San Leo is situated just in front of San Marino in the hinterland of Rimini in the region of Emilia-Romagna. As I have been various times to San Marino I wanted to see its little brother which I was told is not less amazing. So one day under the sunny heat of the summer I got here.
Already the entrance is amazing. A narrow cobbled gate street goes into the little borgo where it opens soon into a piazza. I have to go across this center and find a parking place in a huge parking area. My friend and I walk back into the little borgo to have first a coffee and then explore.
San Leo is built on the remains of an ancient Roman city that was surrounding an old temple dedicated to Jupiter Feretrius. That’s why its name was initially Mons Feretrius (Hill of Feretrius).
A hundred of years later in the 4th century AD Marino and Leone arrived from the far away Dalmatia. Both of them got a hill or mountain and founded a city: San Marino and San Leo.
Meanwhile, San Marino was always very independent and never submitted under strangers Mons Feretrius has an interesting history to offer. Around 538 the Goths’ king Vitiges was trying to besiege Belisarius but had to give up and surrender to the Byzantines.
Only a short time later the entire area goes to the Lombards. Pepin, king of the Franks, gives the city – with many others – as a gift to the church in 752. Things change again.
Again 200 years later it was the refuge of a king and his wife, Berengario II, who surrendered by his own will after months of resistance.
Only in the year 1000 it changed its name into San Leo as tribute to its founder and of course patron but the region is still known as Montefeltro – also a dynasty contradicting to the Malatesta family of Rimini. In 1474 Federico of Montefeltro got Duke of Urbino.
During Renaissance Martini placed a significant fortified belt in front of the castle fortress, just on the only weak side.
The fortress was converted into prison during the Napoleonic period which would not change until 1906. It was then used as military station.
In the fifties it was abandoned and the restoration and transformation into a museum started.
We walk into the Romanesque cathedral of San Leo which was built in the 7th century. The cathedral is dedicated to the patron, St. Leone, and which relics can be found here. In the 12th century the church was re-built on the old one. The room is high, has high columns and a wonderful staircase to the main altar, I think. Under the same there is another room with the crypt.
Just in front of the duomo there is a rural church, a pieve, also very simple but very special. Here we find also a crypt.
Just leaving the town center we go up the steep hill and arrive at the fortress. It’s a little expensive but it is all worth it! The view from here to the not so far San Marino and the whole landscape of the hinterland of Rimini is amazing! The castle as well as it is really incredibly well-preserved and done a lot. There area few different museums like the room of the alchemist, a weapon and armor museum, a torture museum (where ironically are the toilets) and some other exponents. Too me it seemed to be a ‘just built’ castle.
We had lunch here as well sitting in the little piazza and enjoying the warm breath and the really calm of the place as there is nearly no traffic at all. It is like San Marino without any chaos and tourists (even there have been a few like us).
San Leo, Emilia-Romagna/Italy:
For further information:
San Leo Tourism website (mainly in Italian)
