Fortress of San Leo

Interesting facts

Cagliostro spent his last years in the 'Pozzetto', a doorless cell of about 10 square metres into which he was lowered through a trapdoor in the ceiling.

The Pozzetto's only light came through a slit of a window with three rows of bars, framing San Leo's parish church and its cathedral.

Cagliostro arrived on 20 April 1791 and was first held in the so-called treasure room before being moved to the Pozzetto that September.

In his cell Cagliostro painted religious scenes on the walls, including a penitent self-portrait holding a crucifix, and later images his jailers called blasphemous.

Cagliostro was buried without coffin or headstone at the western edge of the fortress esplanade, refused church rites as an unbeliever.

In December 1797 Polish troops allied with France took the fortress without a fight and set its prisoners free.

When the papacy turned the fortress into a prison, the cells were carved out of the former soldiers' quarters.

The rock's ancient name, Mons Feretri, survives in 'Montefeltro', the name of both the surrounding region and the ruling dynasty.

St Francis of Assisi is said to have passed through San Leo in 1213, and Dante in 1306.

Why it is worth it

San Leo rises from the hills between Romagna and the Marche on a sheer slab of rock, and its fortress looks as though it has grown out of the cliff edge. Seen from the plain, the whole outcrop resembles a ship, with the town huddled on its deck and the castle at the stern.

The summit was fortified as early as Roman times and was fought over by Byzantines, Goths, Franks and Lombards. Between 961 and 963 Berengar II, the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of Italy, was besieged here by Otto I. The Montefeltro counts took their title from the ancient name of the place, and in 1441 the young Federico da Montefeltro captured the fort by scaling its walls. He had it rebuilt by the Sienese engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini to meet the new threat of gunpowder: artillery could sweep every approach with crossfire, and the entrances lay beyond the reach of enemy guns. The older keep, with square turrets and a Gothic doorway, contained the residential quarters; the later part consists of two massive round towers linked by a corbelled curtain wall, enclosing a parade ground.

Cesare Borgia seized San Leo in 1502, Florentine troops took it in 1516, and from 1527 it belonged to the Della Rovere until the Duchy of Urbino passed to the Papal States in 1631. The papacy turned the fortress into a prison. Its most famous inmate was the occultist and adventurer known as Count Cagliostro, who died here in 1795; the patriot Felice Orsini was held here too. The prison closed in 1906, and the castle now houses a museum. It also appeared as Leonardo da Vinci's castle in the 1991 film Hudson Hawk.

San Leo itself, listed among the most beautiful villages of Italy, has a Romanesque co-cathedral and borders the Republic of San Marino. It has been part of the province of Rimini since 2009.

Getting there

The fortress overlooks San Leo, about 9 km from the city of San Marino and roughly 35 km southwest of Rimini; Cesena is about 28 km away. The nearest airport is Federico Fellini International Airport at Rimini (RMI), about 25 km away in a straight line.

From the encyclopaedia

The Fortress of San Leo is a castle on the border of the Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. The castle is best known as the site where Count Cagliostro died. It was one of the palaces owned by Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza and was a fortified, palatial retreat. It is now a museum.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Fortress of San Leo

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

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From the encyclopaedia