Castello di Montefiore Conca

Montefiore Castle

Montefiore was the medieval capital of the Conca Valley and one of the most integral and fascinating lands of the Malatesta Lords.
Not by chance, Montefiore is part of the prestigious circuit of the “Most beautiful townships in Italy”.
The Fortress, as a sentinel of stone in the Malatesta lands, offers, with it severe and imposing geometries, truly unique views. It rises on a promontory where, on a clear day, the view embraces the coast from Fano to Ravenna.

Following the archaeological research begun in the spring of 2006, interesting discoveries were made that have allowed updating the relation between the site and historical sources, according to which the castle was built around 1337 on the initiative of Malatesta Guastafamiglia (c. 1299-1364). It is certain that the fortress was already constructed and functioning in 1347, hosting that year the king and queen of Hungary. The castle then remained under the dominance of the Malatesta family until 1458, when the following year Federico di Montefeltro occupied it.
Created with functions exclusively defensive, the Castrum Montis Floris was enlarged as a residence around the early half of the XIV century and later restructured and embellished by Sigismondo Pandolfo in the early decades of the XV century. Later events of the castle are very complex, above all concerning the political control of the centre that in the XV-XVI centuries was the object of almost continuous passages of power.

The recent restoration campaign, conducted by the Ravenna Superintendence for the architectonic cultural heritage and the landscape, in collaboration with the Emilia Romagna Superintendence for the archaeological heritage and the Montefiore Local Council, have carried out consolidation work of the entire structure and brought the monumental complex to total fruition, also allowing access to ancient parts previously unreachable.

The restorations have also allowed access to areas previously unavailable to the public like, for example, the Salon of the Emperor, where non-religious paintings are conserved, dating to the decade after halfway through the fourteenth century, attributed to the Bologna painter Jacopo Avanzi. Other fragments of his paintings are displayed in the salon and the Throne. It is also possible to see part of the original cover of the castle, a double-pitched roof, and walk up the long staircase that runs from top to bottom of the building.