The place name, Civitella, probably comes from the word civitas (citadel), as suggested by its appearance. The castle was elliptic in shape (similar to that of S. Anatolia) with a well preserved part to the south along one of the minor mountain roads that linked the Nera Valley with the territory of Monteleone di Spoleto.

Evidence of this roadway in the late Middle Ages by a place of pilgrimage named Hospitaie S. Crucis that stood near Civitella and that according to tradition was a building with a sculptured, architrave portal next to the parish church. The wall has two gateways: the prior’s gate at the top was preceded by a covered, arched passageway and by the remains of a fortress; of the gateway at the foot of the rocky slope only the ogival stone archway remains.

The internal layout is typical of settlements perched on the top of a hill and has a central road (that links the steep slope between the two gates) and by transversal roads for the homes. Most of the latter have external stairways that reach the home floor, under which there was storage for agricultural tools and cowsheds.

The buildings were generally very plain, but with careful details, however (mullioned windows, balconies, straight arches). Some buildings of the 16th and 17th centuries reveal the aspirations of a modest class of landowners to artistic buildings; as seen in the homes of Diosi and Spera, which have ornate doors and windows.

Despite a few recent interventions of restoration, the castle has preserved overall its original, architectural characteristics.