Top 10 Castles around Frontino

The tiny village of Pietarubbia is located on the slopes of Mount Carpegna in a quiet and panoramic position. It is one of the oldest fortified villages in Montefeltro and is dominated by a Castle of which only one tower remains today. The name derives from Pietra Rubea, meaning "red stone", due to the reddish color of the rocks on which it stands.

Perched on a rock overlooking the Apsa torrent valley, on the southern slopes of Mount Carpegna, the village of Pietrarubbia is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) of the entire Montefeltro, with its origins that can be dated around the year 1000 ... What is certainly certain is that the village belonged to the Counts of Carpegna as early as 1137, and was equipped with an imposing Castle that stood on a red stone rock (from which the name petra rubea derives, later becoming Pietrarubbia) overlooking the valley below, characterized by excellent natural defenses so much so that it was later called "castrum inexpugnabile". The Montefeltro family originated from a branch of the Counts of Carpegna family, which gradually extended its influence throughout the Duchy of Urbino, with Pietrarubbia playing the role of an important defensive bulwark ... In the following centuries Pietrarubbia was the scene of bloody battles, first between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions within the Montefeltro family, and then between the Montefeltros and the Malatestas, who fought for a long time for control of the Castle, which changed hands several times. ... The following centuries were certainly quieter than the era of great battles that had just ended, however Pietrarubbia, precisely because of its particular conformation that transformed it into an almost impregnable fortress, went through a phase of decline and progressive abandonment, as in a period of peace the defensive function of the Castle became superfluous, and the inhabitants gradually but inexorably moved towards the valley ... The ancient village was completely depopulated around 1960, going through a phase of further decline, interrupted in the last years of the last century thanks also to the intervention of the famous sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro who, after having acquired the ownership of some of the most important buildings in the town, founded in 1990 the T.A.M., a school dedicated to the treatment of metals located right inside the historic center of Pietrarubbia. Nowadays the village is completely renovated and, although not permanently inhabited, it is very popular with tourists or simply curious people attracted by this place that presents itself as a real open-air museum. (Source: https://www.borghipesarourbino.it/castelli-e-rocche/pietrarubbia/ )

Monte Cerignone, located at the beginning of the upper Conca valley, is home to a village and a castle of considerable historical importance. The visit to the castle, built in the 12th century, offers a fascinating immersion in history.

Fortification of the Renaissance period, it is still well preserved and houses a small theater inside.

The Rocca di Sassocorvaro also known as Rocca Ubaldinesca is a fortification from the Renaissance period, located in the municipality of Sassocorvaro in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Montefeltro. It is located in the center of the village, on a hill overlooking the valley of the Foglia river.

The famous defensive structure is located on the hill called Roccaccia, in an unparalleled natural setting. Or rather, what remains of the magnificent castle which was the birthplace of the noble Montefeltro family and which throughout the 16th century was addressed as impregnable. And it is this ancient walled village, now reduced to shreds, the real historical center of the territory, the real Montecopiolo. The ruin of this mighty fortress, which it is good to remember was the basis for the incredible capture of San Leo by the troops of Federico da Montefeltro, was not inflicted by the enemy bombards, but rather by abandonment and by its closest relative: the neglect. It was in fact the seventeenth century, when the inhabitants began to move to the more comfortable valley. And with them they also brought stones and bricks, building material torn from the castle and reused in the construction of new homes.

To the west of Villagrande, the municipal capital, there is a tremendous limestone peak that rises well over a thousand meters and on whose top stood the so-called castle of Monte Acuto. Like the most famous neighbor on the Roccaccia, it was, around the middle of the 13th century, one of the formidable Feltreschi possessions. Except that the Lord of this inhospitable peak was a Guelph-side Montefeltro, a supporter of the Pope in a land that has always been faithful to imperial power.