Montegridolfo

Montegridolfo is an enchanting border village, of about 1000 inhabitants, in the province of Rimini. At one time, it was the first Bastion of the Malatesta Lordship against the Duchy of Urbino. Now, it is on the border of Emilia-Romagna and the Marches. It gets endearingly called a “Marchignolo municipality”, combining the names of the two regions. Being in between the Conca and Foglia valleys means the village has a unique identity where history and landscape merge with man’s work and culture. In 1548, the Madonna appeared in the surrounding countryside where she rested on the millstone of an oil mill as a sign of belonging to the community. This tale is told in the large altarpiece at the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin in Trebbio. From that painting, we discover the Castle and the surrounding countryside; an unchanged landscape that’s subject to protection by the ministerial decree of 1976. From whatever standpoint, the Castle of Montegridolfo appears as an ark floating on a sea of green; the neighbouring fields frame the castle, appearing as pieces of a mosaic. The walls that protect the town, behind which lies a tower or strut attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini, lead to the spectacular entrance way to the village that is marked by the large civic tower. After crossing the threshold of the village, you encounter a succession of narrow streets and alleys that offer picturesque views of the houses and hills and on the horizon, the sea. From here, you can see the whole coast starting from Cervia, passing through Cesenatico and Rimini, up to Cattolica before continuing on to Gradara and Pesaro. In the 1990s, the old Malatesta village was carefully renovated through a restoration promoted by the stylist Alberta Ferretti.