Montecerignone

The hills between Romagna and Marche are certainly less famous but equally suggestive and rich in history, culture, good food. We have visited some of these places and today we tell you about Montecerignone. It is the first of some villages that we will tell you about. You will love the evocative history of the past and more recent, steeped in mysteries and curiosities. Enjoy the reading. Claudia Gatti

If you search on Google Montecerignone you will not find a lot of information. It is actually a very small medieval village that stands on a tuff ridge in the upper Val Conca in the Marche region on the border with Romagna. It stands on a hill at over 500 meters above sea level and around the town you can find various panoramic points that offer fabulous and infinite views ranging from the beginnings of the Apennines to the sea.

The village is worth a visit for the small paved alleys that lead uphill to the ancient fortress built in the twelfth century by the first counts of Montefeltro and rebuilt by Francesco di Giorgio Martini three centuries later. The castle is in excellent condition and can be visited and now houses the municipal seat.

Although the town is really small, there are two really noteworthy churches The Church of Santa Caterina built by the Knights of Malta and the Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso with medieval works of great value inside.

Some curiosities: climbing up to the top of the fortress you will find a very interesting hanging garden which then descends all around the walls. The garden overlooks a spectacular view in front of the Faggiola mountain which belonged to Count Uguccione of which Dante speaks in the Divine Comedy. In fact, in the garden there is the half-bust of the Count. The curiosity that most fascinated us, however, is that concerning the writer Umberto Eco. In 1976 the Bolognese professor bought a manor house, which was also owned by the Jesuits for a period. He had it restored and made his good retreat. He wrote the famous book ‘The Name of the Rose’ right here and it is not surprising, walking around the village of Montecerignone, to find the same suggestive and mysterious atmospheres represented in Eco’s masterpiece. The building is still owned by the Eco family who continue the habit of staying there for long periods.