FAREWELL TO ARMS

The small Renaissance town of Mondavio sits atop a hill in northern Le Marche, 280 metres above sea level, between the valleys of the rivers Metauro and Cesano. Sturdy walls and the mighty Rocca Roveresca protect its centro storico, dotted with charming buildings and churches.

Mondavio’s fortress was built at the request of Giovanni della Rovere between 1482 and 1492 to defend the territories that up until then had been fiercely disputed among the pope and the Malatesta lords. We owe this masterpiece of military engineering to architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini who was entrusted with the task of designing an imposing, highly sophisticated war machine which could resist the assault of all known weapons at that time. However, quite astoundingly, the fortress never came under attack and its towers are extraordinarily well preserved.

Your private guide and chauffeur will meet you at your accommodation and drive you to Mondavio. Here you will enjoy a tour of the Rocca and learn all about its history, from the first phases of its construction to its more recent use as a prison. Today the premises host a collection of weapons from the Middle Ages to the 1600s together with the Historical Reconstruction Museum, featuring wax statues, period costumes and decor that recreate typical scenes of daily life at the fortress. Take a peep at a medieval banquet, a kitchen the way it really was and even a torture chamber. A display of life-size reproductions of trebuchets can also be admired in the moat.

After visiting the Rocca it’s time for a leisurely walk through Mondavio. Highlights include the main square of Piazza Matteotti, where you will see the Town Hall and the Church of San Francesco, and the Church of Santi Pietro and Paterniano, housing precious 18th century canvas paintings.

A short drive will then bring you to Corinaldo, a pretty little town oozing old world charm and character perched on a hill in the green countryside of Senigallia, between Urbino and Ancona. In the Middle Ages Corinaldo often found itself at the centre of feudal battles, the most ferocious of which occurred in 1360, when it was razed to the ground by papal armies. The town was soon rebuilt and fortified with robust walls which are still surprisingly intact today, after six hundred years. Extending for some 912 metres and complete with gates, towers and embrasures, these are considered to be among the best-preserved in all of Le Marche. Follow your guide on a stroll beside the walls, pausing to admire the 18-metre-high Sperone Tower, and inspect the meticulously assembled collage of narrow alleys, elegant palazzi and brick houses that makes up Corinaldo’s historic centre. Among its major attractions are the 109-step stairway of Piaggia, the Sanctuary dedicated to Santa Maria Goretti and the Church of San Francesco, displaying works by Mannerist painter Claudio Ridolfi.

Those lucky enough to visit Le Marche in July shouldn’t miss the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, a folkloristic event that lasts two days and celebrates the most glorious chapter in Corinaldo’s history, when the town resisted the assaults of the troops of Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria della Rovere in 1517. On this occasion, the citizens work together to re-enact historic Renaissance-era scenes, transforming the town’s streets and squares into an open-air stage. Locals dress up in period costumes, artisans display their crafts on side street stalls, and the programme of shows featuring jugglers, acrobats, flag wavers as well as a colourful procession, attracts crowds of curious visitors.

After some free time for lunch rejoin your private driver and return to your accommodation.