San Marino celebrates Duke Federico – Chronicle
The most peaceful Republic of San Marino has already opened the year of initiatives to remember Federico da Montefeltro. The affection of San Marino towards the Duke of Urbino should not be surprising: it is thanks to his diplomatic and military support that the small republic in 1462 defeated Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta and was able to expand its territory with the villages of Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle, bringing its borders to the extent that will remain until today. In short, Federico was a very precious ally for the Titan and this year the Republic celebrates him properly.
Four concrete initiatives are planned. The first, which took place on 5 April, is a philatelic issue; a special sheet with two stamps reproducing the portraits of Federico and his wife Battista Sforza taken from the famous diptych by Piero della Francesca of the Uffizi, each worth 2 euros. On the 28th, on the other hand, it was the turn of the numismatic issue: a coin with a current value of 2 euro which bears the same iconic profile of the duke on the reverse, with the inscriptions San Marino and Piero della Francesca, as the coin has the dual purpose of celebrates the Tuscan painter who died in 1492. The circulation of the stamps is fixed at 30 thousand copies, while for the coins in 55 thousand copies. The Serenissima then joined the Italian national committee for the Frederick celebrations, thus being able to sit at the table that will better coordinate the various initiatives scattered to remember the leader. Finally, San Marino will dedicate to the figure of the duke, starting from the month of September, a documentary exhibition where some of the documents kept in the Titan State Archives will be exhibited, the result of that correspondence that the same constantly entertained with the representatives of the republic. Other documents will also be lent in the autumn to a similar exhibition that the University of Urbino will set up with its own material. At the presentation of the coin and the various San Marino initiatives, in addition to various institutional exponents of the Republic involved in the project, the commissioner Roberto Cioppi was also present who said he was “proud to be able to collaborate with San Marino in what are the celebrations of the most important figure. important and iconic for our city. It will be a year full of dedicated events, profitable to promote, I hope together, also our destinations from a tourist point of view “.
Giovanni Volponi