Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera

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Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera

There is a place in Città di Castello that tells stories of nobility, art, ingenuity and even mystery: Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera.

Built alongside the city walls on the site of a former cannon foundry (hence the name “Cannoniera”), it is one of the five palaces commissioned by the powerful Vitelli family, who ruled the city for centuries. Despite its martial name, strength here has given way to elegance. Constructed between 1521 and 1532 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Pier Francesco da Viterbo, it is among the finest residences associated with the Vitelli family.

According to local tradition, the palace’s refined elegance was associated with the marriage of Paola Rossi of San Secondo Parmense—granddaughter of Giovanni delle Bande Nere and widow of Vitello Vitelli—and Alessandro Vitelli, a military commander in the service of the Medici family. Their union was intended to preserve “the memory of their name and their valour”, as recalled by an inscription still visible within the residence. The wedding was celebrated in 1531.

The palace remained in the hands of the Vitelli family for centuries. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when it had fallen into serious disrepair, it was purchased and restored by the antiquarian and restorer Elia Volpi (Città di Castello, 1858 – Florence, 1938), famous for creating the collection of Palazzo Davanzati in Florence. In 1912, Volpi donated the palace to the Municipality of Città di Castello to house the Municipal Art Gallery.

A Façade That Captivates

The building's most striking feature is its sgraffito façade. Designed by Cristofano Gherardi, known as Il Doceno, based on drawings by Giorgio Vasari, it is decorated with geometric motifs and friezes celebrating Renaissance beauty. Particularly notable are the emblems of the two families united by marriage: a calf and a rampant lion.

It is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind in Italy. The decoration resembles embroidery carved into stone and creates visual harmony among the different sections of the building, constructed during various periods.The palace overlooks a magnificent Italian-style garden, renowned in its time for its rare and exotic plants, which earned the entire complex the nickname “the palace of the garden”.

Detail of the sgraffito-decorated façade of Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera with a barred window.

Detail of the façade of Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera

Entrance to Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera

Exterior view of Palazzo Vitelli a San Giacomo

Between Love and War: The Interior Decorations

The interior, rich in artistic treasures, is adorned with frescoes by Cristofano Gherardi and Cola dell’Amatrice. Even the grand staircase is decorated with representations of the Muses, scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses episodes from the myths of Apollo, and other themes related to love.

Among them is the amusing allegory of the Woman Dominating the Lovestruck Man, in which some identify the lady of the house, Paola Rossi, while others recognise Alessandro Vitelli’s lover, Rosa.

The rooms contain mythological and allegorical scenes, as well as frequent depictions of domestic animals, highlighting the residential nature of the palace. In the grand reception hall, Alessandro Vitelli commissioned representations of the exploits of Hannibal, Scipio, Caesar and Alexander the Great to celebrate military virtue and his own achievements as a commander.

Love and war coexist throughout the decoration, reflecting both the palace’s matrimonial origins and the military glory of the Vitelli family.

Crossing the threshold of the palace means entering a world of wonders, as it remains home to the Municipal Art Gallery of Città di Castello. Among its treasures is an early fourteenth-century altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child with Angels by the Master of Città di Castello, a Sienese painter influenced by Duccio di Buoninsegna.

Visitors can also admire one of the gallery’s masterpieces: the Banner of the Holy Trinity (c. 1499), one of the most important works by Raphael preserved in Umbria, apart from the unfinished fresco in the Chapel of San Severo in Perugia.

Works by Luca Signorelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Antonio Vivarini, Justus of Ghent, Raffaellino del Colle and Pomarancio further enrich one of the finest collections in Umbria. The museum also preserves remarkable wood carvings and furnishings, mainly originating from local churches and monasteries.

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