San Leo (Romagnol: San Lé) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 135 kilometres (84 mi) southeast of Bologna and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Rimini. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[3]

San Leo
Comune di San Leo
Location of San Leo
Map
San Leo is located in Italy
San Leo
San Leo
Location of San Leo in Italy
San Leo is located in Emilia-Romagna
San Leo
San Leo
San Leo (Emilia-Romagna)
Coordinates: 43°53′47″N 12°20′36″E / 43.89639°N 12.34333°E / 43.89639; 12.34333
CountryItaly
RegionEmilia-Romagna
ProvinceRimini (RN)
FrazioniAgenzia, Capicchio, Castelnuovo, Montefotogno, Montemaggio, Pietracuta, Pietramaura, Santa Lucia, Tausano, Torello
Government
 • MayorMauro Guerra
Area
 • Total
53.3 km2 (20.6 sq mi)
Elevation
589 m (1,932 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total
2,829
 • Density53/km2 (140/sq mi)
DemonymLeontini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
47865
Dialing code0541
Patron saintSaint Leo
Saint dayAugust 1
WebsiteOfficial website
San Leo from the N-NW
The fortress (Rocca) of San Leo

Geography

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San Leo borders the following Italian municipalities: Maiolo, Montecopiolo, Monte Grimano, Novafeltria, Sassofeltrio, Torriana, Verucchio, as also, in the independent State of San Marino, Acquaviva, Chiesanuova, and the City of San Marino.

San Leo is the location of a large fortress, situated at an elevation of 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level. The San Leo Co-Cathedral is a Romanesque church.

History

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San Leo was served by the Rimini–Novafeltria railway,[4] beginning with a terminus in Torello in 1921.[5] The government of San Marino had expressed its desire for a station in the locality from the railway's planning in 1905, committing 1,000 lire annually for fifty years for the station.[6] With the exception of the years of operation of the Rimini–San Marino railway (1932–44), San Marino-Torello was the closest railway connection to San Marino.[7] On 18 June 1922, the railway was extended to Mercantino Marecchia,[5][8] with stops in Pietracuta and just after the Torrente Mazzocco.[4] The railway closed in 1960.[5] The station buildings of Torello and Pietracuta are extant, with the latter being residential property.[4]

San Leo was also supposed to be served by the Santarcangelo–Urbino railway [it], also known as the subappenine railway, which would have connected Santarcangelo di Romagna with Urbino. The project was intended to provide an inland alternative to the Bologna–Ancona railway, whose coastal position made it vulnerable to bombardment. It was abandoned in 1933, but some tracks had already been laid in the section from Santarcangelo to San Leo. Some of these tracks were reused by the Rimini–Novafeltria railway along a new post-war alignment.[9] Viaducts of the former Novafeltria route are still extant among farmland,[4] as well as a tunnel in Il Peggio built for the subappenine railway, which became a mushroom farm.[9]

After the referendum of 17 and 18 December 2006, San Leo was detached from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino (Marche) to join Emilia-Romagna and the Province of Rimini on 15 August 2009.[10][11]

International relations

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References

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  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.
  3. ^ "Emilia Romagna" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Ferrovia Rimini Centrale-Novafeltria" [Rimini Centrale-Novafeltria railway]. www.ferrovieabbandonate.it. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "18 giugno 1922 - Completata la ferrovia Rimini - Novafeltria" [18 June 1922: The Rimini-Novafeltria railway is completed]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Ferrovia Rimini-Novafeltria-e oltre, nell'interesse anche di San Marino" [Rimini-Novafeltria railway and beyond: Also in San Marino's interests]. libertas (in Italian). 10 January 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  7. ^ Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in Italian). 29 (1): 1–4.
  8. ^ Zaghini, Paolo (11 September 2022). "Se in Valmarecchia ci fosse ancora il trenino dello zolfo" [If only the sulphur train still existed in Valmarecchia]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Ferrovia incompiuta Sant'Arcangelo di Romagna-Urbino". Ferrovie abbandonate (in Italian). Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ^ (in Italian) Article about the legislation Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ (in Italian) Article on "il Resto del Carlino"
  12. ^ "San Leo e Città di San Marino: il gemellaggio compie 20 anni" (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-01-13.
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