![Urbino-duomo01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Urbino-duomo01.jpg)
Urbino ( ; ;
Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the
Marche region of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, south-west of
Pesaro, a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
culture, especially under the patronage of
Federico da Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482. The town, nestled on a high sloping hillside, retains much of its picturesque medieval aspect. It hosts the
University of Urbino
The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" ( it, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", ''UniUrb'') is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The ...
, founded in 1506, and is the seat of the
Archbishop of Urbino
The Archdiocese of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado ( la, Archidioecesis Urbinatensis-Urbaniensis-Sancti Angeli in Vado) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino in th ...
. Its best-known architectural piece is the
Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
* Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
* Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
* ...
, rebuilt by Luciano Laurana.
Geography
The city lies in a hilly region, at the foothills of the Northern Apennines and the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines. It is within the southern area of
Montefeltro
Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Regions of Italy
Overview
Montef ...
, an area classified as medium-high seismic risk. In the database of earthquakes developed by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, nearly 65 seismic events have affected the town of Urbino between 26 March 1511 and 26 March 1998. They include 24 April 1741, when the shocks were stronger than VIII on the
Mercalli intensity scale, with an epicenter in Fabriano (where it reached 6.08 on the moment magnitude scale).
History
Origins and Middle Ages
The originally modest
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
town of ''Urbinum Mataurense'' ("the little city on the river Mataurus") became an important strategic stronghold during the
Gothic Wars
The Gothic Wars were a long series of conflicts between the Goths and the Roman Empire between the years 249 and 554. The main wars are detailed below.
Gothic War (249–253)
(Goths under Cniva against the Roman Empire)
The War was probably in ...
of the 6th century. In 538, it was captured from the Ostrogoths by the Byzantine general
Belisarius
Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
, and is frequently mentioned by the historian
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...
.
Pepin the Short (King of the Franks)
presented Urbino to the Papacy in 754–56. Its commune later had some independence until around 1200, when it came into the possession of the
House of Montefeltro
Montefeltro is the name of a historical Italians, Italian family who ruled Urbino and Gubbio and became Duchy of Urbino, Dukes of Urbino in 1443. The family extinguished in the male line in 1508 and the duchy was inherited by the Della Rovere fami ...
. These noblemen had no direct authority over the commune; however, they could pressure it to elect them to the position of ''
podestà
Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
''. Bonconte di Montefeltro obtained this title in 1213: Urbino's population rebelled and formed an alliance with the independent commune of
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
(1228), finally regaining independence in 1234. Eventually, though, the Montefeltro noblemen took control once more, and held it until 1508. In the struggles between the
Guelphs and Ghibellines, when factions supported either the Papacy or the Holy Roman Empire respectively, the 13th and 14th century Montefeltro lords of Urbino were leaders of the Ghibellines of the Marche and in the
Romagna region.
Period of Federico da Montefeltro
The most famous member of the Montefeltro family,
Federico da Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
, ruled as Duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482. He was a very successful
condottiere
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...
, a skillful diplomat and an enthusiastic patron of art and literature. He rose to power in 1444 as the son of
Guidantonio, after a conspiracy and the murder of the legitimate heir
Oddantonio, hated for his "unbridled lust" and excessive taxes.
Federico began a reorganization of the state, which also included a restructuring of the city according to a modern conception - comfortable, efficient and beautiful.
At his court,
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...
wrote on the science of perspective,
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms ...
wrote his ''Trattato di architettura'' (''Treatise on Architecture'') and
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...
's father,
Giovanni Santi
Giovanni Santi (c. 1435 – 1 August 1494) was an Italian painter, decorator, and the father of Raphael. He was born in 1435 at Colbordolo in the Duchy of Urbino. He studied under Piero della Francesca and was influenced by Fiorenzo di Lorenz ...
, wrote his poetical account of the chief artists of his time. Federico's brilliant court, according to the descriptions in
Baldassare Castiglione
Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissanc ...
's ''Il Cortegiano'' (''
The Book of the Courtier
''The Book of the Courtier'' ( it, Il Cortegiano ) by Baldassare Castiglione is a lengthy philosophical dialogue on the topic of what constitutes an ideal courtier or (in the third chapter) court lady, worthy to befriend and advise a Prince or pol ...
'', published in 1528), set standards of what would characterize a modern European "
gentleman" for centuries to come.
Cesare Borgia and the years of the Duchy Della Rovere
Cesare Borgia dispossessed
Guidobaldo da Montefeltro
Guidobaldo (Guido Ubaldo) da Montefeltro (25 January 1472 – 10 April 1508), also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508.
Biography
Born in Gubbio, he succeeded his father Federico da Montefel ...
, Duke of Urbino, and
Elisabetta Gonzaga
Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526) was a noblewoman of the Italian Renaissance, renowned for her cultured and virtuous life. A member of the House of Gonzaga, she was a sister of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and by marriage the Duchess ...
in 1502, with the complicity of his father,
Pope Alexander VI. After the attempt of Pope
Leo X
Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521.
Born into the prominent political an ...
to appoint a young
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
as duke, thwarted by the early death of
Lorenzo II de Medici in 1519, Urbino was part of the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
, under the dynasty of the dukes
Della Rovere
The House of Della Rovere (; literally "of the oak tree") was a noble family of Italy. It had humble origins in Savona, in Liguria, and acquired power and influence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere popes: F ...
(1508–1631). They moved the court to the city of
Pesaro in 1523 and Urbino began a slow decline that would continue until the last decades of the seventeenth century.
Annexation by the Papal States
In 1626,
Pope Urban VIII definitively incorporated the Duchy into the papal dominions, the gift of the last Della Rovere duke, in retirement after the assassination of his heir, to be governed by the archbishop. The state was ruled thereafter by a
papal legate, generally belonging to high ecclesiastical hierarchy. Following the annexation of the duchy by the Papal States, the rich artistic heritage (including furniture) of the Ducal Palace went to form, for the most part, the dowry of the last direct descendant of the Della Rovere,
Vittoria della Rovere
Vittoria della Rovere (7 February 1622 – 5 March 1694) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. She had four children with her husband, two of whom would survive infancy: the future Cosimo III, Tuscany's longest- ...
, who married Ferdinand II de Medici. These works went on to form the core of the future
Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...
. Among the works that went to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
is the
diptych of the Dukes of Urbino by
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...
. Other works of the Ducal Palace were brought to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, such as the
Barberini Ex Tables of
Fra Carnevale
Fra Carnevale OP ( 1420–25 – 1484) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in Urbino. Widely regarded as one of the most enigmatic artists, there are only nine works that can be definitively attributed to Carnevale know ...
and the famous library, absorbed entirely by the
Vatican Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
in 1657.
The Albani and the French occupation
The eighteenth century opened with the election to the papacy (1701) of Cardinal Giovan Francesco Albani Urbino, under the name of
Clement XI. This was a windfall for the city and was its last great era, especially in terms of arts and culture, thanks to funding by Pope Albani and his family. Major renovation of several buildings, churches and monasteries took place; such as Palazzo Albani, part of the façade of the Town Hall, the Archbishop's Palace, the Chapel Albani (inside the convent of St. Francis),
Saint Joseph's Oratory
Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal (french: Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located at 3800 Queen Mary Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Mount Royal's Westmount Summit in ...
, and the internal structure of the churches of
San Francesco,
San Domenico and Saint Augustine. In addition, due to the patronage of the Pope and of his family, the
Duomo di Urbino received many improvements (like the new altar) as did other religious institutions in the city. From July 1717 to November 1718 Urbino hosted the court of
James Stuart the exiled pretender to the British throne, who had the strong backing of the Papacy.
This new age of splendor for the city ended with the death of Clement XI in 1721, placing the city in a long decline that has continued to the present day. After the Pope's death, the
Albani family
The Albani were an aristocratic Roman family from the 16th to the 19th century. They were of Albanian origin and moved from northern Albania to Italy in the late 15th century. The Albani produced many high ranking figures of the Catholic Church ...
remained the main patron of the most significant works until the first half of the nineteenth century.
In 1789, the collapse of the Cathedral dome following a massive earthquake led to the total renovation of the church.
Between 1797 and 1800 the city was occupied by French troops, like much of northern and central Italy. During the French occupation Urbino and its territory suffered from the acquisitions of important works of art by the French, which were moved to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
or
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, in the nascent galleries of the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
and
Brera. This event was a further cause of the impoverished local artistic heritage, already tried by the loss of the works following the devolution of the duchy in the seventeenth century.
Redevelopment of the nineteenth century
The century opened with the consecration in 1809 of the new
Duomo di Urbino, as designed by the architect
Giuseppe Valadier Giuseppe Valadier (April 14, 1762 – February 1, 1839) was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archaeologist and a chief exponent of Neoclassicism in Italy.
Biography
The son of a goldsmith, Luigi (1726–1785), Valadier was born ...
, who restored the city's Montefeltro-era buildings, such as the old Seminary, adjacent to the church of St. Sergius, now partly occupied by the Hotel Raffaello.
Following the construction of the New Palace of Alban (1831), designed by architect
Peter Ghinelli, which gave rise to the present Piazza della Repubblica that went on to form the first part of the future Corso Garibaldi, the city experienced a number of urban improvements designed to change the face of the city. From the construction of the Sanzio theater (1845–53) came the final realization of Corso Garibaldi, with a covered walkway on the downhill side to that ensure theater-goers were sheltered from rain and snow on their walk to the Piazza della Repubblica, with construction that lasted until the early part of the twentieth century. In addition, another important change was the destruction, in 1868, of a part of the walls to create a customs barrier, called Porta Nuova or barrier Margherita (in honor of Princess
Margaret of Savoy), which was necessitated by a new road that ran along a stretch of the walls and was connected to Corso Garibaldi. This resulted in a new urban layout with the large spit of land below the Doge's Palace incorporated into the city, called the Pincio.
These urban transformations brought about a change in access to the city. Instead of passing through narrow, winding streets, through the gates of the walls, now one could enter through the Porta Nuova in an easier and convenient way to arrive in the present Piazza della Repubblica and the Palazzo Ducale (the city center).
This urban renewal reflected many of the ideas of Fulvio Corboli but its design was largely done by the architect Vincenzo Ghinelli.
Unification of Italy
On 8 September 1860 the Piedmontese troops entered Urbino from Port Saint Lucia, forcing the surrender of the last resistance of the papal army under the portico of the childhood house of Raphael. But it was not until 29 September, with the capture of Ancona, that the total conquest of the
Marche region was completed by the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
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, demographics1_title2 ...
army.
Between 4 and 5 November, the plebiscite was held for the annexation of the Marche to the
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
, which ended with 133,783 votes in favor, 260 votes against and 1,212 invalid ballots. In the province of Urbino (excluding the territory of Pesaro) the count was 21,111 for and 365 against with 29 invalid ballots. Subsequently, on 10 November, the Marche was included in the
Statuto Albertino
The Statuto Albertino (English: ''Albertine Statute'') was the constitution granted by King Charles Albert of Sardinia to the Kingdom of Sardinia on 4 March 1848 and written in Italian and French. The Statute later became the constitution of t ...
, and then, on 17 December, it was made official with the issuance of a royal decree.
The new government began the confiscation of various ecclesiastical goods, including good part of the
convent of San Francisco (where a part of a botanical garden, designed by Vincenzo Ghinelli, was located), the
monastery of Santa Chiara, that of San Girolamo, and many others.
First half of the twentieth century
The century began as had the previous one. This period of quiet lasted for almost the entire first half of the twentieth century, with no particular significant events. In this period, the
Scuola del Libro (Istituto per la Decorazione e l'Illustrazione del Libro) was founded and expressed considerable talent both nationally and internationally. In addition to the artistic development from the Scuola del Libro, Urbino also began to grow as a university town, with the elevation to university faculty of nineteenth-century School of Pharmacy and the birth of the department of Education (approximately 1934). Due to these changes in the University, an increase in the student population led to housing shortages that highlighted the state of total unpreparedness of the city, so much that for the first time many students were housed in the homes of private citizens. The problem was partly solved with the establishment of the male boarding school "Raphael" at the beginning of the century, and the female boarding school "Laura Battiferri" in approximately 1926.
This period was dominated by great events of national and international history, which inevitably were expressed in Urbino. The period of the fascist dictatorship left its mark on the city, especially from an architectural point of view, with a fascist elementary school "Giovanni Pascoli" (1932) built on the ancient Garden of Saint Lucia (part of the duke's private gardens), the restoration of the palace-Mauruzi Gherardi, then the seat of the court, as well as the Student House, to compensate for the shortage of accommodation as a result of the large increase in university population and housing for the maimed and disabled civilians.
In 1938, the city was designated as the headquarters for the fledgling Soprintendenza alle Gallerie e alle Opere d'Arte delle Marche, roughly translated as the Organization of Galleries and Works of Art of the Marche.
With the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the city suffered no bombing, thanks to the large red cross painted on the roof of the Ducal Palace and an agreement between the Germans and the Allies. Only towards the end of the war did the retreating German troops try to destroy all the ramparts of the walls, but luckily the mines were tampered with by the workers the Germans had hired from Urbino. During the retreat, the German army isolated the city with the destruction of rail and road links. In addition, the Germans planned to blow up a tunnel, then under construction, between Urbino and the parish of Schieti that was being used by the Nazis to store weapons. Because of its location at the foot of the historic center, the population feared that an explosion would lead to the destruction of the village above, but this did not happen. During the Second World War, the then Superintendent of the Galleries and Works of Art in Urbino in the Marche
Pasquale Rotondi
Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''pasch ...
secretly placed around 10,000 priceless works (including those of
Giorgione
Giorgione (, , ; born Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; 1477–78 or 1473–74 – 17 September 1510) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quali ...
,
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...
,
Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian (Florentine) painter and mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual perspective in art. In his book ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, S ...
,
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...
,
Mantegna,
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...
and many more, from all the major museums in Italy) that were being stolen by the Nazis into the
Rock of Sassocorvaro. His actions gained worldwide recognition and to this day the Rock of Sassocorvaro is known as the “Ark of Art”.
Urbino was liberated from the Nazi occupation on 28 August 1944, thanks to the British V Corps, Polish troops, and the heroic actions of partisan groups in the area. Some of the members of these partisan groups were captured by the Nazis and executed on the current Punto Panoramica, where memorials are now placed celebrating their sacrifice.
Urbino and De Carlo
The second half of the twentieth century was characterized in Urbino by the cooperation with the major public institutions (the University and the City) by the architect
Giancarlo De Carlo
Giancarlo De Carlo (12 December 1919 − 4 June 2005) was an Italian architect.
Biography
Giancarlo De Carlo was born in Genoa, Liguria, in 1919. In 1939, he enrolled at the Milan Polytechnic, where he graduated in engineering in 1943. Duri ...
. This relationship began in 1956 when
Carlo Bo
Carlo Bo (25 January 1911 – 21 July 2001) was an Italian poet, literary critic, distinghuished humanist, a professor and Life senator of Italy (from 1984).
Biography
Bo was born on January 25, 1911, in Sestri Levante, Italy.
From 1929 to ...
, former rector of the University, commissioned from De Carlo the internal renovation project of Montefeltro- Bonaventure building, headquarters of the University. Immediately after that, the Genoese architect was commissioned by the City to prepare the General Plan (1958–64) aimed at the recovery of the historical center, which had been in poor condition and was in danger of losing several neighborhoods including the
Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
* Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
* Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
* ...
to the land subsidence below. This problem was solved thanks to state funding derived from two special laws enacted for the city (in 1968 and in 1982 ).
Subsequently, De Carlo realized several projects for the university including the college's dormitories, near the Capuchin church outside the city center, an interesting example of how architecture can merge with the surrounding landscape. He also completed projects like the construction of the department of Magisterium (1968–76), the restructuring of the department of Law ( 1966–68 ) and the Battiferri building (1986–99) for the department of Economics. They are three significant examples of the inclusion of a contemporary architecture in an ancient surrounding, and are still studied today.
The seventies were marked by a collaboration with the Municipality for a project called Operation Mercatale (1969–72), which included the construction of a multi-story underground car park under Torricini's famous Ducal Palace and the restoration of the helical ramp under the theater by
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms ...
(1971–75), in collaboration with the City. They also developed the project of renovation of the Sanzio theater (1977–82) and the renovation project, much discussed, of the ancient Ducal Stables. In addition, thanks to the close relationship with De Carlo, the city has hosted twice (1976–81, and 1992–93) the laboratories of the
ILAUD, founded and directed by the Genoese architect.
One of the last of De Carlo actions was the preparation, between 1989 and 1994, of the New General Plan.
Maiolica
![Tiziano - Venere di Urbino - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Tiziano_-_Venere_di_Urbino_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
The clay earth of Urbino, which still supports industrial brickworks, supplied a cluster of earthenware manufactories (''botteghe'') making the tin-glazed pottery known as ''
maiolica
Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. Italian maiolica dating from the Renaissance period is the most renowned. When depicting historical and mythical scenes, these works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ...
''. Simple local wares were being made in the 15th century at Urbino, but after 1520 the Della Rovere dukes,
Francesco Maria I della Rovere
Francesco Maria I della Rovere (25 March 1490 – 20 October 1538) was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 to 1516 and, after retaking the throne from Lorenzo II de' Medici, from 1521 to 1538.
Biography
He was born ...
and his successor
Guidobaldo II, encouraged the industry, which exported wares throughout Italy, first in a manner called ''istoriato'' using engravings after
Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...
painters, then in a style of light arabesques and ''grottesche'' after the manner of Raphael's ''stanze'' at the Vatican. Other centers of 16th century wares in the
Duchy of Urbino
The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625.
It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east ...
were at
Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines.
History
The city's origins are very ancient. ...
and
Castel Durante. The great name in Urbino majolica was that of Nicolo Pillipario's son Guido Fontana.
Main attractions
Palaces and public buildings
* The main attraction of Urbino is the
Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
* Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
* Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
* ...
, begun in the second half of the 15th century by Federico II da Montefeltro. It houses the
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
The Ducal Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale) is a Renaissance building in the Italian city of Urbino in the Marche. One of the most important monuments in Italy, it is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
History
The construction of the ...
, one of the most important collections of Renaissance paintings in the world.
* Other buildings include Palazzo Albani (17th century), Palazzo Odasi and Palazzo Passionei.
* The
Albornoz Fortress (known locally as ''La Fortezza''), built by the eponymous Papal legate in the 14th century.
In 1507-1511, when the Della Rovere added a new series of walls to the city, the rock was enclosed in them. It is now a public park.
* Raphael's house and monument (1897).
Churches
*
Duomo
''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition n ...
: the Cathedral of Urbino was founded in 1021 atop a 6th-century religious edifice. Federico II commissioned the design from the architect
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms ...
, who also designed the Ducal Palace. Finished in 1604, the Duomo had a simple plan with a nave and two aisles, and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1789. The church was rebuilt in
Neoclassic style by the architect
Giuseppe Valadier Giuseppe Valadier (April 14, 1762 – February 1, 1839) was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archaeologist and a chief exponent of Neoclassicism in Italy.
Biography
The son of a goldsmith, Luigi (1726–1785), Valadier was born ...
, with work completed in 1801. The new church has a soaring dome, and houses a ''St Sebastian'' (1557), an ''Assumption'' (1701) by
Maratta
Carlo Maratta or Maratti (13 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian painter, active mostly in Rome, and known principally for his classicizing paintings executed in a Late Baroque Classical manner. Although he is part of the classical tradition ...
, and a famous ''Last Supper'' (1603–1608) by
Federico Barocci
Federico Barocci (also written ''Barozzi'')(c. 1535 in Urbino – 1612 in Urbino) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and inf ...
.
*
Sant'Agostino: the church was built in 13th-century
Romanesque style, but largely modified in following centuries. The façade has a late-14th century almond portal in Gothic-Romanesque style, while the interior is greatly decorated. It houses a carved choir from the 16th century, created for the marriage of
Costanzo Sforza and
Camilla of Aragona. The bell tower is from the 15th century.
*
San Francesco: This 14th-century church was originally a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
-Romanesque edifice, but an 18th-century restoration has left only the
portico and the bell tower. The interior has a nave and two aisles, and houses the ''Pardon of St Francis'', a 15th-century work by Barocci.
*
Oratory of San Giovanni Battista: the oratory has 15th-century frescoes by
Lorenzo Salimbeni
Lorenzo Salimbeni (San Severino Marche 1374-c1418) and Jacopo Salimbeni (c.1370/80-after 1426) were Italian painters. They were brothers whose work spanned both a relatively narrow geographical area and time period, from the triptych painting o ...
*
Oratory of San Giuseppe (early 16th century), composed of two chapels: one of which contains a 16th-century stucco ''presepio'' or Nativity scene by
Federico Brandani
Federico Brandani (1522/1525 – 1575) was an Italian sculptor and stuccoist who worked in an urbane Mannerist style as a court artist of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino.
Early life
Born in Urbino, Brandani was apprenticed there ...
with highly naturalistic, life-size figures.
*
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
: church outside the city center, housing the tombs of the Dukes of Urbino.
Other points of interest
*
Orto Botanico "Pierina Scaramella", a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
*
University of Urbino
The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" ( it, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", ''UniUrb'') is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The ...
, housed in various old and new buildings within the city centre.
Notable people
*
Battista Malatesta (1384–1448), Renaissance poet
*
Bernardino Baldi
Bernardino Baldi (5 June 1553 – 10 October 1617) was an Italian mathematician, poet, translator and priest.
Baldi descended from a noble family from Urbino, Marche, where he was born. He pursued his studies at Padua, and is said to have spoken ...
, mathematician and writer
*
Clorinda Corradi
Clorinda Corradi (November 27, 1804 – June 29, 1877) was an Italian opera singer and one of the most famous contraltos in history.
Life
Clorinda Corradi Pantanelli was born in Urbino, Italy. She was the daughter of a nobleman, Filippo Corra ...
, opera singer (1804–77)
*
Crispino Agostinucci, bishop of
Montefeltro
Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Regions of Italy
Overview
Montef ...
*
Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance styl ...
was born nearby, and witnessed Laurana's work going up while he was a youth
*
Elisabetta Gonzaga
Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526) was a noblewoman of the Italian Renaissance, renowned for her cultured and virtuous life. A member of the House of Gonzaga, she was a sister of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and by marriage the Duchess ...
Duchess of Urbino (1471–1526)
*
Federico Barocci
Federico Barocci (also written ''Barozzi'')(c. 1535 in Urbino – 1612 in Urbino) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and inf ...
, painter
*
Federico III da Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
, Duke of Urbino, medieval
condottiere
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...
and patron of the arts
*
Federico Zuccari
Federico Zuccaro, also known as Federico Zuccari (c. 1540/1541August 6, 1609), was an Italian Mannerist painter and architect, active both in Italy and abroad.
Biography
Zuccaro was born at Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbino (Marche).
His docum ...
and
Taddeo Zuccari
Taddeo Zuccaro (or Zuccari) (1 September 15292 September 1566) was an Italian painter, one of the most popular members of the Roman mannerist school.
Biography
Zuccaro was born in Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbino, the son of Ottaviano Zuccaro, ...
, painters, were born nearby
*
Fernando Aiuti (1935–2019), immunologist
*
Francesco Puccinotti
Francesco Puccinotti (8 August 1794 – 8 October 1872Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 1891Volume VIII) was an Italian pathologist.
Puccinotti was born in Urbino and started his career as the main doctor in Recanati but moved on to Macerata where h ...
(1794–1872), pathologist
* Giovanni Francesco Albani,
Pope Clement XI
*
Giovanni Pelingotto (1240-1304), Catholic, Secular Franciscan Order member
*
Giovanni Santi
Giovanni Santi (c. 1435 – 1 August 1494) was an Italian painter, decorator, and the father of Raphael. He was born in 1435 at Colbordolo in the Duchy of Urbino. He studied under Piero della Francesca and was influenced by Fiorenzo di Lorenz ...
, painter and poet, father of Raphael, was born nearby
*
Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, commissioned the
Venus of Urbino
The ''Venus of Urbino'' (also known as ''Reclining Venus'') is an oil painting by the Italian painter Titian, which seems to have been begun in 1532 or 1534, and was perhaps completed in 1534, but not sold until 1538. It depicts a nude young wom ...
painting
*
Marica Branchesi, astrophysicist
*
Muzio Oddi
Muzio or Mutio Oddi (15 December 1569, Urbino – 15 December 1639, Urbino) was an Italian mathematician and Gnomonist.
Biography
He was born to Lisabetta Genga and Lattanzio Oddi. His initial training was in eloquence and philosophy, but he later ...
(1569-1639), mathematician, architect, military engineer, writer
*
Ottaviano Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci (born in Fossombrone on 18 June 1466 – died on 7 May 1539 in Venice) was an Italian printer. His '' Harmonice Musices Odhecaton'', a collection of chansons printed in 1501, is commonly misidentified as the first book of sheet ...
, inventor of the music print with movable type, was born nearby
*
Paolo Volponi
Paolo Volponi (6 February 1924, in Urbino, – 23 August 1994, in Ancona) was an Italian writer, poet, and politician.
Biography
Volpino was born February 6, 1924, in Urbino, Italy. He would join the Italian partisans in 1943.
He studied law ...
(1924–94), writer and poet
*
Polydore Vergil
Polydore Vergil or Virgil (Italian: ''Polidoro Virgili''; commonly Latinised as ''Polydorus Vergilius''; – 18 April 1555), widely known as Polydore Vergil of Urbino, was an Italian humanist scholar, historian, priest and diplomat, who spent ...
or Virgil, chronicler in England
*
Raffaello Carboni
Raffaello Carboni (15 December 1817 – 24 October 1875) was an Italian writer, composer and interpreter who wrote a book on the Eureka Stockade which he witnessed while living in Australia. After periods of travelling, he returned to Italy whe ...
, writer
*
Raphael Gualazzi
Raffaele Gualazzi (born 11 November 1981), better known as Raphael Gualazzi, is an Italian singer and pianist. He was born in Urbino.
Biography ''Love Outside the Window''
On 16 September 2005, Gualazzi released his first studio album, titled '' ...
, jazz pianist and singer, runner-up in the
2011 Eurovision Song Contest
*
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...
, painter; his family's house is a museum-shrine
*
Stefano Sensi
Stefano Sensi (; born 5 August 1995) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Monza, on loan from club Inter Milan, and the Italy national team.
He began his career with Italian side Cesena in 2013, and was su ...
,
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player
*
Umberto Piersanti, poet and writer
*
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcyc ...
, multiple
MotoGP World Champion
See also
*
Archdiocese of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado
*
Dukes of Urbino
The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625.
It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east ...
References
Sources
*
Further reading
*
External links
Official website of UrbinoUrbino e Provincia
{{Authority control
Capitals of former nations
Cities and towns in the Marche
Hilltowns in the Marche
Renaissance architecture in le Marche
World Heritage Sites in Italy