March 19
Our first destination for the day was Urbino. This is where the famous Duke of Urbino resided. We had a chance to tour the inside of the Palazzo Ducale and the Galleria Nazionale della Marche. It was very interesting because it is located where the Duke used to live. We got to see many great works of art and where the Duke and his wife lived in many years ago. They each had their own living quarters and bedrooms. And their bedrooms were a room inside a room, basically to keep as warm as possible during the winter. The Duke also had an area to show off his interests such as books, authors and philosophers he admired and his armor. While touring the gallery we saw different areas of the palace that we gi-normous! There were amazing fireplaces all around to keep the palace warm, and all of the fireplaces we much larger than the ones we have in homes today. They were also all decorated with angels and vines and flowers, extreme decorations for a fireplace but beautiful nonetheless. There were also large tapestries that covered the walls… they kind of looked like huge rugs, but they used them to cover the walls in order to insulate the palace.
After touring the palace we split up and went to the restaurant of our choice for lunch. While trying to find a place we saw a bunch of students who had just graduated college. It was interesting to see them because in Italy it is traditional to wear a crown of ivy rather than a cap and gown. After following signs for restaurants all over town we finally decided on one and took a table. They woman there was so nice and when we asked her questions about different dishes she was more than happy to describe them in the simplest Italian she could. I settled for penne alla vodka with crab. It was most delicious! The others had a pizza and a sampler plate of three different pastas. Then we got dessert that was pretty much an ice cream sundae, yum! We were more than pleased with our choices!
Then we boarded the bus again to head to San Marino. In case you didn’t know, it has actually been a goal of mine to go to San Marino. My senior year of high school on the first day of my government class my teacher explained his trip to San Marino. He went on and on about how gorgeous it was and you have to take these narrow winding roads up the mountain to get there, but that it was completely worth it. So, three years ago I wrote in my government notebook, “Note to self: visit San Marino.” And wouldn’t you know it- I got to go!
My teacher was definitely right in saying the winding roads were worth it. There were times I could have sworn our tour bus was going to fall off the edge but alas, we made it just fine. San Marino is actually a country all its own, completely separate from Italy. But from atop La Prima Torre (medieval fortress of the city) you can see all of the surrounding Italian countryside. We were very fortunate to have a clear day because we were able to see the Appennine Moutains and the Adriatic Sea. It was spectacular!
After many pictures from the top of the fortress, we had free time. I took this opportunity to gift shop and found some perfect gifts for you guys back home! Feel free to get excited :) San Marino was so gorgeous and all the shopkeepers were very helpful, but it must be swamped with people during tourist season, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it without tons of people everywhere!
Our first destination for the day was Urbino. This is where the famous Duke of Urbino resided. We had a chance to tour the inside of the Palazzo Ducale and the Galleria Nazionale della Marche. It was very interesting because it is located where the Duke used to live. We got to see many great works of art and where the Duke and his wife lived in many years ago. They each had their own living quarters and bedrooms. And their bedrooms were a room inside a room, basically to keep as warm as possible during the winter. The Duke also had an area to show off his interests such as books, authors and philosophers he admired and his armor. While touring the gallery we saw different areas of the palace that we gi-normous! There were amazing fireplaces all around to keep the palace warm, and all of the fireplaces we much larger than the ones we have in homes today. They were also all decorated with angels and vines and flowers, extreme decorations for a fireplace but beautiful nonetheless. There were also large tapestries that covered the walls… they kind of looked like huge rugs, but they used them to cover the walls in order to insulate the palace.
After touring the palace we split up and went to the restaurant of our choice for lunch. While trying to find a place we saw a bunch of students who had just graduated college. It was interesting to see them because in Italy it is traditional to wear a crown of ivy rather than a cap and gown. After following signs for restaurants all over town we finally decided on one and took a table. They woman there was so nice and when we asked her questions about different dishes she was more than happy to describe them in the simplest Italian she could. I settled for penne alla vodka with crab. It was most delicious! The others had a pizza and a sampler plate of three different pastas. Then we got dessert that was pretty much an ice cream sundae, yum! We were more than pleased with our choices!
Then we boarded the bus again to head to San Marino. In case you didn’t know, it has actually been a goal of mine to go to San Marino. My senior year of high school on the first day of my government class my teacher explained his trip to San Marino. He went on and on about how gorgeous it was and you have to take these narrow winding roads up the mountain to get there, but that it was completely worth it. So, three years ago I wrote in my government notebook, “Note to self: visit San Marino.” And wouldn’t you know it- I got to go!My teacher was definitely right in saying the winding roads were worth it. There were times I could have sworn our tour bus was going to fall off the edge but alas, we made it just fine. San Marino is actually a country all its own, completely separate from Italy. But from atop La Prima Torre (medieval fortress of the city) you can see all of the surrounding Italian countryside. We were very fortunate to have a clear day because we were able to see the Appennine Moutains and the Adriatic Sea. It was spectacular!
After many pictures from the top of the fortress, we had free time. I took this opportunity to gift shop and found some perfect gifts for you guys back home! Feel free to get excited :) San Marino was so gorgeous and all the shopkeepers were very helpful, but it must be swamped with people during tourist season, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it without tons of people everywhere!
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