Urbino, Italy: A Model Renaissance Town Urbino is an idyllic hill town that has misty mountains, steep narrow streets and porticos that remind you of living in a walled town. Named after Pope Urban (1623‐44) and home of several dukes, Urbino began in the 13th century. It was rebuilt in both the 15th and 16th centuries. It’s famous Palazzo Ducale was built by Duke Federico de Montefeltro. Montefeltro ruled from 1444‐82. He was not a military person, but a man of the arts and intellect that made the Renaissance flourish. Today the palace houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) was born on April 6, 1483 in Urbino. His art instructions came early from his father Giovanni, who was a painter for the Duke of Urbino, but his father died when he was eleven years old. His mother died when he was eight years old. Raphael’s father placed him in a workshop and later apprenticed with an Umbrian master, Pietro Perugino. His painting masterpieces came while he lived in Florence for several years in the early 1500s while under the apprenticeship of Pietro Vannunci. There he developed his own unique style of painting. This led to commissions in Rome at the Vatican. Raphael was also an accomplished architect in the style of late Renaissance and early Baroque. On his 37th birthday in 1520 Raphael died suddenly from a mysterious cause. His body was mourned at the Vatican and interred at the Pantheon in Rome. His unfinished painting “Transfiguration” that he was working on was interred with him. He was considered a leading artist of Italian High Renaissance classism. Raphael’s birthplace and statue are interesting places to visit while in Urbino. Urbino’s university, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", UNIURB) was founded in 1506 as the Collegio dei Dottori. In the 1920s it became recognized as an independent university. During the 1960s it began to grow under the leadership of Carlo Bo. Originally it was a center for law studies. It has nearly 20,000 students. It is world renown for teaching and research in the humanities, particularly literature, language studies and sociology. It is affiliated with 113 other universities in 23 countries. Today the University is a vital part of Urbino’s UNESCO World Heritage Centre as of July 1, 1996. In keeping with nearby communities in Le Marche, Sassoferrato, Italy is 38 miles from Urbino. This photo program takes you from Sassoferrato to Urbino and shares some of the interesting places, including an archeological site.

Sources: DK Eyewitness Travel, 2014, London: Le Marche, pp 368‐377, http://www.italia.it/en/discover‐italy/the‐marches.html , https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/marche/urbino/articles/36‐hours‐in‐urbino/, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/828, https://www.who2.com/bio/raphael/, https://www.biography.com/people/raphael‐41051, https://informatica.uniurb.it/en/home‐en/, https://www.educations.com/study‐abroad/university‐of‐urbino‐carlo‐bo/, https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world‐university‐ rankings/university‐urbino‐carlo‐bo and https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/828.pdf. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Urbino, Italy: A Model Renaissance Town