Gola del Furlo

What to do on holiday in Gubbio? We suggest a small trip, just 40 minutes away.

Gola del Furlo, Natural reserve, his history and useful tips..

In ancient time the former Gola del Furlo’s name was Saxa Intercisa, literally split rock or broke rock. Then it was called Petra Pertusa, literally “perforated rock”. The name “Furlo” comes from forulus, forlo (= hole) that was translated into the vernacular “forlo” and later “furlo”. The first Italic population to understand the importance of roadways for the economy were the Etruscans who built the road connecting Rome and Rimini, the Flaminian way. However it was not given this name until two centuries later by the consul Flaminius who had it paved. The Romans conquered the Furlo without any difficulty since they have routed the Italic Confederation of Sentino (Sassoferrato). This area became a highly trafficked pass and Flavius Vespasian had a new tunnel excavation (still open to traffic today) that ended in 76 AD. Then both the Goths and the Byzantines conquered and ruled over this area. After the conquering of Urbino by Buonconte da Montefeltro in 1234, the Furlo became part of the territory of the Montefeltros and remained in the shadows. The advent of the Della Rovere Family did not improve the situation and, as Cardinal Adrian recalled, the Furlo was teaming with bandits under Julius II. Only in 1631 it was incorporated into the Papal State, as the Duchy of Urbino. The difficult conditions, due to falling rocks, negligence and the presence of delinquents did not improve and in 1771 the Papal Post coaches were forced to avoid the canyon. In 1797 the French brought here the winds of revolution and decided to reclaim the canyon installing a military command. On September 17th 1860, the Furlo passed under the Savoy family and on March 17th 1861 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1863 the pass was liberated from the presence of the bandits and secured.
The Furlo was not involved in the First World War but it was valued as a link between Rome and the front, especially after the advent of the automobile. It was the automobile that brought the directors of UNES from Milan to the Furlo and convinced them that they would have earned money thanks to the waters of Candigliano. In 1922 Mussolini passed through the Furlo and in 1936 the Forest Militia wanted to immortalise the famous profile of the Duce in the mountainside. During the World War II, the Furlo lived moment of tension but it was not theatre of fierce battles.
The 1970s were ruinous years for this area especially for the landscape, spoiled by quarrying. In the 1980s new tunnels (3391m long each) were built that, since then, have absorbed the traffic of the Flaminian way, returning the canyon to the joy of its admirers.
The “Gola del Furlo” Nature Reserve, a natural reservoir to safe and protect, is under the administration of Pesaro and Urbino in accordance with the Italian Ministry of the Environment (6th February 2001). After that this territory had become a reserve several advantages occurred, for instance recovery and renovation’s measures in order to enable the population to use this piece of heaven on earth. The reserve is one of the most magnificent territories in Italy. Here the Candigliano River has cut through the mountains as they rose up and has dug and smoothed their sides.
The beauty of the “Gola del Furlo” takes your breath away. Everywhere you can find hundreds of both rare and common plants and animals. During the years the “Gola del Furlo” Nature Reserve has become a seat attracting a lot of people who can discover and appreciate its naturalistic and historical charme.

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