Civitella in Val di Chiana is a picturesque village perched on a hill 523 meters above sea level. Civitella in historical times was important due to its strategic location in relation to the paths towards Siena and Florence, and his role as garrison in the proximity of the city of Arezzo. 

The definitive appearance of Civitella comes dated towards the second half of 13th century, when the bishop of Arezzo Guglielmino degli Ubertini erected the imposing fortifications on the system of the Keep, that was risen on previous roman and longobard fortifications. The castle lived its period of maximum splendor, beginning from 1318, with Bishop Guido Tarlati, lord of Civitella. The village had developed according to the morphology of the land connecting the houses leaned to the senese gate and the castle with the church of S. Maria, situated to the opposite end of the hill.

The village today is characterized from two flanked public squares connected on a side from buildings with arcade, are here the buildings more important of Civitella, reconstructed after the destructions caused from the second world war (in particular from the German reprisal on 29 June 1944), between which the Palazzo Pretorio (14th century), Palazzo Becattini, the “Cancelleria” and Palazzo Ninci. In the farther square from the Fortress it's a beautiful stone tank in octagonal base. At the extreme end of the village, on the opposite side of the Rocca, is the Church of S. Maria, going back to the year 1000, and reconstructed in Romanesque style in 1252.

The Fortress (13th century) characterizes all Civitella and its visit is much evocative, with its imposing and colorful ruins, fortalice already existing in 1048, it probably occupied the area of a roman castle. The stronghold was restructured after the destruction in 1252. On left of the entrance gate is the better conserved tower, in a quadrangular shape, with the inner gate of access to the town-walls building. On the right are the ruins of another tower of greater dimensions but badly damaged. The town-walls of the village, date back to 12th century, in origin were two gates of access to the castle: the Aretina Gate and the Senese Gate. The first was destroyed during the bombardment of the '44, the second door is still there, and inside are the traces of a sacred shrine stand with some fragments of frescoes, in the vicinity of the Senese gate is also a Shrine with the effigie of the Madonna with the Child of Robbiana school, dated 1522.

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The Fortress of Civitella Val di Chiana, Arezzo