The Rovere fortress by Francesco di Giorgio
On a hill between the valleys of the Cesano and Metauro rivers, in the hinterland of Fano and Senigallia, Mondavio is a small, well-preserved medieval village, one of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia", surrounded by walls and dominated by one of the most beautiful and original military buildings of the Italian Renaissance: the Rocca Roveresca. It was built between 1482 and 1492 for Giovanni Della Rovere, lord of Senigallia and nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, to a design by the great Sienese architect and engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini, who in those years designed dozens of fortresses for the Montefeltro and Della Rovere families, adapting military architecture to the new artillery.
The fortress is a powerful construction in brick, with an unusual shape, dominated by a tall, massive polygonal keep, with a moat, a drawbridge, a ravelin and passages designed to defend against cannon fire. Curiously, it was never completed according to the original project and was never attacked, so it has remained almost intact. Today it houses a museum of medieval and Renaissance life, with rooms that recreate scenes of the life of the court, with wax figures in historical costumes, a collection of ancient weapons and armour, and, in the dungeons, instruments of torture. From the top of the keep, the view sweeps over the hills to the sea. Every year in August, the village celebrates the "Caccia al Cinghiale", the Boar Hunt, a historical festival with a medieval banquet, parades, archery competitions, fire-eaters and fireworks that recreate the siege of the fortress.
Tip: visit the fortress and then walk around the walls; in August, book a place at the Renaissance banquet.
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