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Fortress of San Leo | |
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Forte di San Leo | |
Near San Leo in Italy | |
Coordinates | 43°53′48.36″N12°20′46.64″E / 43.8967667°N 12.3462889°E |
Type | Fortification |
Site information | |
Open to the public | Yes |
Condition | Preserved (rebuilt in 1441) |
Website | Official website |
Site history | |
Built | 1441 |
Built by | Federico da Montefeltro |
Architect | Francesco di Giorgio Martini |
The Fortress of San Leo is a castle on the border of the Romagna and Marche; the castle is best known as the site where Count Cagliostro died. It was one of the palaces owned by Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza and was a fortified, palatial retreat. It is now a museum.
The first fortification on the top of the mountain was built by the Romans. In the Middle Ages it was bitterly fought over by the Byzantines, Goths, Franks and Lombards. Between 961 and 963 Berengar II, the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of Italy, was besieged by Otto I of Saxony. Around the middle of the eleventh century the Counts of Montecopiolo came to Montefeltro, the ancient name of San Leo, from which they took the name and title. In the second half of the 14th century the Malatesta were able to capture the fortress, but until the middle of the 15th century, the castle was often retaken by the Montefeltro. In 1441 the young Federico da Montefeltro scaled the walls of the fort. Faced with the new military dangers, he had the fortress rebuilt, entrusting the task to the Sienese engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
The new structure allowed for a dynamic counter-offensive, providing for cross-fire. The fortress sides were equipped with artillery and the access points were rendered unreachable by enemy fire thanks to military outposts.
In 1502, Cesare Borgia, with the support of Pope Alexander VI, took possession of the fortress. At the death of the pope, in 1503, Guidobaldo da Montefeltro took possession of his dominions. In 1516 the Florentine troops, supported this time by Pope Leo X and guided by Antonio Ricasoli, penetrated the city and commandeered the fort.
From 1527 until the devolution to the Papal State from the Duchy of Urbino in 1631, San Leo belonged to the Della Rovere. With the new ownership, the fortress was used as a prison. Among the inmates were Felice Orsini and Freemason Alessandro Cagliostro. In 1906 the fortress ceased to be a prison and for eight years, until 1914, it hosted a "compagnia di disciplina".
In the period of Italia Unita, the municipality of San Leo belonged to the province of Marche (Province of Pesaro and Urbino), until 15 August 2009 when it was separated together with six other municipalities of the Valmarecchia, following the outcome of a referendum held on 17 and 18 December 2006.
Currently the castle houses a museum and an art gallery in arms.
In the fortress there are two distinct parts: the keep, with its square turrets and the gothic entrance is the older part and residential wing; and the more recent round towers and massive corbeled wall that connects them. The two towers, the wall, and the keep surround the so-called Place d'Armes.
The area is dotted with rocky peaks that rise steeply from the sea cliffs. On each of these peaks, the ruins of a castle or fort recall a tumultuous past. To the visitor who walks up the Romagna plain, the City-Fortress appears as a huge shield of high smooth rock. It appears like a ship with the bow to the East, the bell tower like a mast, and the handful of houses scattered around.
Urbino is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482.
Città di Castello ; "Castle Town") is a city and comune in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. The city is 56 km (35 mi) north of Perugia and 104 km (65 mi) south of Cesena on the motorway SS 3 bis. It is connected by the SS 73 with Arezzo and the A1 highway, situated 38 km (23 mi) west. The comune of Città di Castello has an exclave named Monte Ruperto within Marche.
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG, was one of the most successful mercenary captains (condottieri) of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 until his death. A renowned intellectual humanist and civil leader in Urbino on top of his impeccable reputation for martial skill and honour, he commissioned the construction of a great library, perhaps the largest of Italy after the Vatican, with his own team of scribes in his scriptorium, and assembled around him a large humanistic court in the Ducal Palace, Urbino, designed by Luciano Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
The House of Montefeltro is the name of a historical Italian family who ruled Urbino and Gubbio and became Dukes of Urbino in 1443. The family extinguished in the male line in 1508 and the duchy was inherited by the Della Rovere family.
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 kilometres southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by population after Ancona and Pesaro.
The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna and holding high positions in the government of cities in present-day Tuscany, Lombardy and Marche. The dynasty is considered among the most important and influential of the Late Middle Ages. In the period of maximum influence, they extended their domains along the Marche coast, up to Ascoli Piceno, Senigallia, Sansepolcro and Citerna, and to the north, on the territories of Bergamo and Brescia.
Cagli is a town and comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy. It is c. 30 kilometres south of Urbino. The Burano flows near the town.
Coriano is a comune in the province of Rimini. This town is known for being the town of the Motorcycle World Champion, in 250cc class, Marco Simoncelli.
Guido da Montefeltro was an Italian military strategist and lord of Urbino. He became a friar late in life, and was condemned by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy for giving false or fraudulent counsel.
The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1631.
Mercatello sul Metauro is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Ancona and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Pesaro.
Piobbico is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Ancona and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Pesaro.
Sant'Agata Feltria is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 125 kilometres (78 mi) southeast of Bologna and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Rimini.
Guidobaldoda Montefeltro, also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508.
Nolfo da Montefeltro was Count of Montefeltro from 1323 to 1360. He was the son of Federico I da Montefeltro, who had been slain by the people of the city in revolt against him.
Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in northern Italy. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Ottaviano Fregoso was the Doge of the Republic of Genoa.
The Rocca of Umbertide is a 14th-century castle located in the center of the town of Umbertide, province of Perugia, region of Umbria, Italy. It is the town's symbol.
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The Renaissance in Urbino was one of the most fundamental manifestations of the early Italian Renaissance.