San leo

The settlement of San Leo, formerly called Montefeltro (from the Latin Mons Feretrius ), was founded by the Romans around the temple of Jupiter of Feretria in the 3rd century AD. e.

With the advent of Christianity, the city was named after St.. Leo, companion of St. Marina , whose name is named San Marino. The neighboring summit was transferred to the possession of St.. Francis of Assisi , who founded a monastery on it. From 962 to 964, during the reign of King Berengar II , San Leo was the capital of Italy.

The 600-meter mountain Feltro invariably attracted the attention of medieval commanders, because it was considered impregnable. King Berengar II was hiding here from Otto the Great . The current Renaissance fortress was built by local feudal lords, who took the name of Montefeltro by the name of the mountain. In the 15th century they bore the title of dukes of Urbino and generally played a remarkable role in the history of the Quattro .

After the conquest of Romagna and Marche, acting in the interests of the papacy of Cesare Borgia, the castle of Montefeltro, together with other possessions of this family, passed to the papal relatives della Rovere . After the death of the last of the della Rovere, the castle withdrew to the Vatican . The popes kept their most dangerous opponents in the impregnable citadel, including Count Cagliostro , who spent the last 4 years in solitary confinement with his adventurous life.

The patron saint of the city is venerated by the holy Leo of Montefeltro , celebrating the 1st of August .

Due to its geomorphological features, the area around San Leo resembles a rocky island, where you can find beautiful examples of historical architecture of civil, military and religious purposes.