Visiting Città di Castello, Umbria 

When we lived in Orvieto, Umbria - we belonged to an expat group where we could connect with like-minded individuals to share experiences while in Italy. I inquired about cyclists in the area, as my husband is an avid cyclist and loves nothing more than spending hours on his bike in the hills of Italy. It’s always nice to have a buddy when traveling the countryside - wild boar and all! We met a couple from Nevada who own a vacation home near Città di Castello in Umbria. Naturally, the men had lots to discuss regarding bicycles and the various routes for riding. After visiting us in Orvieto for lunch, we remained in contact and have kept up on Facebook and Strava.  When we made plans to return to Italy again in 2023 for a few months, we were graciously offered 3 weeks at their beautifully restored stone farmhouse. 

Storybook Location

Aside from our delight at the offer, we were over the moon with the lovely location which sits among several working farms with crops of wheat, tobacco, grapes and swaths of sunflowers. Our kitchen window included a glorious picture perfect view of 10’  sunflowers, gentle rolling hills, and mesmerizing cloud formations. The home home was originally a working farm which became dilapidated and then completely deconstructed and built back. It now houses 8 separate units, each one complete with modern conveniences, views, and a beautiful and refreshing pool. Ours was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with typical wood beam ceilings, stone floors, soft creme walls and modern Italian country charm. The owners of these 8 units are from the U.S., UK and Germany. We happened to have the entire property to ourselves and felt quite pampered and very lucky! Since we were there in August, a very, very hot and humid month,  we made excellent use of the pool enjoying morning and afternoon swims, aperitivo hour, and freshly cooked meals poolside. 

Beautiful scenery - affordable homes

The landscape in this area of Umbria felt very similar to Sonoma, California with its rolling hills and agriculture. We could see ourselves returning again and again, and of course had to inquire about real estate! If you like city living, you could choose a home in the historic center of Città di Castello or Umbertide, or splurge on a property in the pristine and beautifully preserved walled medieval village of Montone. For more budget conscious properties, look on the outskirts or consider choosing smaller or one with some renovations needed. The important consideration for us here is that there are plenty of amenities nearby, and in every  direction. We would be happy in the city center (with a balcony or small green area) or the outskirts. The geographical location ticks many of our boxes, plus it’s close Perugia International airport. We find renting a car is a must, but also utilized the train when our destination was a big city such as Florence.  

Città de Castello is located in the northern part of Umbria bordering Tuscany. It's 35 miles north of Perugia and connected by a state route with Arezzo in Tuscany. For reference, here are some of the distances to the surrounding cities we visited. And BTW - we could be happy in any of these towns!

• Montone – 8 minutes
• Umbertide – 15 minutes
• Citta di Castello – 20 minutes
• San Sepolcro - 24 Minutes - Tuscany
• Anghiari - 30 Minutes - Tuscany
• Gubbio – 40 minutes
• Perugia & Assisi – 1 hour
• Spello – 1.2 hours
• Spoleto / Todi – 1.5 hours
• Orvieto / Trevi – 1.75 hours
  Tuscany eastern border is 10 miles to the west, but most of the Tuscany area is 1 to 1.5 hour drive:
• Cortona – 1 hour -Tuscany
• Montepulciano – 1.2 hours - Tuscany
• Pienza – 1.5 hours - Tuscany
• Montalcino – 1.75 hours - Tuscany
• Chianti area – 1.5 to 2 hours - Tuscany
• Florence - 1 hour to Cortona by car or Castigleon Fiorentino - train for 1 hour 

March Feature - Cheap Home

Città di Castello 

Note: I am not a real estate agent, nor do I sell property in Italy or receive sales commissions from  listings. I have not verified that this information is still current, but have obtained it through searching for cheap homes in areas where we would consider purchasing. This home listing is not a recommendation but an example of homes and prices in the general area. You are advised to do a thorough investigation before completing a purchase by contacting an agent or the owner as well as conducting your own due diligence with the proper authorities involved with real estate prior to entering and agreement or completing a purchase. Property photo credits go to the agent (s) or listing publishing entity.