Montefiore Conca
a balcony overlooking the sea in the land of the Malatesta
The Name
In a document of 1136, Pope Innocence 2nd named two churches in Castro Monte Flori: thus, Montefiore first came to light in history.
Its name comes from its wonderful geographical position: Mons Florum, the Mount of Flowers.
A name, it has been said, that is both “naturalistic and metamorphic”: MONTE-FIORE-CONCA.
History
• 5th-6th cent., the barbaric invasions force the populations of the fertile coastal areas to find refuge on high ground, giving preference to those places where fortified watch towers already existed.
• 10th cent., the invasion by the Longobards accentuates movements inland, so that the hills above Rimini also begin to be populated. The history of the fortress of Monsfloris probably begins here, towards the end of the millennium.
• ca. 1295, when Malatesta da Verucchio, known as “Mastin Vecchio”, seizes the town of Rimini, Montefiore also passes under the dominion of the Signoria. Pope John 22nd signs a document dated 30th May 1322 in which approval is given for it to be ceded to the Malatesta nicknamed “the Ruin of Families” and to his brother Galeotto, nephews of Mastin Vecchio.
• 1377, Galeotto Novello Malatesta is born in the fortress and as a result is nicknamed “Belfiore”.
On his death, the village passes to his brother Carlo and then to his nephew Galeotto Roberto, who is succeeded in 1432 by his brother, Sigismondo Pandolfo, the most famous member of the Malatesta family.
• 1462, Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, captures Montefiore “not without great fatigue and risk” on behalf of the Pope. At this time the people of Montefiore engraved the coat of arms of Pope Pius 2nd above the castle gate.
• 16th-18th cent., after the fall of the Malatesta family, Montefiore is occupied several times until 1797, when the village becomes part of the Cisalpine Republic. After its return under papal government in 1815, it will from this moment on follow the events of the Risorgimento and the history of Italy.
The mediaeval fortress in search of light
The Malatesta Fortress, a mediaeval “skyscraper in search of light” – according to Ugo Amati’s beuatiful definition – is the most powerful symbol of the Malatesta family in the entire valley of Valconca.
It was the Ruin of Families who enlarged and assigned it its purpose. Its present plan does not differ very much from the original one, even though it was modified in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The building was spacious and fully capable of satisfying the taste and cultural needs of the Malatesta family. On 13th December 1347 the King of Hungary and his entire retinue was entertained there, together with the notables of the town of Rimini.
Pandolfo Malatesta did his best to make the Fortress more beautiful and welcoming, however it was under the reign of Sigismondo, an enlightened lord and lover of the arts, that it reached the height of its splendour. During this period the Fortress receives the final touches: impregnable rampart and noble dwelling, where the lord regained his strength spent in continuous wars amidst idleness and hunting.
But Sigismondo Malatesta, a versatile person who led a life full of adventure in his quest for knowledge and power, proved too audacious and was excommunicated: on 12th February 1463 a Papal Bull from Pope Pius 2nd ordered his subjects and vassals to have nothing more to do with him.
Already defeated a year before in the siege of Senigallia, Sigismondo saw his estate reduced merely to Rimini. In the same year the Fortress was taken by storm on behalf of the Holy See by the most unshakeable adversary of the Malatesta, the Duke of Urbino.
Its decline began from that moment on. Restoration, as yet to be completed, is trying to recuperate the entire building, as it is worthy of being included once more among the most important architectural works in the Italian cultural heritage.
Apart from the wonder of the Fortress there are other places to visit in the village. The thirteenth century parish Church of St. Paul has a beautiful gothic portal with a mystical Lamb, and inside it holds a wooden crucifix by the School of Rimini, a Madonna and Child and angel by Bernardino Dolci (15th cent.) and the altar-piece with the Madonna della Misericordia by Luzio Dolci (16th cent.).
The little Church of the Hospital, begun in 1461, houses a beautiful cycle of frescoes believed to be by Bernardino Dolci (ca. 1485), a wooden crucifix and the symbols of the Passion used in the Procession held on Good Friday.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Bonora, immersed in the green countryside just outside the village is one of the most important places of worship in the Rimini area: people come her to worship the image of the Madonna nursing her child, an image dating back to the 15th cent. to which many of the faithful bring votive offerings as a gift for the grace they have received.
Local Products
The queen of all products here is the chestnut, from two large woods named Faggeto and Monte Auro, as well as from other smaller woods.
A local festival is celebrated in its honour every Sunday throughout the month of October.
Local dishes
Passatelli, cooked in broth, and naturally hot chestnuts from Montefiore accompanied by wine made from freshly pressed grapes.
