Lunano

Moonlit Landscapes. Its name, Lunano, introduces us to the typical silvery atmosphere of the medieval village illuminated by the soft light of the moon, but also by the miracle of light which, according to the Franciscan tradition, was done by St. Francis in the present area of ​​Monte Illuminato.

Montefeltro is  a land of lakes and chestnuts, is located on the left side of the upper valley at the confluence of the river Mutino.  In the past it was a bastion of Montefeltro, because of its geographical position strategically located on the border of various roads along the Massa Trabaria.

The ancient fortress of Castrum Leonani or Liunani is cited for the first time in a 13th century in a document in which it is referred to as a "free castle inhabited by free men".

The story tells of a subsequent dominion by the Brancaleoni, first disbanded by Cardinal Albornoz in 1358 and later recalled thanks to Pope Boniface IX. The village was then regained by Guidantonio da Montefeltro, and eventually embedded in the territory of the future duchy of Urbino.

The historic centre from the 1300s stands at the foot of the imposing fortified structure that once dominated the valley, the castle of Ubaldini. The parish church built at the end of 1800 preserves a valuable organ, the work of the Venetian Gaetano Calido, and a cave dedicated to the Madonna of Lourdes inaugurated in 1965.

Of the ancient fortified complex, which according to the historians was designed by the great architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, today only the ruins of a medieval tower covered with ivy and a military fortification of the fifteenth century are preserved. The area can be reached from the village through a characteristic path (equipped with tables and parking places) climbing along the hill, continuing to the Franciscan monastery of Monte Illuminato.

The religious tradition tells of the passage of St. Francis of Assisi in 1213 and of the famous miracle of returning sight to a blind man. In memory of the prodigy, and in the popular belief that miracles can be made in the place for those who have sight problems, the hill has been called the Illuminated Mountain. The convent today preserves an impressive medieval bell tower and frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Immersed in the arid terrain of the valley is the famous chestnut tree of Monte della Croce. Among few in the province, it stands about one kilometre from the town and produces chestnuts of the highest quality and the unmistakable aroma. These chestnuts are celebrated in the annual festival that is repeated in the autumn and which features traditional dishes such as the tasty dessert made with chestnut flour called "castagnaccio".

The local cuisine is also based on other foods from the forest such as the white truffle and various mushroom specialties.

An equipped trekking circuit allows visitors to reach the areas where squirrels, and rare species like kingfishers live.