Tradition has it that Fermignano was founded around 200 BC by a Roman legionary, a certain Firmidio, from whom it took its name (first Firinidianus and then Fermignano).
The municipal territory occupies the plain of the Metauro river from San Silvestro to Santa Barbara, on the border with the territory of the Municipality of Urbino. Another part of the territory is made up of hills that surround the plain.
It should be noted that most of the territory is located around the historic centre, the town built in the modern era and the large industrial area, but a large part is made up of the administrative island of Pagino which is completely detached from the rest of the territory: it is in fact located between the Municipalities of Urbino, Fossombrone, Acqualagna and Cagli and is an integral part of the Furlo territory. This area includes the Pietralata mountain, the left bank of the Candigliano river, the Flaminia road, the Furlo dam, the two Roman tunnels of the Furlo pass and Pagino Castello with its church of San Clemente, currently being restored due to the damage caused by the 1997 earthquake.
What to visit
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Main Events
Palio della Rana
Reenactment and historical parade in which the seven Contrade (neighborhoods) compete with frogs in wheelbarrows, medieval games, markets, flag-wavers and taverns with typical local dishes, including frog-based dishes.
Domenica in Albis (Sunday after Easter)
Popoli in Festa
A multidisciplinary festival that ranges from art to games, from music to costumes and traditions, to promote multiculturalism and encourage dialogue between the different nationalities and communities who live in Fermignano.
June
Nineteenth-century Bicycle Grand Prix
A race between the seven districts of the town on ancient bicycles, a historical parade, shows, markets, activities for children, wine tastings and typical dishes, live music in the historic centre.
September
Contacts
Turist Office – Pro Loco Fermignano
Tel/Fax 0722 330523
Cell 345 6629150
www.proloco-fermignano.it
info@proloco-fermignano.it
Fermignano in the Alta Valle del Metauro
Nearby, in the plain of San Silvestro, the Battle of the Metauro was fought in 207 BC between the Romans and the Carthaginians.
In 207 BC, Hasdrubal decided to head towards Italy to join his brother, following the same route he had taken in 218 BC. The expedition consisted of 20,000 men, but he planned to recruit other soldiers along the way, especially among the Gauls.
After crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps with his army, Hasdrubal, having reached the meeting point with his brother, found himself having to face a great obstacle: the Furlo Gorge guarded by the Romans. When he noticed the overwhelming Roman forces, he tried to outflank them, but in the end he had to face the battle at the Metauro River in 207 BC. The battle was a Roman triumph, the Carthaginian expedition was annihilated, Hasdrubal himself lost his life in battle and the Romans cut off the head of the corpse and threw it in front of Hannibal’s camp.
The battle was more decisive than ever for the Romans. With the death of Hasdrubal, Hannibal was deprived of any possibility of help, and his fate, after 15 years of victories throughout Italy, seemed more than ever sealed. The populations of the peninsula no longer supported the Carthaginians, who no longer enjoyed many chances of victory. Hannibal, now alone, decided to retreat.
The origins
From the document of 1297, published by Rossi, in which we read that “D. Gualtieri, archpriest of Fermignano, sold to Santuccio a field of the church located between the moat and the river” it is clear that since the 13th century the centre was surrounded by walls (where we know they lasted until the 19th century), which together with the tower formed the defensive element of the centre, at the time an important junction and ford. Belonging in the Middle Ages to the jurisdiction of Urbino and living “under total dependence on the city of Urbino”, the castle of Fermignano was erected in the name of that city, by “three massari elected or confirmed every quarter”. They were chosen among the most sensible men of the Castle and the dependent villas, namely: Villa di Fermignano, Monte Asdruvaldo, Pistrino and Monteprandi; later the massari remained in office for six months. A local council composed of 24 councilors is mentioned in several documents from 1607. It seems that the municipal headquarters did not yet exist, of which there is news only from the eighteenth century, when it was located in the Bramante palace, on the street of the same name.
Fermignano and Federico da Montefeltro
The historical line of Fermignano is strongly linked to the nearby centre of Urbino, an ancient Roman municipality, which evolved over time into a County in the thirteenth century and a Duchy in the fifteenth century.
Near the tower, the paper mill and later the mill for grinding wheat began operating in 1408. The paper mill, owned by the Montefeltro family of Urbino, was donated in 1507 by Guidobaldo I to the chapel of the SS.mo Sacramento of Urbino, which owned it until 1870.
In June 1502 Cesare Borgia, known as “Valentino” (son of Pope Alexander VI), with a massive army of people and animals pulling carts, camped in Fermignano, about to besiege Urbino. Francesco Maria II della Rovere, the last Duke of Urbino, adhering to the desire of “the Massari et homini of the Castle of Fermignano”, in 1607 authorized the formation of a local council so that “the things and interests of that public would be governed and administered with the sincerity, accuracy and diligence that is appropriate”.
