By Christopher Whinney
Few clusters of Italian towns demonstrate so eloquently the depth and continuity of Italian civilisation as Ravenna, Assisi and Urbino. Between them they span more than a millennium of artistic and spiritual endeavour, from the shimmering Byzantine mosaics of late antiquity to the Franciscan monuments of the medieval age, and on to the refined magnificence of the Renaissance court. Each town is remarkable in its own right; together, they trace an arc of human creativity that is without equal.
Ravenna: A jewel of Byzantine art
Ravenna is renowned for its breathtaking mosaics that showcase the city’s rich history. These intricate works of art, dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, adorn the interiors of its UNESCO-listed monuments. The Basilica di San Vitale features vivid depictions of biblical scenes, while the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia boasts a celestial night sky mosaic. Ravenna’s mosaics, crafted with meticulous detail, employ a palette of vibrant colours and intricate patterns, showcasing the influence of Byzantine and Roman artistic traditions. The Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe displays a stunning mosaic depicting a vibrant procession of saints. These mosaics not only narrate religious stories but also serve as a testament to the city’s cultural and artistic significance during the Byzantine era. Today, Ravenna stands as a living museum, inviting visitors to marvel at these timeless masterpieces that have withstood the test of time.
Assisi and the Basilica di San Francesco
Assisi is, of course, the birthplace and shrine of one of history’s most famous saints, St Francis (San Francesco), and as such is full of important monuments and works of art. Assisi’s first saint was not St Francis, however, but St Rufino, an evangelist of the Roman town Asisium, who was martyred here in 238 AD. Although a fine Romanesque church dedicated to St Rufino exists, it is St Francis and his disciple St Clare (Santa Chiara) who have inspired the most famous of Assisi’s monuments. The vast Basilica di San Francesco attracted many of the finest artists of the age to decorate its expanse of walls with frescoes, including Giotto, whose fresco cycle showing the life of St Francis is famed throughout the world.
The Ducal Palace, Urbino: High point of Western Civilization
I Torrincini, the elegant twin towers of Urbino’s Ducal Palace, greet the pilgrim across the hills of the Montefeltro, just as they have for more than five centuries. They crown a monument of Renaissance perfection, and as one walks through the gates of the city one can well imagine the awe a guest of Federico da Montefeltro might have felt in the fifteenth century. Federico came to power in 1444, after his half-brother was murdered. During his reign the court of Urbino became a reference point for Renaissance culture, mirroring that of the Medici in Florence. The Montefeltro court attracted many renowned artists, architects and humanists, each of whom left his mark on the city. Piero della Francesca painted Federico, famously, though the painting now hangs in the Uffizi.
The Ducal Palace was begun in 1465 and its early development coincided with the happiest period of Federico’s life, his marriage to Battista Sforza. During her husband’s frequent absences Battista oversaw much of the building of the palace until her untimely death in 1472. The palace is a fitting monument to Federico, an elegant combination of the aesthetic and the practical, whose spacious rooms instil a sense of calmness. The Duke filled it with incomparable works of art. The collection, enlarged over the centuries, today includes Piero’s famous ‘Flagellation’ and Raphael’s ‘La Muta’ among many others. Yet, a visit to the Ducal Palace in Urbino is more than a trip to an art gallery – it offers insight into fifteenth century court life. Like the palaces of Pope Pius II in Siena and Pienza, it bears witness to the vision and zeal of a great Renaissance personality. These palaces were designed above all as homes, and their style reflects the tastes of their inhabitants.
Federico da Montefeltro’s famous little study, with its exquisite marquetry and portraits of illustrious men, sums up the ideals of an entire era. Baldassare Castiglione put those ideals to pen in his famous Il Cortegiano, The Book of the Courtier, written in Urbino for Federico’s son. This book is still read today by students of Renaissance history, inspiring admiration at the wisdom and humanity of a remarkable man – just as Federico’s palace still inspires wonder in today’s visitors. One of the ‘high points of Western Civilisation’? Unquestionably – yes.
Each town, in its own way, represents a moment when art, faith and civic ambition converged to produce something that has outlasted the age that created it. The mosaics of Ravenna still glow as brilliantly as they did fifteen centuries ago; the spirit of St Francis continues to draw pilgrims from every corner of the world; and the Ducal Palace of Urbino remains, as it has always been, a monument to the very best that the Renaissance mind could conceive. To visit all three is not merely to travel through Italy, it is to travel through time.
