Over the 'Alpe della Luna' towards a distant sea lies majestic Urbino, nestled between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic. Once a centre of learning and culture almost without rival in Western Europe, this jewel of a renaissance city remains little changed from the days when Frederico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino, set up his celebrated court here in the second half of the 15th-century, attracting artists and scholars from all over Italy and beyond with an influence that spread throughout Europe. Military leader, ruler and one of the greatest humanist patrons of the arts, Federico was the original Renaissance man, and his Palazzo Ducale now home to the National Gallery of Le Marche — Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, is his lasting legacy. The city also blessed the Italian Renaissance with two of its native sons: Raffaello Sanzio (1483–1520), or Raphael, one of the most influential painters in history and an embodiment of the spirit of the Renaissance; and the architect Donato Bramante (1444–1514), who translated the philosophy of the Renaissance into buildings of grace and beauty, and likely served as an assistant to Piero della Francesca while in Urbino. Aside from the elegant, colonnaded main courtyard, some of the Palazzo's more intimate spaces are truly impressive, in particular the duke's compact study with its trompe l'oeil marquetry panelling. Raphael's meticulously observed Portrait of a Gentlewoman, Piero della Francesca's Flagellation and Luciano Laurana's eerily empty Ideal City are highlights of the art collection. Achieving UNESCO World Heritage status in 1998 for representing 'a pinnacle of Renaissance art and architecture, harmoniously adapted to its physical site and to its medieval precursor in an exceptional manner', it's easy to lose oneself in the scenic and artistic beauty of this hilltop "Cradle of the Renaissance.”
The beautiful Palazzo Ducale which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
The elegant colonnaded main courtyard designed by Luciano Lauren for Duke Federico da Montefeltro was created to give the Duke's guests the feeling they were inside the mansion of a Renaissance prince
Coat of arms of Duke Federico da Montefeltro
Original fresco fragment from the Ducal Palace
Early 15th-century altarpiece by Antonio Alberti da Ferrara
Detail of a Madonna con Bambino
Ancient altarpiece with The Madonna and Child with St Jerome and the lion
Exquisite miniature altarpiece at the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Detail of Nicola di Maestro Antonio, Triptych of the Annunciation, with the angel speaking the words AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA — "Hail Mary full of grace"
Kenneth Clark placed 'The Flagellation of Christ 'by Piero della Francesca in his personal list of the best ten paintings, calling it 'the greatest small painting in the world'
The Duke Federico da Montefeltro's exquisite study, famous for its detailed marquetry called 'intarsia', very popular in northern Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries
Detail of armillary sphere and books in trompe l'oeil cabinet
Marquetry detail of a squirrel
Detail of books, candle and a little note in the corner
One of two chapels beside the Duke's study
The Throne Room with a valuable collection of Flemish tapestries designed by Raffaella
One of the masterpieces in the gallery is the 'Portrait of a Lady' by Raffaella, also known as 'The Mute Woman'
Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi
Finding ourselves in quiet Piazza San Francesco just off Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi in the historic centre of Urbino, we found a shady table under an enormous umbrella at Il Girarrosto and sat down for a light lunch before heading back to Monterado. Run by the Amati family for generations, Il Girarrosto offered a menu featuring typical local Urbino cuisine with dishes including Tagliatelle con Fagolio, Passatelli in Brodo, Stringhetti con Baccala, and Seppia con Piselli. Fortified with a cold beer and glass of local wine, we enjoyed one of Il Girarrosto's signature dishes, "I Brutti di Urbino" con pomodoro, cipolla e fossa, and delicious Cioncioni con cicoria e fossa, then explored Urbino's grand Duomo, the Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunto.
Il Girarrosto, tucked away in quiet Piazza San Francesco
The menu features typical Urbino dishes
A large bottle of cold Acqua Frizzante for a hot day in Urbino
House made bread
A cold Italian beer
A glass of Marchegian Verdicchio
"I Brutti di Urbino" con pomodoro, cipolla e fossa
Cioncioni con cicoria e fossa
Housemade almond biscotti
A pigeon keeping cool in the heat
Urbino's grand Duomo, the Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunto, was rebuilt in the early 19th century in neoclassical style and is part of Urbino's UNESCO heritage as it was at the centre of the urban renewal of the beautiful city by the ducal family in the Renaissance
The interior and main altarpiece, by Christopher Unterberger, represents the Madonna between the city's patron saints
In1789, a powerful earthquake toppled the cupola, and made a reconstruction necessary
One of the ancient names for Mary is Mater Misericordiae, Mother of Mercy
Chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento, built at the end of the 15th-century
The paintings on the ceiling are by Antonio Viviani
Federico Barocci's Last Supper from 1590
The sculptures beside The Last Supper appear to be striding forth from their niches
The local cinema on Corso Garibaldi has thoughtfully retained the building's original architectural arches and loggia
View down one of the laneways in Urbino with the green valley below
Panoramic view from Urbino to the Appenines in the distance
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