Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. The mountainous region includes

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

and the upper valleys of the rivers

Marecchia The Marecchia () is a river in eastern Italy, flowing from near Monte dei Frati in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, to the Adriatic Sea in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna. Along its course, the river passes next to or near the settlements of Novafeltria, ...

and Conca. It is situated at the borders of the Italian regions of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, and

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. The region has been historically considered an extension of

Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...

Overview

Montefeltro covers mostly the mountain part of the

province of Pesaro and Urbino The province of Pesaro and Urbino (, ) is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pesaro. It also borders the state of San Marino. The province is surrounded by San Marino and Emilia Romagna in the north, Umbria and ...

(

) and the south-western area of the

province of Rimini The province of Rimini () is the southernmost Provinces of Italy, province of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rimini, one of the "seven sisters" of the historical region of Romagna. The province borders the Adriat ...

(

). It comprises also two

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of the

province of Arezzo The province of Arezzo () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces Siena and Florence of Tuscany. It has an area ...

, and the

Republic of San Marino A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

. The most important town of the region is

Novafeltria Novafeltria, historically Mercatino Marecchia (), is a ''comune'' in the province of Rimini, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Geography The town is located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. It is the main ...

. Today it is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro The Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro (), known until 1977 as the Diocese of Montefeltro, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in both Italy and San Marino. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical pro ...

, formerly until 1978 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Montefeltro. The area is subject to recent territorial changes between the province of Pesaro and Urbino and the Province of Rimini. On 15 August 2009, seven municipalities were transferred from Pesaro and Urbino to Rimini:

Casteldelci Casteldelci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rimini, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. History On 7 April 1944, the hamlet of Fragheto was the sit ...

Maiolo Maiolo () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 807 and an area of .All ...

Pennabilli Pennabilli () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. In 2019, the podcast ''This Is Love (podcast), This is Love'' spoke ...

San Leo San Leo () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages ...

Sant'Agata Feltria Sant'Agata Feltria () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Overview It is home to a large fortress (''Fortilizio''), desig ...

and

Talamello Talamello () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Geography Talamello borders the following municipalities: Maiolo, Mercato ...

. On 17 June 2021, the municipalities of

Montecopiolo Montecopiolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about west of Rimini. It is formed by several villages, none exactly called Montecopiolo; the comm ...

and Sassofeltrio followed.

History

In the late 19th century, the area became a stronghold for republicans and supporters of

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

, leading to considerable social repression. In the 1960s, much of Montefeltro was depopulated as

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

's mass tourism economy developed.

Municipalities

References

{{Authority control Regions of Italy * Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy Geography of San Marino Geography of Tuscany Geography of the Marche Geography of Emilia-Romagna

Overview

History

Municipalities

See also

References