History, art, architecture, beauty. The Ducal Palace of Pesaro, the most important Renaissance building in the city, is a gem waiting to be discovered, and you can do so by participating in the guided tours organized by Sistema Museo.
Historically the seat of the Prefecture of Pesaro and Urbino, since last June the palace has become part of the Pesaro Museums circuit and is now accessible to the public thanks to an agreement with the Agency of State Property, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Marche-Ancona, and the Municipality of Pesaro.
Expert tour guides, certified with a regional license, accompany visitors, illustrating the wonders of the monument and recounting the history of the lordships of Pesaro from the 13th to the 17th century; first, the residence of the Malatesta and the Sforza – the façade was designed by Alessandro Sforza in the 15th century – the residence then passed to the della Rovere family, dukes of Urbino and Pesaro from around 1523 to 1621, who are responsible for the renovation and expansion of the building to its current dimensions.
Visitors are welcomed in the Cortile d’onore before accessing the hall on the first floor, which serves as an antechamber to the ducal apartments, where one can admire the 16th-century fireplace created by architect Bartolomeo Genga, topped by a stucco frieze by Federico Brandani.
In the Duchess’s apartment, there are two more beautiful fireplaces, also by Brandani, and on the walls, decorations featuring intertwined oak leaves and branches, symbols of the della Rovere family, along with the initials G.V. Dux (Guidobaldo Duke). Magnificent is the adjacent ‘Bath of Lucrezia Borgia’ – confused with the name of Lucrezia d’Este, wife of Duke Francesco Maria II della Rovere – frescoed with exquisite grotesques and mythological figures, by painters active at Villa Imperiale; equally spectacular are the Duke’s apartments, where the ceiling decorations, designed by Genga, are enriched with zodiac signs and mythical and heraldic animals, and especially shells and marine creatures, in homage to Vittoria Farnese, wife of Guidobaldo II, identified with Venus, the goddess born from the sea.
The grand Salone Metaurense, measuring 600 square meters, dates back to the Sforza era; however, the ceiling was modified by their successors, first by Duke Guidobaldo II and then by his son Francesco Maria II, who had the family emblems inserted into the wooden coffered ceiling, each accompanied by a motto.
The tour also includes the representative halls, furnished with valuable period furniture provided by the Pesaro Savings Bank Foundation, whose ceilings were reconstructed and frescoed by Romolo Liverani in the second half of the 19th century; and the other courtyards: in addition to the Cortile d’onore at the entrance, the Hunting Courtyard, and especially the ‘Secret Garden’ designed by Bartolomeo Genga. The loggia, dating back to around 1530, was commissioned by Francesco Maria I, and the frescoes were created by Mannerist artists Camillo Mantovano, Raffaellino del Colle, and Francesco Menzocchi. Thanks to the restoration carried out by the Superintendency in 1989, the environment now shows itself in all its splendor with the ‘boscarecce’ lunette, reminiscent of those similar to Villa Imperiale, and with allegorical scenes on the vault, celebrating the deeds of the Duke, protector of the arts, architecture, and a valiant commander.
The guided tours can be booked year-round every Saturday at 10 AM, lasting one and a half hours, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 PM (in summer from June to September, an additional tour at 4:45 PM), with a short visit of 45 minutes that includes the Cortile d’onore, the Hunting Courtyard, the Salone Metaurense, and the ‘Secret Garden’. Access is with the single ticket Pesaro Museums (valid for Palazzo Mosca – Civic Museums, Rossini National Museum, Casa Rossini, and the Archaeological Area of Via dell’Abbondanza).
For information and reservations [email protected]
T 0721387541 Palazzo Mosca – Civic Museums
T 07211922156 Rossini National Museum
www.pesaromusei.it
