San Leo

An icon of Majesty. San Leo has a glorious past, revealed and celebrated by its imposing appearance. The ancient village, behind San Marino, stands on a huge rocky spur and is accessible from a single road cut into the rock. The profile of the town, today in the prestigious club of the most beautiful villages of Italy, stands out on the Appennine with abundant composure.

At the highest point of the massif, the strong medieval fort remains intact, stretching out into the sky challenging gravity. The fort’s main tower is above the Gothic entrance and smaller circular towers that delimit the corners of the walls. From the summit of the fortress, the view spans across  the mountainous peaks, down into the valley and reaches the sea. The magnificent panorama, with its colours and depths, inspired the prospective painting style of Piero della Francesca, the great Renaissance master.

Every corner of the fortified citadel reminds us of ancient riots, epic gestures and past conquests. In all their beauty, the bell tower on Monte della Guardia is preserved along with the primitive church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Romanesque / Lombard Cathedral of San Leo, the Medicean Palace now home to a museum of sacred art, and the XIII century convent of Sant ‘Igne.

A land of saints and poets, the city of San Leo links its history to that of Dante Alighieri, who lived there, quoting it in the Divine Comedy, and to the life of Saint Francis: according to tradition, the saint of Assisi held a sermon in the Palazzo dei Conti Nardini, which overlooks the central square of the village,. His words deeply moved Count Orlando Cattani from Chiusi, who after listening to them decided to donate Monte Verna to the saint. Monte Verna would later become the place where the saint received the stigmata.

The very name of this city is inseparably linked to a saint, the town in the Roman and pre-Christian era was called Monte Feltro (a denomination extended to the entire region).  Leo's story, from mythical nuances, tells of an man in exile who came to Rimini from Dalmatia to escape Diocletian's persecution. After finding shelter on Monte Feltro, Leo built a church and started to develop the present-day inhabited town, which took his name. San Leo maintained its position as the historic capital of the Montefeltro area.

Legendary memories, endless views, harmonious beauty, profound spirituality. San Leo is all these things, and more. Climbing up the rocky hills of Mount San Severino, one can surprise oneself with an extraordinary emotion: taking off and paragliding, to experience the exhilaration of flight