Civitella, crowning a dominate hill, is one of the best preserved testimony of the many Longobard fortresses built between the 6th and the 7th century which were strategically set to control the whole central Italy. In fact you can still see the characteristic elittical shape of the military settlements in the layout of the town walls.

The Longobard are a germanic people who settle in the land that, now, coincide with north Italy. They come from Scandinavia, then they settled along Elba in the I centuty A.D., towards the end of the century the went across Friuli up until Piemont. Their presence was noted by the building of castels, fortiications (often called Rocca in Italian), houses and churches. After their defeat by the Franks, the Longobard were never sent away or forced to move on and the descendants of the defeated Longobard kingdom continued living in north Italy.

Immediately after its foundation Civitella was subdued by the bishops of Arezzo, and at the time it was known as `Civitella del Vescovo` (Civitella of the Bishop). It was considered the headquarters of the medieval military district of the Ambra Valley. In 1289, after the battle of Campaldino in Casentino (see Poppi), this area was occupied by the Florentines, and only a few years later given back to the bishops. During 13th century the castle, as so many others in this area, was lost to Arezzo and handed over to the Florentine Republic until the 1384, when it was definitely subjected to the ``City of the Red Lily``.
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CIVETELLA

VILLA ANTONIETTA

AMBRA 


MONTI

POGGIVERDE

VILLA MUSICALE







 

LA LAMA

MIMOSA

CANELLA

ULIVETO

GLORI