Descrizione
The Rocca di Monte Cerignone, situated at the highest point of the village, is a significant historical monument. Built by the Counts of Montefeltro and renovated in 1478 by Francesco di Giorgio Martini on behalf of Duke Federico of Urbino, it combines the defensive features of a fortress with the elegance of a stately residence, representing the transition to Renaissance style. Originally featuring two main towers and imposing walls, the Rocca housed the Court and the Commissioner of Feretri, retaining its administrative importance even after it lost its status as the principal town to San Leo.
Features such as the Renaissance façade, the elegant windows and the carved Feltre eagle bear witness to the building’s artistic value, which has endured through the centuries as a symbol of the history and culture of the Montefeltro region. During the period when it served as a judicial centre, the Rocca housed a prison divided into two sections: the ‘carcere duro’ (hard prison) for serious crimes, located in the basement, and the ‘carcere alla larga’ (open prison) for minor offences. Justice, administered with rigour, involved the use of torture, although this was limited to the use of ropes. Monte Cerignone is also notable for its social institutions. The “Magazzeno dell’Abbondanza”, located within the Rocca, ensured the distribution of grain during famines, whilst the Hospital and the Monte di Pietà provided financial assistance, combating usury.
Fundamental to historical memory is the Archive, established in 1640 to preserve public and private documents. Reorganised by the Jesuit Father Natale Fabrini, it contains petitions signed by the Dukes of Urbino, trial records, autographs and parchments dating back to the 12th century. Among the oldest artefacts is an 11th-century fragment relating to Holy Mass, which makes the Archive a precious record of Monte Cerignone’s glorious past.
To round off this journey through time, the Museum of Rural Life, housed within the fortress itself, offers an insight into the region’s rural life. Through agricultural implements, craft tools and everyday objects, the museum recounts the work and traditions of farming communities, inextricably linking the village’s present to its historical and cultural heritage.
