The concept of time fades away in front of the bucolic landscape that unfolds before our eyes as we climb the hills to reach Verucchio. The curves are dotted with olive fields, some vineyards here and there, a small flowered altar in honor of a Madonna, and the Rocca (the Castle) of Verucchio embracing all this scenery. It still seems to reign over this ardent kingdom. Our imagination then goes back in time, when the roads were just dirt paths and we rode on horseback to reach its square.
Diving into the millennial past
We understand a little more of the mystery and fascination emanating from the territory of Verucchio by delving into its rich past shaped by a refined millennial people and the development of the territory by the Malatesta family.
Indeed, the imposing stone walls of the “Rocca” and the medieval architecture of its center whisper the history of the famous Italian Malatesta family that ruled over the lands of Rimini for hundreds of years.
You also walk on the footsteps of one of the oldest civilizations found, Verucchio housed a flourishing civilization called “Villanovian” after the place, Villanova (Bologna). This civilization, precursor to the Etruscans, developed between the 11th and 6th centuries BC. Numerous excavations have unearthed rare and extraordinary objects of inestimable value.
The Malatesta Castle
There it stands, imposing, the “Rocca” of Verucchio, a splendor of austere beauty proudly rooted atop its hill. Behind its massive fortifications and its strategic location between land and sea, the shadow of the Malatesta family still looms. And for good reason, Verucchio is considered “the cradle of the Malatesta family”, it is here that Mastin Vecchio was born, mentioned in Dante’s “Inferno”. Mastin Vecchio, who lived 100 years, contributed to the development of the family’s power.
The Archaeological Museum
Located in an ancient medieval monastery of the Augustinians with a panoramic view over the Valmarecchia valley, the archaeological museum is the guardian of the treasures of the Villanovian civilization found during numerous archaeological excavations.
Precious objects, jewels of precious materials such as gold and amber, rare carved wooden thrones, but also weapons, bronze and wooden sculptures are just some of the remnants of a great refined civilization.