?
- Arquata del Tronto, Navelli and Rocca di Botte.
- How many people live in Sellano?
- 944 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Sellano a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Sellano is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Foligno, is 38 min away. The nearest city, Foligno, is 38 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Foligno, 15 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 86% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 641 m
- Population: 944
- Surface area: 85.85 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Sellano appears in
- The 6 best small towns that eat well in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceeats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 686 residents
- The best mountain towns within 90 minutes of PerugiaNear Perugiamountainwithin 90 min7 towns · smallest 346 residents · closest 64 min away
- The best towns known for what they grow within 90 minutes of PerugiaNear Perugiawithin 90 minproduce zone8 towns · smallest 334 residents · closest 40 min away
- The best small towns that eat well in UmbriaUmbriaeats wellsmall9 towns · smallest 686 residents
- The prettiest small villages within 90 minutes of PerugiaNear Perugiawithin 90 minprettiest villagessmall10 towns · smallest 926 residents · closest 27 min away
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 77.
Campello sul Clitunno
Province: Perugia
Springs of the Clitunno and the Lombard Tempietto on the valley floor at 290 meters, the temple inscribed by UNESCO in 2011.
14 km away
- Written about. No. 86.
Scheggino
Province: Perugia
Triangular castle village on the banks of the Nera at 280 meters, where the first commercial Italian truffle company was founded in 1852.
21 km away
- Written about. No. 81.
Montefalco
Province: Perugia
The hilltop wine capital of Umbria at 472 meters, where Sagrantino is grown almost nowhere else.
23 km away
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 65 km away
Umbria: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Umbria guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: Two banks, no sea. 21 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.