Urbino- Friday, March 5th 2010
I woke up this morning at 6:00 to get to the train station by 6:45 to take a four hour bus to Urbino. Tommy didn’t go because he is sick with mono, which is very unfortunate. The bus ride there was okay… I slept the whole way, while I kept trying to read my book. We stopped at a gas station along the way to grab food.
Urbino was okay, im not gonna lie. But as soon as we got there it was snowing and it was SO cold, so it was miserable. Anyways, Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region in Italy, notable for its historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Frederico da Montefeltro, the duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482. The small town is nestled on a high sloping hillside, retaining much of its picturesque medieval aspect. Its best known architectural piece is the Palazzo Ducale, which we visited first.
Palazzo Ducale
The Palazzo Ducale is a Renaissance building dating back to the 15th century. The construction was done for Frederico da Montefeltro and designed by the architect Luciano Laurana- or at least the façade, the courtyard, and the great entrance staircase. From the 1460s onwards Laurana created what contemporaries considered to be the ideal princely dwelling.
The Duomo (Cathedral)
The Duomo is a church founded in 1021 over a 6th century religious edifice. The 12th century plan was turned 90 degrees from the current one, which is a new construction also started by Frederico II and commissioned to Francesco di Giorgio Martini, author of the Ducal Palace. Finished only in 1604, the simple plan consisted of a nave and two aisles, and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1789. It was rebuilt by the architect Giuseppe Valadier, lasting until 1801. We got a tour that lasted what felt like 3 hours of the entire palace. We saw the library, the princes apartment, even the basement- which was huge. It consisted of stables, a freezer designed by Michelangelo, and room after room after room. The Palace was just absolutely huge, I cant even explain. And it was all for one prince. Its crazy. He had something like 10,000 servants working in the palace.
Collegi Universitari
After the tour, we grabbed lunch at a pizzeria. I got two delicious slices and a coke for 4 euros- that’s a pretty good deal compared to Florence. After lunch, we met at the bus and drove to Collegi Univeritari, which was about 10 minutes away. Collegi Universitari, located on the Colle dei Cappuccini were commissioned by Carlo Bo, chancellor of the university, and designed by Giancarlo de Carlo in 1979. I didn’t think the university was THAT great- is was dominated by rough concrete forms and wood panels overtop. It was a very functional design, but I think it lacked in aesthetics. Not bad for the late 70s though. I did some sketching and took pictures while I was there. The most awkward part of the whole trip was going through students dorm rooms to check out the design for some reason. They were kinda surprised to see a group of American students walking through there small dowm rooms. I mean… I would too.
After we visited the College we left soon after for a four hour drive back to Florence. We finally got back around 8 and I immediately grabbed a bite to eat and took a shower before Justin and Bryce convinced me to go to Collins for a little to celebrate Katy’s birthday again. I wasn’t out for very long- we stopped at a club called 21 and I was there for about 15 minutes before I left to go back to the apartment to get ready for Amalfi Coast in the morning! SO excited!!!
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