Verucchio ( rgn, Vròcc) is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

''in the

province of Rimini The province of Rimini ( it, provincia di Rimini) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The provincial capital is the eponymous city of Rimini. The province borders the independent Republic of San Marino. As of 2019, the prov ...

, region of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It has a population of about 9,300 and is from

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, on a spur overlooking the valley of the

Marecchia The Marecchia () is a river in eastern Italy. In ancient times it was known as the ''Ariminus'' which was from the Greek ''Aríminos'' (, which is also the ancient name of Rimini). The source of the river is near Monte dei Frati which is east of P ...

river.

History

Traces of a 12th-9th century BC settlement, supposed of

Villanovan The Villanovan culture (c. 900–700 BC), regarded as the earliest phase of the Etruscan civilization, was the earliest Iron Age culture of Italy. It directly followed the Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture which branched off from the Urnfield ...

origin, have been found overlooking the Adriatic plain. Later it was an

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

possession. The current town derives its name from ''Vero Occhio'' ("True Eye"), referring to its privileged position offering a wide panorama of the surrounding countryside and the

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

coast.

Malatesta da Verucchio Malatesta da Verucchio (1212–1312) was the founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a notable ''condottiero.'' He was born in Verucchio. He was the son of Malatesta della Penna (1183-1248). He was the leader of the Guelphs in Romag ...

, founder of the

Malatesta Malatesta may refer to: People Given name * Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero * Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...

lordship of Romagna, was born here. His successors fortified it as a powerful bastion against the

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Regions of I ...

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of ...

. After the expulsion of the Malatesta (15th century), it was a fief of the Medici in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

; it remained part of the latter, with a short stint under the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, until 1620.

Demographic evolution

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:455 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:9000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from:0 till: 3176 bar:1871 from:0 till: 3461 bar:1881 from:0 till: 3687 bar:1901 from:0 till: 3962 bar:1911 from:0 till: 4394 bar:1921 from:0 till: 4614 bar:1931 from:0 till: 4373 bar:1936 from:0 till: 4574 bar:1951 from:0 till: 4535 bar:1961 from:0 till: 3939 bar:1971 from:0 till: 4595 bar:1981 from:0 till: 6262 bar:1991 from:0 till: 7406 bar:2001 from:0 till: 8728 PlotData= bar:1861 at: 3176 fontsize:S text: 3.176 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at: 3461 fontsize:S text: 3.461 shift:(-10,5) bar:1881 at: 3687 fontsize:S text: 3.687 shift:(-10,5) bar:1901 at: 3962 fontsize:S text: 3.962 shift:(-10,5) bar:1911 at: 4394 fontsize:S text: 4.394 shift:(-10,5) bar:1921 at: 4614 fontsize:S text: 4.614 shift:(-10,5) bar:1931 at: 4373 fontsize:S text: 4.373 shift:(-10,5) bar:1936 at: 4574 fontsize:S text: 4.574 shift:(-10,5) bar:1951 at: 4535 fontsize:S text: 4.535 shift:(-10,5) bar:1961 at: 3939 fontsize:S text: 3.939 shift:(-10,5) bar:1971 at: 4595 fontsize:S text: 4.595 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 6262 fontsize:S text: 6.262 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 7406 fontsize:S text: 7.406 shift:(-10,5) bar:2001 at: 8728 fontsize:S text: 8.728 shift:(-10,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:fonte ISTAT - elaborazione grafica a cura di Wikipedia

Main sights

*''Rocca Malatestiana '' (Malatesta Castle, 12th-16th century; also known as ''Castel del Sasso'', or "Castle of the Rock"). It is one of largest and better conserved Malatestian fortifications, and was the birthplace of Malatesta da Verucchio. In 1449

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (19 June 1417 – 7 October 1468) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the mo ...

enlarged it. *Archaeological Museum *''Rocca del Passerello'' with the annexed gate. * Romanesque-Gothic ''Pieve'', dating around 990. *Franciscan Convent (c. 1215), the most ancient in Romagna. Inside the church is a masterpiece of the 13th century Riminese painting school representing the crucifixion. Outside is a 700-year-old cypress that, according to the legend, was planted by St. Francis himself.

External links

*
Verucchio

Verucchio
Panorama Verucchio

{{authority control Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Castles in Italy Villanovan culture