Small and charming village in the Rimini inlands, Montefiore Conca is perched on one of the highest hills of the Valconca, built around the imposing mass of the Malatesta Castle, which was a defensive bulwark and the Summer residence of this powerful family in the Middle Ages.
The town's name derives from "Mons Florum" (Mount of Flowers), due to its unique geographical location. It's name appeared for the first time in a document of Pope Innocent II in 1136. From 1295 to the second half of the XV century, Montefiore Conca submitted the domain of the Malatesta, until it was conquered by Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, on behalf of the Pope. After a series of clashes and periods of rule of other noble families, in 1797, it was incorporated into the Cisalpine Republic and returned to the Papal government in 1815.
Sites of Interest:
- the Malatesta Castle of Montefiore, the emblem of the town with its imposing size. It seems to have XIV century origins, although, after a recent excavation, some archeological experts have speculated that the complex dates back to year 1000;
- the Church of St. Paul, originally built in the XII century, features an elegant white stone doorway of the late XIII century, a wooden crucifix of the Art School of Rimini, a Madonna and Child with an angel by Bernardino Dolci (XV century) and the altarpiece of the Madonna of Mercy by Luzio Dolci (XVI century);
- the Church of the Hospital of Mercy, originally built in the XV century, although the façade is the result of refurbishments of the XIX century. Inside is a cycle of frescoes, recently restored, attributed to Bernardino Dolci;
- the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Bonora, inside which is preserved the venerated image of the Madonna nursing her Child (XV century).