Ducal Palace of Urbino

One of the most sublime palaces of the Renaissance period

The palace, commissioned by the Duke of Urbino Federico da Montefeltro, was built during the 15th century in successive phases. Among the many craftsmen who were employed, we remember the three architects who had the merit of making the building one of the most sublime palaces of the Renaissance era: the Florentine Maso di Bartolomeo, the Dalmatian Luciano Laurana and the Sienese Francesco di Giorgio Martini.

The Ducal Palace went through various phases of development and the Dalmatian architect Luciano Laurana, who designed the fairy-tale turrets, contributed essentially to it.

The oldest part, known as Palazzetto della Jole, was built by order of Federico's father, Count Guidantonio, and starting from it and the square below, in 1454 the sculptor-architect Bartolomeo was given the go-ahead to work. The most famous façade, that of the Torricini, characterised by two soaring turrets with their 6 small windows on the sides of a 3-storey volume with arcaded balconies, is attributed to Laurana, as is the Studiolo del Duca, one of the best-preserved masterpieces of Renaissance art, practically intact, entirely frescoed and inlaid by Flemish artists. The Dalmatian architect is also credited with rooms on the main floor such as the Scalone d'Onore, the Library, the Salone del Trono, the Sala degli Angeli, and the Sala delle Udienze. The palace was completed by the architect, engineer and artist Giorgio Martini, who added a complex water system to the building, revolutionary and innovative for the time. The Della Rovere dynasty, which succeeded the Montefeltros in the XNUMXth century, further expanded the already gigantic building by adding a second noble floor, the Roveresco Apartment.