The municipality of Montecopiolo has discovered many findings of its ancient past during the last years. The Castle of this village was the place in which the Montefeltro family was born and had lived till the middle of the 13th century. It soars on a cliff at an altitude of 1030 metres in the high valley of the Conca river, not far from the fortress of San Leo. The Castle of Montecopiolo was theatre of many battles, fighted between the Montefeltro and the Malatesta and later between local lords and Duke Valentino Borgia. In 1441 this Castle became a garrison for young Count Federico of the Montefeltro, who was able to climb and conquer the fortress of San Leo, previously occupied by the enemy Malatesta: then, in the 23th of October from the same Castle, Federico wrote San Marino Republic’s captains a letter in order to inform them about the big conquest.
A slow depopulation of the old village started in 1700, when people moved towards the hills. This is the reason why today Villagrande is the real centre of the Montecopiolo’s municipality, which has spread as far as Mounts Montone, San Marco, Palazzolo and Roccaccia. Many hamlets with ancient and interesting stories rise around Montecopiolo. Pugliano, placed on the side facing San Leo is one of them, but also Monteboaggine, an old independent hamlet settled on a slope of Mount Carpegna. Montecopiolo’s history is related to that of the Madonna del Faggio holy place, on the top of Mount Carpegna, that deeply affects local inhabitants’s identity and tradition. Moreover, since the 13th century it is said that local inhabitants were used to pray in the Santa Maria della Cella Sanctuary: the existing holy place seems to be one of the main Montefeltro’s faith centres.
:: Interesting Sites
Parco Faunistico Comunale del “Montone” (escursione consigliata)
Campi da sci (impianti sportivi estivi e invernali)
Eremo della Madonna del Faggio
Villaggio di Santa Rita e Villaggio del Lago
Faggeto di Pianacquadio
:: Events
Fiera del bestiame di Pugliano - tutti i lunedì di settembre
Festa della Patata - secondo week end di settembre
:: Info
Comune tel: 0722.78106 - 78225
e-mail: comune.montecopiolo@provincia.ps.it
web: www.comune.montecopiolo.pu.it
Ufficio Turistico tel: 0722.78130
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[According to legend, when St Francis of Assisi passed nearby the Villagrande lake, he yearned for building a monastery there. He remained spellbound at the splendid scenery: clean and gurgling mountain spring water, the noisy wood of Mount Palazzolo, peace and silence. However, legend has it that the Saint’s wish was not fulfilled, because the Franciscan brothers were already working at the Sant’Igne monastery, nearby San Leo. However, St Francis conferred to these places the special blessing that earthquakes would have never damaged the area and that this land would have obtained a never-ending fame.
Maybe this is only a legend, but it is a matter of fact that any earthquake never hit Montecopiolo, and that the village’s fame spread when the Montefeltro family was born, among its own mountains.
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