Anywhere Italy
00 Sellano
Stemma di Sellano

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.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h from Perugia
Population
972

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.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J8°
  • F11°
  • M12°
  • A15°
  • M20°
  • J25°
  • J30°
  • A29°
  • S23°
  • O19°
  • N13°
  • D10°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 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.

The Sunday letter

Sellano 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 Sellano comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Sellano in our articles

How to get there

From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2 hours by car.

Rome (FCO) is about 3 hours away.

By car from the centre of Perugia 1 hour or Ancona 2 hours.

Coming by train into Perugia? Sellano is about 1 hour away by road.

Sellano, photo 1
Sellano, photo 2

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.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Sellano 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.

Plan your trip

We recommend

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.

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.

  • Sagra della Fojata e dell'Attortafood festival

    usually held in August. sagritaly.com

Living here

  • Population 972
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 3 min drive
  • Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 4 min drive

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?
Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2 hours by car.
How long is the drive from Perugia to Sellano?
About 1 hour 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.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Sellano?
Yes. Sagra della Fojata e dell'Attorta. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Sellano?
Arquata del Tronto, Navelli and Rocca di Botte.
How many people live in Sellano?
972 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 641 m
  • Population: 972
  • 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.

Similar

Towns like Sellano

🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia

More Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Umbria