What is Sellano known for?

517 meters, 175 meters high, 1,023 steps, opened March 2024, claimed as Europe's highest pedestrian suspension bridge. The Umbria-Marche quake destroyed Montesanto's Palazzo Collicola and emptied most surrounding hamlets, two decades of reconstruction followed. Upper Vigi gorge on the Marche border, one of the most isolated forested valleys in Umbria.

Sellano is a comune in the province of Perugia, Umbria region of Italy, about 65 kilometers from Perugia.

Umbria · Perugia

Sellano

A medieval village in the upper Valnerina at 641 meters, twice flattened by earthquakes, now linked to Montesanto by Europe's highest pedestrian suspension bridge.

641m

Elevation

65 km / 40 mi

Nearest hub (Perugia)

972

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Sellano sits at 641 meters on the eastern edge of Umbria, looking over the Vigi stream toward the Marche border. The Vigi feeds the Nera; the valley is the upper Valnerina, one of the most isolated stretches of the Umbro-Marchigiano Apennines. The 1979 and 1997 earthquakes hit the commune hard. The 1997 quake destroyed the sixteenth-century Palazzo dei Collicola at Montesanto and emptied most of the surrounding hamlets. Reconstruction took two decades. In March 2024 a new structure opened: a 517-meter suspension footbridge across the Vigi gorge linking Sellano to the Castello di Montesanto, 175 meters above the valley floor, 1,023 steps, claimed as Europe's highest tibetan bridge alongside Portugal's Arouca 516. Funded by NextAppennino, 1.6 million euros from PNRR earthquake-area development money. The bridge has become the visible decision of a small commune to bet its future on something other than waiting out emigration.

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Gallery

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Known for

Ponte tibetano
517-meter suspension footbridge opened March 2024, 175 meters above the Vigi gorge, 1,023 steps linking Sellano to Castello di Montesanto.
Castello di Montesanto
Medieval fortress hamlet across the Vigi, depopulated after the 1997 earthquake, reachable on foot via the new bridge.
Borgo medievale di Sellano
Compact walled centro storico looking east toward the Marche, partially rebuilt after the 1997 quake.
Valle del Vigi
Right-bank tributary of the Nera, deep forested gorge that defines the commune's geography and the bridge's drop.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the working season at 641 meters in the upper Valnerina. The new bridge runs full schedule, the trails along the Vigi gorge are open, and the temperature stays in the low twenties through summer afternoons. June and September are the best months for walking: long light, dry trail, late wildflowers. November through April is hard. Snow closes higher roads, the bridge shuts in wind, and the smaller hamlets sit nearly empty. The village still lives in the centro storico but it lives quietly. The chestnut harvest in late October is the calendar event the territory turns out for.