Pennabilli (La Pénna in Romagna) is an Italian town of 2 697 inhabitants in the province of Rimini in Emilia-Romagna. The territory of the municipality is affected by the interregional natural park of Sasso Simone and Simoncello and is part of the Alta Valmarecchia mountain community. Pennabilli is the highest municipality in the Province of Rimini and the second southernmost municipality in the Emilia-Romagna region, preceded by Casteldelci.
Archaeological finds date the first human settlements
in the Pennabilli area back to the Etruscan and Roman times. During
the barbarian raids of the mid-first millennium AD, the two
impervious heights on which the capital stands (now called
"Roccione" and "Rupe"), served as a refuge for the populations
settled in the surroundings and along the Marecchia river. Thus
originated the communities of "Penna" and "Billi" whose toponyms
(one deriving from the Latin "Pinna", peak, tip, the other from
"Bilia", top among the trees) refer to the characteristic
conformation of two hills. According to another theory, "Billi"
derives, instead, from the name of the Etruscan god of fire "Bel",
venerated in a temple that became, in the Christian era, the church
of San Lorenzo (martyr of fire).
In 1004 a descendant of the
Carpegna family nicknamed "Malatesta", perhaps because stubborn and
reckless, began the construction of the fortress on the Roccione: it
was the birth of the famous family which, descended from Penna first
to Verucchio and then to Rimini, would have subjugated all of
Romagna . The union with the nearby castle of Billi took place only
in 1350 with the laying of the "stone of peace" in the market square
built between the two towns. The new town passed several times under
the influence of the Malatesta, Montefeltro, Medici and Papal
States. In 1572, with the transfer of the Episcopal seat from San
Leo, Pope Gregory XIII awarded it the title of "City". Pennabilli is
still the seat of the diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.
In
united Italy, the municipality of Pennabilli belonged to the Marche
(province of Pesaro and Urbino) until 15 August 2009, when it was
seconded, together with six other municipalities of Alta
Valmarecchia, in implementation of the outcome of a referendum held
on 17 and 18 December 2006. The Marche region appealed to the
Constitutional Court against the territorial variation, which found
it unfounded and rejected.
From 20 May 2010 Pennabilli has
joined the Italian Orange Flag club. In the first half of February
2012 the municipal area was one of the most affected by an
exceptional snowfall, which even reached 3 meters in the center of
the town.
Its municipal territory also includes the hamlets of Cà Romano, Maciano, Miratoio, Molino di Bascio, Ponte Messa, Scavolino, Soanne and Passo Cantoniera.
The main religious monuments in the town of
Pennabilli are:
Cathedral of Pennabilli, cathedral of the diocese
of San Marino-Montefeltro;
Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie
(XII - XVI centuries);
Hermitage of the Madonna del Faggio,
located in Bascio. The church of San Lorenzo deacon and martyr is
also part of the complex.
In the
historic center of Pennabilli and in the municipal area there is the
diffused Museum The places of the soul conceived by Tonino Guerra,
consisting of seven installations: The Garden of Forgotten Fruits
(where artistic installations and ancient varieties of fruit trees
coexist), La Strada delle Meridiane, The Refuge of the Abandoned
Madonna, The Sanctuary of Thoughts, The Angel with the Mustache, The
Petrified Garden (in Castello di Bascio), The Madonna of the Snow
Rectangle (in Poggio Bianco). The installations can be visited every
day for free.
Also noteworthy are the Palazzo del Bargello
and the Palazzo della Ragione, known as Le Logge.
In the
hamlet of Scavolino there is the ruin of the baronial palace of the
princes of Carpegna, a castle that cannot be visited once the
residence of the Carpegna family, and the former Palazzo Comunale
with its characteristic portico.
The ancient village is
located in the Molino di Bascio hamlet.
The ancient Malatesta walls are preserved in via
della Vigna, in via dei Pensieri suspended and in via del Roccione.
Of particular importance is the tower.
The Tower of Maciano,
in the hamlet of Maciano.
The Torre di Bascio, in Molino di
Bascio.
Events and parties
National Antiques Market Exhibition. in the month of July. Historical
exhibition of ancient art, it has been taking place since 1970.
Artists in the square. late May-early June. International performing
arts festival, taking place since 1997.
By plane
Rimini Airport (approximately
50 km)
Forlì airport (approximately 67 km)
Ancona airport (approximately 130 km)
By
car
From the north, take the A14 motorway towards Ancona, exit at
Cesena Nord, follow the Rome-Ravenna
direction, continue on the SS 3BIS / E45, exit at Sarsina, cross
Sant'Agata Feltria, Ponte Messa and continue towards Pennabilli.
From
the south, take the A14 motorway in the direction of
Naples, follow the direction of
Pescara, exit at Rimini Sud, follow the
direction of Republica San Marino, cross Cerasolo, entry into San Marino
territory, cross Serravalle, Fiorina, Domagnano, Borgo Maggiore,
Acquaviva, entry in Italian territory, cross Pietracuta and continue
towards Pennabilli.
On boat
Tourist port of
Pesaro (approximately 80 km)
Port of Ancona (approximately 135
km). It is connected with the ports of
Greece, Croatia, Turkey,
Albania, Montenegro by the Dorica
Port Services company.
Average prices
Al Bel Fico, Piazza V. Emanuele II, 24, ☎ +39 0541
928810, fabri.angelini@libero.it.
Re Mida, Via Marecchiese, 37 (in
the hamlet of Ponte Messa), ☎ +39 0541 928385,
restaurant.remida@gmail.com.
From Quinto, Via Mulino Schieti (in the
hamlet of Ponte Messa), ☎ +39 0541 928515.
Il Pescatore, Via Lago
D'Andreuccio, 2 (in the hamlet of Maciano), ☎ +39 0541 915104,
dalpescatore@live.it.
Il Piastrino, Via Parco Begni, 9, ☎ +39 0541
928106, info@piastrino.it.
Pizzeria Vini e crostini, Via dei Tigli,
20, ☎ +39 0541 928585.
Trattoria Bugli Paola (Molino di Bascio), ☎
+39 333 7922250, andrea.trebbi@libero.it.
Sir Ector, Strada per
Sestino, 12 (Località Cà Morlano), ☎ +39 0541 928383,
sir.ector@libero.it.
Average prices
Hotel Il Duca del Montefeltro, Via Aldo Moro, 12, ☎
+39 0541 1613400, fax: +39 0541 1613401, info@hotelducamontefeltro.it.
Il Lago Verde, Via Soanne (Lago d'Andreuccio), ☎ +39 0541 915012,
hotellagoverde@gmail.com.
Parco, Via Marconi, 14, ☎ +39 0541 928446,
info@associazioneristoranteparco.it.