Petra Rubea

THE MIDDLE AGES

THE MIDDLE AGES

Long ago, there was a castle that dominated a valley. Situated on the summit of Mount San Lorenzo along the right riverbank of the Conca torrent, it faced the Montegrimano village near the border separating the Romagna and Marches regions. On the trail leading to the river's mouth, there was a place of worship whose legend recounts an ancient parish church.

At the turn of the 13th century, the old castle was held together by a vassal of the Counts of Pietrarubbia, a minor branch of the Montefeltro family.

The human life span in that era was brief and very difficult, particularly for those who did not have the good fortune to be born into nobility and wealth. The poor had nothing to eat, and were bound to a house and a piece of land that did not belong to them, forced to share the fruits of their labor with their rulers. Disease, starvation, war, poor hygiene, hunger, cold, obscure medical care and ignorance generated an incredible number of victims. Infant mortality was common and many women died during childbirth.

Nobility and clergy, often times corrupt, lived a different reality, enjoying the comforts and luxury that were denied the servants. Well nourished, the wealthy did not work, and were often stronger and taller in stature, well-groomed and happy, living a longer life compared to those who suffered starvation and were brutalized by generations of fatigue working the fields.

As we know, the Middle Ages were a barbaric and dark period of history, however those who lived or survived that period experienced the same sentiments and emotions of today's human race: love and hate; joy and sufferance; laughter and tears.