CLOSER TO HOME
Rome was fun! Firenze was beautiful! But remember those lines if you tried to see the Vatican Museum, the Uffizi or the David?
Well, Cecylia and Chris Harper found a beautiful city with few tourists and no lines a little closer to Cagli: Urbino.
Even though Urbino may not have all of the attractions of Rome or the museums of Firenze, the city represents a classic Renaissance city with one of the most extensive art collections in the country.
Federico da Montefeltro, whose portrait you may have seen in the Uffizi if you made it through the lines, became the Duke of Urbino in 1444. He was known as a great soldier, a patron of the arts and an exceptional ruler. The Palazzo Ducale contains a wonderful variety of paintings, frescos, tapestries, and inlaid cabinets and doors.
The museum contains two important Italian paintings: “The Flagellation” by Piero della Francesco and “The Ideal City,” which has been attributed to Luciano Laurana. He created the classic design of the Renaissance buildings in Urbino.
An important note: Cecylia and Chris arrived at 9:45 a.m. and walked immediately into the museum. Only 40 people had passed through the gates on a Saturday morning. Almost no one stood in the way as the Harpers looked at the wonderful exhibit.
“I brought a book to read because I thought we’d be standing in line all day,” Cecylia said. “I didn’t read a page.”
Urbino also is the birthplace of Raphael, although only one of his paintings can be found there. Again, if you made it through the lines at the Uffizi or the Vatican Museum, you saw his work. But his home is worth a visit. It contains copies and tributes to him from numerous artists.
The Oratory of San Giovanni contains some of the best-preserved frescos in Italy unless, of course, you made it through those lines to the Sistine Chapel. Cecylia and Chris shared the space with five other people looking at the inspiring scenes from the 1400s.
All you have to do is take the one-hour bus ride, which costs $4, from Cagli to see one of the most magnificent Renaissance cities in all of Italy. You can stay until 5 p.m. when the last bus comes back. That bus had six people on it!
Take your hiking shoes. Urbino is a steep climb, but it’s certainly worth it!
