Stands on a plain in the Upper Foglia Valley, 56.7 km from Pesaro, against the backdrop of the Apennine mountains and close to Belforte all'Isauro and the border with Tuscany.
The ancient castle of Planus Mileti was given in fief by Pope Gregory IX to the Counts Oliva, a family of German origin who arrived in Italy in the 10^th Century as followers of Emperor Otto III. It remained under their rule until the family line died out in the 16^th Century, when it returned to the Church. The town still retains its medieval centre with its streets laid out in the form of a grid, lined with small houses, many with their "porta del morto" (a blocked arched doorway beside the main entrance which was opened only to remove members of the household when they died). The town is dominated by its imposing fortified palace (with Ghibelline crenellations, corbelled battlements and machicolations) which once belonged to the Counts Oliva and now houses the town hall. The palace was built on the ruins of an ancient castle built during the time of Charlemagne. All that remains today is the massive square tower in the western corner. The remainder was rebuilt after its destruction in 1445 by Duke Francesco Sforza. Reconstruction work, perhaps to the design of Francesco di Simone Ferrucci, was commissioned by Count Carlo Oliva, friend and ally of Federico da Montefeltro in 1480. Of particular interest is the austere courtyard with its arched portico and gallery supported on pillars. The ceremonial hall has a large vaulted ceiling with fine decorative details (corbels, fireplaces and water basins built into the wall). The parish church of San Biagio is of particular interest for its two Gothic tomb stones and a fresco of the "Madonna with Child and Saints", dated 1576.
The ancient palace of the Counts Oliva, in addition to the town hall, also houses "Il Museo della Civiltà Contadina" (Museum of Rural Crafts) containing a complete documentary record of country life over the past three hundred years.