24 September 2023 -we set off early in the morning for Urbino, the city of the Italian Renaissance. After two intense days of technical talks, debates on the evolution of the milling world and Ocrim’s latest strategic innovations, we treated ourselves to some tourist-cultural leisure by visiting a city of immense historical and artistic wealth, recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. It is only 60 km from Rimini, so how could you not take advantage of this opportunity? The panorama alone of the gentle slopes of the Marche and the extension of vineyards and olive groves is worth the journey, and our guests, glued to the coach windows, enjoyed all of its beauty.
The view of the entrance to the city, where human architectural ingenuity blends beautifully with nature, heralded a day full of surprises. We divided the guests into two groups with different guides and set off to discover this magical place, a landmark of the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Wandering through the historic centre, surrounded by the ancient rampart walls, we walked through alleyways, lanes, stairways, and steep climbs breathing in the 15th-century air of palaces and churches, each one more beautiful than the last. It was like entering an art book. We stopped at the Ducal Palace, a true architectural and artistic gem built by Duke Federico da Montefeltro and nicknamed ‘A city in the shape of a palace’ for the complexity and harmony of its spaces. In reality, the entire city of Urbino was commissioned by the Duke according to his vision of an ‘ideal city’.
Today, the palace houses the Galleria delle Marche collection, including works by the masters Raphael Sanzio, Piero della Francesca and Paolo Uccello, exemplars of Renaissance painting. The architecture of the library, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, elicited exclamations of awe at the refinement of its inlays and the richness of its treasures, one among many: the ancient manuscript of the famous ‘Divine Comedy’ by poet Dante Alighieri.
As we visited room after room, the time flew by and our stomachs started rumbling for lunch, a time of the day that had been providing our guests’ palates with no small amount of satisfaction in previous days. Culinary traditions, handicrafts and the quest for souvenirs took up the whole afternoon, passing from shop to shop in the maze of narrow streets of the old town crowded with students and tourists. And between tidbits of ‘crescia’ a typical bread from the Marche region, similar to the piadina in Romagna, wines and local products, it was time to head back to Rimini.
Sharing this wonder was a great source of pride for us, and from the comments we heard here and there on the bus we are confident that Urbino and the 11th edition of ‘Wheat, flour, and…’ will remain in the hearts of our guests for a long time.
See you next year!