Sant’Angelo in Vado

The Roman city arose on a large river terrace on the right bank of the Metauro (about 360 meters above sea level), at the point where the latter receives the waters of the Morsina torrent,so that the site on both sides appeared to be naturally defended.

The study of the plan of the Tifernum, reconstructed on the basis of information obtained from excavations and recent aerial photographic interpretations, leads to the observation that the city had a square shape, with the classic cardo and decumanus that crossed in the main square.

Today at Campo della Pieve a Roman noble “domus” from the 1st century AD has also been found, entirely covered with polychrome mosaics that cover a surface of 1000 square meters. It has been named “Domus del Mito” by virtue of the numerous mythological depictions in the mosaics. This is the most conspicuous archaeological find in Central Italy in the last 50 years.

After the advent of Christianity, it is believed that Tifernum became a bishopric. The long war between the Byzantines and the Ostrogoths (6th century) also affected the territory of Tifernum Mataurense which suffered total destruction in the final phase of the war fought by Narses against Totila.

The Lombards rebuilt the new town on the ruins of the Roman city almost completely covered by alluvial soils, and dedicated it to Archangel Michael, hence the name Sant’Angelo.

The second part of the name “in Vado” was added later and is attributed to the productive and commercial activity linked to the cultivation of a dyeing plant called “guado” (Isatis Tinctoria); a cruciferous plant from which, through an appropriate process, the highly sought-after and precious blue colour was extracted which was used in painting (Piero della Francesca) and in dyeing fabrics.

At the end of the Middle Ages, Sant’Angelo in Vado was the capital of Massa Trabaria, a forestry province of the Papal States and an ancient Apennine region composed of parts of the Marches, Romagna, Umbria and Tuscany, which reached as far as Monte Carpegna to the east, was formed by the high valleys of the Marecchia to the north and south, included the relief of the Alpe della Luna as far as Sansepolcro to the west and reached the Catria massif to the south.

From the second half of the 14th century, Sant’Angelo in Vado became a fiefdom of the Brancaleoni family and remained so until 1437, when, following the marriage of Gentile Brancaleoni and Federico da Montefeltro, it passed under the Duchy of Urbino, which was able to recognize its independence. The Montefeltrine domination lasted until 1631, the year of the death of Duke Francesco Maria II Della Rovere, with the consequent annexation of the territory by the Papal State, which included it in the legation of Pesaro and Urbino.

In 1636 Pope Urban VIII elevated Sant’Angelo to the rank of “City” and promoted it to Diocese and it remained so until the reform of 1986.
In July 1849 Giuseppe Garibaldi passed through here while fleeing after the fall of the Roman Republic. In 1860-61 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.