Discover the Breathtaking
Beauty of San Leo

San Leo is, together with the Piedmont towns of Montiglio and Saluzzo, my favourite hill town in Italy. I was completely stunned the first time I came here. I couldn’t believe that such a place could be so little known outside of the Marches/le Marche. I have since been a regular visitor and most of the tourists are in fact returnees. Once you have been here you will find it difficult to resist the longing to return.

The approach to San Leo is absolutely stupendous and breathtaking to behold. From a distance the town appears as a miniature version of the nearby Republic of San Marino but San Leo is the better of the two – smaller and far less touristy. It really feels like you have stepped back in time and this is enhanced because of the absence of tourist hordes. Unlike Florence or Venice, the peace and tranquility here allow you to let your thoughts drift back in time.

The village still remains much as it must have been a thousand years ago. It is not hard to imagine prisoners of the papacy being brought here to the fortress that served for centuries as a prison.

Towering over the town is the castle. It is a bit of a walk up the hill to the castle but well worth the effort. Not quite as impressive as the Castle of Exiles but the views alone from the back courtyard are stunning.

The most famous prisoner was probably Count Cagliostro, imprisoned for heresy. His cell, adorned with admirer’s flowers, is nasty. The only thing you can view from his cell is the church dating back to the ninth century. This was deliberate on the part of his captors who believed this would ensure his repentance.

The torture chamber in the dungeons of the castle bears testament to the cruelness of those time. It is not hard to imagine the screams of centuries of prisoners echoing out through the pitch dark of this hell.

Some of the castle dates back to Roman times but most of it is the work of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, one of the finest renaissance military architects. Castellans and even those knowing little of medieval military will be amazed at the complicated and barbaric defenses of this castle/fortress. More details of the castle on my site can be found in the article by Gianni Volpe an authority on the castle.

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