Art Week in Montefeltro – Rotondi Prize (closing in Carpegna)

A Week Dedicated to Saved Art

The Art Week in Montefeltro is the distributed review that accompanies the Rotondi Prize for Saviors of Art, one of the most distinctive cultural events in the hinterland of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, in the Marche region. For seven days, usually at the end of May, the villages of Montefeltro transform into a widespread stage for conferences, screenings, exhibitions, and meetings, with a precise common thread: the defense and safeguarding of artistic heritage. The event involves the Municipalities of Sassocorvaro Auditore, Urbino, and Carpegna, which take turns hosting the events, and traditionally concludes in Carpegna.

The Story of Pasquale Rotondi and the "Salvage Operation"

The Prize was established in 1997 to honor the figure of Pasquale Rotondi (1909-1991), the superintendent of Urbino who, during World War II, coordinated the so-called "Salvage Operation": thousands of masterpieces of Italian art were hidden and secured in Montefeltro, particularly in the Ubaldinesca Fortress of Sassocorvaro, to protect them from bombings and raids. From that extraordinary undertaking stems today's award, which annually recognizes those in Italy and around the world who "practice the art of saving art": restorers, archaeologists, engineers, military personnel, civil protection volunteers, and scholars involved in the protection of cultural heritage.

The Prize Categories and the Ceremony

The Rotondi Prize is divided into several categories — World, Europe, and Italy — alongside a series of special awards dedicated, among others, to the Marche region, communication, civil protection, patronage, and remembrance. The awards ceremony is the highlight of the week and takes place in the municipal auditorium of Sassocorvaro, with the presence of personalities from the world of culture, institutions, and art.

Carpegna, the Village That Closes the Festival

The Municipality of Carpegna, nestled at the foot of the mountain of the same name in the heart of the Pesaro Apennines, traditionally hosts the closing of the Art Week. A village linked to the Carpegna princely family and also famous for its PGI ham, Carpegna hosts the final events of the review, sealing a week that intertwines historical memory, territorial identity, and commitment to culture. The village's participation, alongside Sassocorvaro and Urbino, testifies to the choral and widespread nature of an event that belongs to the entire Montefeltro area.

An Event with Strong Institutional Recognition

The Art Week enjoys the patronage of numerous institutions, including the Ministry of Culture, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and the Marche Region, confirming the national value of an award born in a small village in the hinterland but capable of speaking to the entire world about the duty to preserve beauty.