TOWN OF URBINO
Whoever comes to Urbino without knowing its history and its importante finds himself before an extraordinary surprise, or, indeed, a miracle. In the midst of the spectacle of the hills along which the access roads run an enchanted palace left untouched by the passing of time appears suddenly. It is a leap back finto time, a dive finto the purity and freedom of the soul".
The edifice described by Carlo Bo is the palate of Fede-rico da Montefeltro, the lord of the city during the Renaissance. Thanks to his refined cultural background, Federico da Montefeltro knew how to concentrate in this space the best that Italian humanism had to offer during the Renaissance. In his effort to make his home the dwelling piace of the Muses he called to his court the greatest men and artists of his times: Piero della Francesca, Luciano Laurana, Leon Battista Alberti, Francesco di Giorgio Martini just to name a few.
In this cradle of culture great artists like Raphael and Bramante took their first steps. After the great season of the Renaissance the city experiences a period of new splendor at the beginning of the 18th century when Clement XI, son of the aristocratic family of che Albani, ascended to the papal throne.
This family promoted the enlightened patronage of the construction of civil and religious edifices and contributed to changing the face of the city. Last but the not least, the University, widely extended during the second half of the 19th century, unfolded the urban fabric to modem architectural renovations.
Official web site: URBINO
The following are some possible trips from Cattolica:
