Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Vallefoglia

Marche · Pesaro e Urbino

Vallefoglia

A 2014 merger commune in the Foglia valley, born from Colbordolo, birthplace of Raffaello's father, and Sant'Angelo in Lizzola.

Known for

  • GIOVANNI SANTI

    Painter and chronicler born in Colbordolo c. 1440, father of Raffaello, who ran the Urbino workshop where his son first learned to paint.

  • TERENZIO MAMIANI

    Risorgimento philosopher and statesman from Sant'Angelo in Lizzola (1799-1885), part of the Perticari literary circle that drew Leopardi and Rossini.

  • FOGLIA OLIVE OIL

    Olive oil pressed from the valley slopes between Pesaro and Urbino, the trade that carries the Città dell'Olio signal to the commune.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Why come

Vallefoglia was created in 2014 by referendum, when 76. 3% of voters approved the merger of Colbordolo and Sant'Angelo in Lizzola, two adjacent communes in the Foglia valley between Pesaro and Urbino. The new commune sits and runs along the river that gives it its name, on the route between the Adriatic coast and the Montefeltro hills.

Colbordolo's castle is documented from 1213 in a bull of Pope Innocent III, and in 1446 Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta took it from the Montefeltro after a long siege and burned it. Giovanni Santi, the painter who fathered Raffaello, was born in Colbordolo around 1440 and ran the workshop in Urbino where his son trained. Sant'Angelo in Lizzola produced the engineer Giovanni Branca (1571-1645) and the Risorgimento statesman Terenzio Mamiani (1799-1885); the circle of Giulio Perticari and his wife Costanza Monti drew Leopardi and Rossini in the nineteenth century. Olive oil from the valley slopes carries the Città dell'Olio signal.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Vallefoglia’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

By subscribing you agree to Substack’s Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy and our Information collection notice.

Vallefoglia — photo 1
Vallefoglia — photo 2

What to see

  • Castello di Colbordolo

    Medieval castle documented from 1213, contested between the Malatesta and the Montefeltro, burned by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta in 1446 and rebuilt at lower scale.

  • Palazzo Mamiani-Della Rovere

    Sixteenth-century palace in Sant'Angelo in Lizzola, family seat of the Mamiani della Rovere, who produced Risorgimento statesman Terenzio Mamiani.

  • Centro storico di Sant'Angelo in Lizzola

    Hilltop nucleus on the right bank of the Foglia, with the Piazza della Repubblica, the Chiesa di Sant'Apollinare and views to the Montefeltro ridges.

  • Casa natale di Giovanni Santi

    Birthplace marker in Colbordolo for Giovanni Santi (c. 1440-1494), painter and chronicler of the Montefeltro court and father of Raffaello.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Vallefoglia fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Living here

  • Population 14,935
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Rimini, 59 min drive
  • Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 16 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 295 m
  • Population: 14,935
  • Surface area: 39.3 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by

More towns near Vallefoglia

🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia

More Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Marche