We walked along in silent reverie, our footsteps echoing on the age-old brick as we wandered up the foggy lanes. Not another soul was in sight as the streets became a labyrinth of steps and alleyways that looked like a movie set for a vampire thriller. The fog, silence and deserted streets created such an eerie feeling that it caused the hair at the back of my neck to rise... this was an otherworldly place lost in the mists of time.
I had done absolutely no research on Urbino before our trip to Italy and I only knew three things about this Italian town: 1) it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site 2) the Renaissance greats: Bramante & Raphel were from Urbino and 3) it was in the North of Umbria. Well, as Meatloaf would sing: "2 out of 3 ain't bad". Urbino is in the Marche region of Italy; not Umbria. I usually love to research my travels and plan out what I would like to see, but every now and then I like a "travel surprise" because you see things with completely fresh eyes and every discovery feels like a hidden treasure.
It was the first day of 2018 and we got up to a late start after the New Years Celebrations in Riccione the night before. It was actually a terrible day to go to Urbino, there was a thick fog limiting visibility and because it was New Years Day, it meant everything may be closed once we got there. We decided to go anyways. |
| Corso Garibaldi Urbino |
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| This IS His Good Side! |
It was so dark with the thick fog that some of the Christmas lights had started to come on in mid-afternoon giving the town a warm glow. We walked along the Corso Garibaldi, which is the main drag of Urbino towards Raphel's house, passing some great looking maiolica pottery shops along the way. The great Italian Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino was born here in 1483 and his house has been turned into a museum. Raphel's father was a painter in the court for Federico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino. I remember good old Federico from my grade 12 Western Civilization class (he has that unmistakable profile). Federico da Montefeltro along with the Medici family in Florence were great believers in humanism and kicked off the Renaissance. The Renaissance was BORN here...and we were walking in the father of the Renaissance's footsteps! My mind was spinning, but that could have been from last night's celebrations.
Raphael's museum was closed today, so we thought maybe we should check out the Duomo of Urbino-if we could find it in all the fog. The original Duomo was built here in 1021, (over a Roman Temple site) but our good friend the Duke of Urbino had a new one built in the 15th century. On the roof of the Duomo are the three Christian Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. In front of the Duomo, there is a statue of Saint Crescentino the patron Saint of Urbino. Crescentius (his Latin name) was a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and ran away to avoid persecution; hiding in the hills around Urbino. He was a Warrior-Saint, and "slew a dragon" that lurked in the mountains around Urbino, which is code for: he evangelized the indigenous people of this area; The Picenti. Crescentius was eventually beheaded in the city of Tome in 303 C.E. and his bones were obtained by Urbino as relics for the Duomo. Saint Crescentino's relics can heal headaches and migraines by tapping relics on to the head of the faithful sufferer. Wow, there should have been a hangover line-up going into the Duomo on New Year's Day! We thought maybe some food and a little wine may help cure the headaches better that some creepy old bones; so we settled on a little cafe called Osteria 0 km.
This tiny Osteria was packed, but we squished into a tiny bench table at the very back. Zero KM specializes in fresh, Fresh, FRESH homemade food that is all locally sourced. If you have heard of "piadina" in Emilia-Romagna which is like a wheat tortilla and filled with a cheese called "squacquerone", different lettuces like arugula and sometimes meat. TIP: Le Marche's version of Piadina is "crescia" a great snack food. Crescia is similar to the Piadina but there is lard folded into the dough to it to give it a flaky texture. Then the dough is baked in a wood-fired oven resulting in a light, soft, flaky dough; sort of like Indian paratha bread. Urbino being a big University town, Osteria Zero KM also makes a vegetarian version of crescia which appeals to many of the young Italians. Our server recommended a very good local Marche red wine for us, which was a Sangiovese blend. The meal ended with a coffee and complimentary homemade cake. So civilized, but then again, this is the town where chivalry and courtly manners were literally invented in the 15th century. After lunch we felt human again without having old bones smacked against out foreheads; we decided to venture out and explore the rest of the city!
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| Homemade desserts |
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| Cresia |
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| Osteria 0 KM |
Urbino was a completely different town when we got out of the Osteria. It was almost like the Lady of The Lake herself had been passing through town on her way to Avalon; the mists of Urbino had been parted! It was clear and cold and the smell of wood fires gave us a cozy feeling but the streets were still deserted. We wandered past streets with names like Via Bramante and Via Raffaello and the sense of why Urbino is such an important UNESCO site hit home; the town has changed little since the 1400s. Raphel who wandered these very streets as a child would be able to navigate Urbino today and be able to find his way home to his birthplace! That very thought gave me goosebumps... |
| Palazzo Ducale of Urbino |
We walked in the fresh air making our way through the amber-lit streets and admired the views of the glowing lights of the darkened countryside. We came around a corner and we all stopped in our tracks and held our breath at the sight in front of us: The Ducal Palace of Frederico da Montefeltro! Construction of this fairytale fortress started in 1454 for Federico da Montefeltro. It took at least 3 expert builders to design the palace because of the type of problematic stone Urbino is set upon. Bramante himself who visited the courts of Urbino was rumoured to have worked on the design of the living quarters for the Palazzo. This fairytale castle is where Raphael's father worked as a court painter and is one of the most important monuments in Italy, due to it's perfectly preserved medieval structure. The Palazzo Ducale was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998 and now houses the National Gallery of the Marche. The collection of paintings here are famous Renaissance works by Raphael, Signorelli, della Francesca and Titian; including Titian's "Last Supper". You can also tour the Palace which was restored back in the late 1980s and visit some of the "extensive subterranean networks" which were opened up to the public.
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| Good Night Urbino! |
For Pallazo Ducale information and advanced tickets (recommended in the summer months) go to www.gallerianazionalemarche.it. The Palace is only closed 2 days a year; Christmas and New Year's Day (of course the day we visited) so I KNOW we have to return to tour this Renaissance beauty one day soon.
The Marche region of Italy is still somewhat undiscovered by North Americans but the beautiful landscape, rich history and gorgeous beaches will soon be on the radar of all Italianophiles. I encourage those curious wanderers out there to explore the delights of Urbino and the Marche before it becomes the next Italian tourist "Hot Spot".
Buon Viaggio!
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