Urbino
Urbino
Urbìn ( Romagnol) | |
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Comune di Urbino | |
St. Crescentinus | |
Saint day | June 1 |
Website | Official website |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Criteria | Cultural: ii, iv |
Reference | 828 |
Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
Area | 29.23 ha |
Buffer zone | 3,608.5 ha |
Urbino (UK: /ɜːrˈbiːnoʊ/ ur-BEE-noh,[3] Italian: [urˈbiːno] ⓘ; Romagnol: Urbìn) is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, 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, founded in 1506, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Urbino. Its best-known architectural piece is the Palazzo Ducale, 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
History
Origins and Middle Ages
The originally modest
Period of Federico da Montefeltro
The most famous member of the Montefeltro family,
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 wrote on the science of perspective, Francesco di Giorgio Martini wrote his Trattato di architettura (Treatise on Architecture) and Raphael's father, Giovanni Santi, wrote his poetical account of the chief artists of his time. Federico's brilliant court, according to the descriptions in Baldassare Castiglione's Il Cortegiano (The Book of the Courtier, 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
Annexation by the Papal States
In 1626,
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
With the death of Clement XI in 1721, the city began a long decline that has continued to the present day. After the pope's death, the Albani family 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. Urbino and its territory lost many important works of art to the French, who moved objects to Paris or Milan, to the nascent galleries of the Louvre and Brera.[6]
Redevelopment of the nineteenth century
The century opened with the consecration in 1809 of the new
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.[7]
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 army.
Between 4 and 5 November, the plebiscite was held for the annexation of the Marche to the Kingdom of Sardinia, 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, and then, on 17 December, it was made official with the issuance of a royal decree.[8]
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 quietly. 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.
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 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 Second World War, the then Superintendent of the Galleries and Works of Art in Urbino in the Marche Pasquale Rotondi secretly placed around 10,000 priceless works (including those of Giorgione, Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Titian, Mantegna, Raphael 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".[9]
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
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 (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
The clay earth of Urbino, which still supports industrial brickworks, supplied a cluster of earthenware manufactories (botteghe) making the tin-glazed pottery known as
Main attractions
Palaces and public buildings
- The main attraction of Urbino is the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, 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.[10] 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
- 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-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.
- Lorenzo Salimbeni
- 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 Brandaniwith highly naturalistic, life-size figures.
- San Bernardino: church outside the city center, housing the tombs of the Dukes of Urbino.
Other points of interest
- Orto Botanico "Pierina Scaramella", a botanical garden.
- University of Urbino, housed in various old and new buildings within the city centre.
People
- Battista Malatesta (1384–1448), Italian Renaissance poet
- Bernardino Baldi (1553–1617), Italian mathematician and writer
- Clorinda Corradi (1804–1877), Italian opera singer
- Crispino Agostinucci (1797–1856), bishop of Montefeltro
- Donato Bramante (1444–1514), Italian architect and painter. He was born nearby, and witnessed Laurana's work going up while he was a youth.
- Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526), Duchess of Urbino
- Federico Barocci (c. 1535 – 1612), Italian painter
- condottiereand patron of the arts
- Federico Zuccari (c. 1540/1541 – 1609) and Taddeo Zuccari (1529–1566), Italian painters. They were born nearby.
- Fernando Aiuti (1935–2019), Italian immunologist
- Francesco Puccinotti (1794–1872), Italian pathologist
- Giovanni Francesco Albani, Pope Clement XI
- Giovanni Pelingotto (1240–1304), Italian Roman Catholic, Secular Franciscan Order member
- Giovanni Santi (1435–1494), Italian painter and decorator, father of Raphael. He was born nearby.
- Guidobaldo II della Rovere (1514–1574), Duke of Urbino. He commissioned the Venus of Urbino painting.
- Marica Branchesi (1977), Italian astrophysicist
- Muzio Oddi (1569–1639), Italian mathematician, architect, military engineer and writer
- Ottaviano Petrucci (1466–1539), Italian printer, inventor of the music print with movable type. He was born nearby.
- Paolo Volponi (1924–1994), Italian writer and poet
- Polydore Vergil or Virgil (1470–1555), chronicler in England
- Raffaello Carboni (1817–1875), Italian writer
- 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
- Raphael (1483–1520), Italian painter. His family's house is a museum-shrine.
- Stefano Sensi (1995), Italian football player
- Umberto Piersanti (1941), Italian poet and writer
- MotoGPWorld Champion
- Domenica Ercolani(1910–2023), Italian supercentenarian, oldest person in Italy from 2022 to 2023
See also
- Archdiocese of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado
- Dukes of Urbino
- Renaissance in Urbino
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Urbino". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27.
- ^ "INGV - DBMI04 - Consultazione per terremoto".
- ^ Walter Tommasoli, The Life of Federico da Montefeltro 1422–82, Argalia, Urbino, 1975 Reissue 1995
- ISBN 88-317-7862-5.
- ^ Walter Tommasoli, The Life of Federico da Montefeltro 1422-1482, Argalia, Urbino, 1975 Reissue 1995
- ^ Raphael Molinelli, Urbino, 1860, exhibition catalog the contribution of Urbino to the Risorgimento, STEU - Urbino 1961
- ^ "Arca dell'Arte - Il premio dedicato ai salvatori dell'Arte". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ Bossi, Annarita (2004). "Monumenti" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 May 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
According to other sources, the castle was instead built by Albornoz's successor as legate in Urbino, Anglico Grimoard (1367-1371)
Sources
- Negroni, F. (1993). Il Duomo di Urbino. Urbino.
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Further reading
External links
- Official website of Urbino
- Urbino e Provincia
- A short illustrated history of Urbino (with aerial photos shot from a kite)