Back to Trip
Report Index Page list at
bottom of page

Italy 2023: Urbino and Pergola

Francesco and Doni like to do a bit of touring, and obviously have not visited everywhere in Le Marche. They invited us to go with them to see a chapel in Urbino that they had not visited previously. We have a soft spot for Urbino, since it has Duke Federico's studiolo which we visited in 2018, but much of that previous visit to Urbino was spent in the Ducal Palace. We were excited to see parts of the village that we had not previously seen. The parking area, which is the same one that we had used in 2018, provides a great view up to the Ducal Palace.

A sunny day with a few clouds, we can see a tree on the left. Behind some tall walls is a higher level of the city, where a majestically tall stone building stands.

Looking down a wide street that goes along a stone wall, at the end of which is a very tall tower. Behind that can be seen the even taller Ducal Palace.

We went in through the main entrance.

Three people, Francesco, Anne, and Doni, walk away from us towards an arched entrance in a tall stone wall.

There are not many level spots in Urbino. We walked up a long very narrow street (or perhaps it is better called an alleyway). You can tell it was a bit chilly that day, because Francesco has his hood up and Doni is wearing a long puffy vest.

Francesco and Doni are entering a very narrow street between tall stone buildings. The street goes up, particularly steeply towards the far end.

At the other end of that alleyway was the Oratorio di San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist's Oratory). This building was built starting in 1365 and finishing in 1393, so it was 630 years old when we visited in 2023. The main room of the interior, which is not particularly large, has frescos that date back to 1416. These are really quite impressive, with some being better preserved than others. One wall has the story of Saint John the Baptist's life. Another tells the story of the crucifixion of Christ. The picture below shows most of St. John the Baptist's story. Click on the odd-looking photograph below that to be taken to a 360° view of the room, where you can click and drag your mouse to see the entire room.

Painted panels on a wall. Each panel depicts a different part of the life of Saint John the Baptist.

There were a couple of other even smaller rooms in the building. These had a few paintings and historic pieces.

Two vertical reliefs of saints are on the wall, above a green bench with elaborate brown vines painted on it.

A statue of Jesus on the cross is in a box that is painted with gold stars on a blue background. The box has doors that have been swung open.

Antonio Angeli was an Urbino artist who moved to Rome. This unfinished work by him dates from 1863 and represents the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Although never finished, the detail of the work is very impressive. The accompanying sign implies that the unfinished portion might have been deliberately chosen by the artist and not a lack of opportunity.

An intricately carve scene of a guard handing a decapitated head to a woman holding a tray. A couple of people look through a grated window and a second guard has turned to face them. On the other side is a robed man plus a jailor that is holding keys. The work is intricately done except the main guard and the dress of the woman.

A secret treasure was a small window with a marvelous view of the ducal palace.

Looking over terracotta rooftops to a tall stone palace. There are multiple towers and a church dome.

Our ticket to the Oratory included admission to another church just down the road, the Oratorio di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph's Oratory). Both of these buildings were built by confraternities (fraternal brotherhoods), of the same name as the respective oratory. The Confraternity of Saint Joseph focused their charitable work on providing aid to anyone condemned to death. This building was originally built in the early 1500s and then rebuilt in the late 1600s (so a mere 330 years old). The first area we went through, a long hallway, was relatively simply. It had a brick floor and interesting 3-dimensional artworks on the wall.

Looking down a hall with a red brick herringbone pattern floor and yellow walls. The roof is arched. On the left wall are 4 very tall works of art with the profiles of people protruding out. They look modern but cannot be clearly seen. At the end of the hall is a statue of a saint, probably Saint Joseph. The right wall can not be seen.

The main chapel area is highly ornate. It has a painted ceiling, a Murano glass chandelier, an organ on a balcony, frescoes, large paintings on the wall, and a statue of, presumably, Saint Joseph behind the altar. Again, if you click on the odd-looking second photograph it will bring you to a 360° view of the room, where you can click and drag your mouse to see the entire room. The garments visible at that link represent the outfits that the brotherhood members would wear to remain anonymous.

Standing between two rows or church pews, looking down at an altar and a large statue. The room is as described above, although you cannot see the organ.

Damage from high humidity is what caused the church to be rebuilt; the position against a hill caused the moisture to build up. To prevent more humidity problems, the alleyway next to the church was incorporated into the church as a hallway. This runs along the side of the chapel. At the end near the altar is another small room.

A room with pink walls and an open doorway. Through the doorway can be seen what once was an alleyway. It has a plain concrete floor and exposed brick.

The small room, called the Wedding Chapel, contains another small altar and an elaborate sculpture behind it with a painting in the opening. This painting, a valuable copy from 1606 of a Raphael masterpiece "Marriage of the Virgin", is actually in a little niche and can be lowered, although we cannot remember what that revealed.

See description above. The sculpture has an angel kneeling on each side, and a cherub flying above them. There is an arched window in the wall above the sculpture.

One of the most famous items here is a separate room with a nativity scene. The sign, conveniently in both Italian and English, states the following:

The CHAPEL OF THE MANGER, the only room left of the ancient oratory erected at the beginning of the 16th century, encloses a surprising and lively representation of the Nativity (the oldest in natural size in stucco): the Infant lies under a shelter, together with the Virgin in adoration. Saint Joseph is meditating and four amazed shepherds are just arrived with their animals (the lamb and the hen are symbols of death and birth of Christ). In the vault there is a wonderful sculptured group of angels and on the walls there are villages and other figures. The whole room is decorated with real stones to look like a natural cave. Before the modern lamps were installed, in this room the light arrived naturally from the window above the door. the whole complex is made by the sculptor Federico Brandani (Urbino 1523-1575) in the period between 1550 and 1560. He was an exponent of mannerism and his works are in Rome, Loreto, Pesaro and other Italian cities. The white bust is a modern portrait of Federico Brandani. A couple of paintings with angels made by an unknown local artist of the XVIII century was once in the sacristy near the wardrobe of the relics.

After these next two photographs of this fascinating room, you will find a third one of those strange looking photographs that bring you to a 360° view.

A view of the room described above. The ceiling have relief sculptures of angels. There are small figures on the rocks of the walls, and a model of what is likely urbino can also be seen along the wall.

A closer view of the nativity scene, as described above.

After finishing our tours of these two churches, we walked up to the Ducal palace to allow Anne to buy another bookmark that celebrates the Studiolo. On our last visit the cathedral next door was undergoing repairs, but this time it was open for visiting. It is not the most exciting church but has a fabulous floor. Here Francesco and Anne are reading a sign at the back of the church.

A black and white block-illusion floor of the church catches the eye. The ceilings are high and rather plain, with pale green paint.

Anne decided that people in Urbino must commit a lot of sins. There were 4 double-sided confessionals lined up!

A wide aisle with four wooden confessionals against columns. Paul can be seen in the distance taking a photograph. Seen through the top of the archway are organ pipes.

We remember from previous visit that the Duchess had a private sheltered path from the palace to the church, so she could come regardless of the weather. The balcony seen at the far corner of this picture is, we believe, where she would emerge and sit.

A long view of the front of the church. There is a small pulpit on the column immediately in front of you. The altar is in the distance, and to the left of the altar is a balcony where the Duchess would sit.

We lit a candle before leaving.

Paul lighting a candle.

Francesco then drove all of us to Pergola, which Paul & Anne had briefly visited earlier in the trip on their way to Castello di Frontone. This time we were targeting a museum in Pergola, Museo dei Bronzi Dorati e della Citta di Pergola (Museum of the Gilded Bronzes and of the City of Pergola). These amazing figures, which most likely date from 50 BCE, were discovered accidentally in 1946 by some farmers. They are the only group of gilded bronze sculptures that remain from the Roman era. At least one of the many theories about their history states that they were being hidden from possible looting or destruction by an adversary. The group of figures include two mounted horsemen and two women. It is still not known whom these figures represent, but they are most likely members of a single prestigious Roman family.

According to the information provided, the figure on the right is an older woman with a Hellenistic hairstyle (typical of the period) wearing clothing typical of affluent Roman women. She is the best preserved of the 4 figures. Moving left is the second best preserved, the knight. He is an mature adult, around 40 years old, wearing clothing typical of high-ranking soldiers during peacetime. The next figure is another knight where only some of the horse remains, and the furthest left is the bottom portion of another woman's figure.

The four statues as described above.

Paul is standing on the left, and Francesco is sitting on the right. Both are looking at the statues described above.

The museum has an interactive exhibit, where a narration is accompanied by projections that either illuminate the part being discussed or project images that give more information or detail. Unfortunately, it was only in Italian and the room had a bit of an echo so we were not able to follow it. But it was still interesting to see. One of these pictures shows a point in the presentation when the horse bridles were being discussed, and the next when the chest plates were illuminated. They also projected enlarged details of the chest plate.

A picture of a darkened room with the ornamentation on the horses' heads illuminated in green.

A picture of a darkened room with the ornamentation on the horses' chests illuminated in green. There is also an image of the chest plate shown on the wall.

These statues were in many pieces when found and reassembled over many years. Here are some pictures showing the figures a bit closer.

The man on the horse, with his right arm raised in peace.

A view of the heads of the two horses and the male rider.

The intact sculpture of the woman.

This little museum, while focusing on the bronze figures, had a nice collection of other objects. They have a few mosaics that have been rescued from other buildings.

A mosaic of tan colors with geometric designs on it.