Word: federico
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...Federico's greatest achievement was the construction of the Palazzo Ducale. Today, the palace looms over Urbino much as it did then, like a giant yellow-brick wedding cake, but what's notable is what's missing. Every contemporaneous castle...
...Bologna may be a broad type, but one of his cultural ancestors, Duke Federico da Montefeltro (1422-1482), was also quick to anger, though once you got to know him, he would build you a palace. Like all great Renaissance men, Federico was a liberal humanist with diverse interests. He also happened to be the most accomplished military strategist in 15th century Europe, and he used his immense profits as a freelance killing machine to turn Urbino, his hometown in the Marche region on Italy's eastern coast, into the Greenwich Village of the Quattrocento, a place where architects, soldiers...
Italy had a moat to ward off invaders, but Federico didn't need one. He was that kind of powerful. Urbino is now a university town with a population of just 15,000, and maneuvering through its narrow, walled streets takes about five minutes, even in a van the size of Pavarotti. We entered the palace and immediately realized that this was not just another of the extravagantly fussed-over behemoths that dot Italy like diners on Route 66. Standing in the Cortile d'Onore, with its perimeter framing a perfect square of sky, you feel the exuberance of Renaissance...
...spiral staircase in one of the towers, and you feel the chasm between past and present. Then you turn a corner into the duke's study, and the centuries disappear. From eye level to the floor, the room is a series of wood panels with exquisite inlaid images of Federico's favorite things--musical instruments, suits of armor and loads of books. Above, there are 28 portraits arranged in two rows. The lower row is devoted to great religious figures; the upper pays tribute to thinkers and writers. The room is so lovingly and casually preserved, you never doubt that...
...palace are fairly ceaseless. There's a massive subterranean layer where wines were stored and baths taken. Just off the duke's study are two alcoves: the Temple of the Muses and the Chapel of Forgiveness. (Between his battlefield deeds and the generally agreed-upon fact that Federico was complicit in his half-brother's rubout, there was much to absolve.) I sat on the floor in both rooms and absorbed the feel of history, whistling to hear the little echoes and gently rubbing my hands over the stone floors. Maybe I was being a tad presumptuous...