Considered the most important collection of Umbrian art after the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia, the Municipal Art Gallery of Città di Castello is housed within the splendid Renaissance Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera.

Built between 1521 and 1532 in Florentine style, surrounded by an elegant Italian garden and featuring a refined sgraffito façade by Gherardo Colombo, known as Il Doceno, based on designs by Giorgio Vasari, as well as frescoes by Gherardo Colombo and Cola dell’Amatrice, the palace is itself a work of art. In 1912 it was donated by its last owner, the renowned antiquarian and art dealer Elia Volpi, to the Municipality of Città di Castello to become the home of the Municipal Art Gallery. During the 1980s, important restoration works directed by art historians Alessandro Marabottini and Francesco Federico Mancini of the University of Perugia returned both the palace and the gallery rooms to their original appearance.

The Collection: Renaissance Masterpieces and Twentieth-Century Works

The gallery is divided into twenty-six rooms, complemented by additional exhibition spaces dedicated to temporary exhibitions. It houses works dating from the 14th to the 20th century, many of which entered public ownership following the confiscations carried out after the unification of Italy.The collection bears witness to the artistic vitality of an area situated along important communication routes and cultural exchange networks. Among the most significant works are those by artists from outside the region, including Luca Signorelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Andrea della Robbia, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Antonio Vivarini, Raffaellino del Colle, Pomarancio and Santi di Tito.