Urbino Now Magazine: Urbino Now 2012

Summer in Le Marche
NOW
THE MAGAZINE OF
ITALY’S LE MARCHE REGION
2012 – 2013
Shop the Saturday market with a fashion diva
Behind the masks
OF commedia dell’arte
Day Trip:
Italy’s craft beer capital
Unearthing the Via Flaminia
Mystery of the
heart-shaped book
Plus: bike the beach, mushroom madonna,
THE IDEAL CITY, a cheese dynasty
An ieiMedia publication
ieiMedia.com
BELLA VISTA
SOUNDS OF AN OPEN-AIR CONCERT FILL THE HONOR COURT OF URBINO’S DUCAL PALACE. PHOTO BY SAMANTHA BENEDICT
IN URBINO’S MAIN PIAZZA, SOCCER FANS CELEBRATE ITALY’S WIN OVER GERMANY JUNE 28, 2012. PHOTO BY ASHLEY GRISHAM
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 1
CONTENTS
Urbino Now, the magazine of Italy’s Le Marche region Number 3, 2012 – 2013
Bella Vista
Inside cover: COURTLY MUSIC
Photo by Samantha Benedict
01 Soccer fans celebrate
Photo by Ashley Grisham
08 In charity’s kitchen
Photos by Kaitlin McKinney
56 The business of bees
Photos by Emily Harmon
Cover: A seaside kite vendor
strolls the beach at Pesaro.
Photo by Elizabeth Zabel
This page: The Marche
countryside.
Photo by Elizabeth Zabel
Go Native
10 What to do during pausa,
the curse of the Ducal Palace, a
guide to Italian e-mail and text
etiquette, two pastas to die for,
and six more tips and tidbits to
help you feel like a local.
Arte e Cultura
16 Behind the Mask
The handmade masks of Fa
Maschere keep alive a 500-year-old
theatrical tradition. Plus: A visual
who’s who of Commedia Dell’Arte’s
main characters.
Story and photos by Allison Butler
21 Restoring the Heart
of History
A heart-shaped book holds music,
poems, a journal—and a 500-yearold mystery.
Story and photos by
Mikayla Francese
24 In the Footsteps
of Ancient Rome
Urbino archaeologists uncover the
life — and deaths — of a Roman
town on the Via Flaminia.
Story and photos by
Megan Northcote
2 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Mangia Bene
Urbino Centro
Escursione
28 Simplicity
Ashley and Jason Bartner
will teach you the secret of
Italian cooking.
34 Healing the Cracks
Art restoration students repair
artwork damaged in a 2009 earthquake — and help to heal lives.
48 Mushroom Madonna
A day with Tonti Agostina,
champion mushroom hunter.
Story and photos by Leah De Graaf
Story by Sofia Lugo
Illustrations by Olivia Wise
31 Sempre Famiglia
For the Beltramis of Cartoceto,
making olive oil and cheese is
a family affair.
Story by Nandi Alexander
Photos by Elizabeth Zabel
Photos by Timothy Reuter
38 Paradise Lost
Federico da Montefeltro’s Urbino
was a perfect society of arts, math,
and science. Today, the Palazzo
Ducale still offers a window into
his utopia. Plus: Decoding an iconic
painting, La Città Ideale.
Story by Erica Demson
42 La Diva Della Via
Want to look like an Urbinata?
Visit the Saturday market with
our fashionista.
Story and styling by Azia Toussaint
Story by Stephanie Strickland
52 Where Beer Maketh
Glad the Heart of Man
Visit Apecchio — the Città della
Birra — where craft beer is replacing
fine wine.
Story and photos by Milana Katic
54 Sea by Cycle
On the beach-side bike trail
from Pesaro to Fano.
Story and photo by Pachia Lee
05 Editor’s Note
06 Contributors
Photos by Allison Butler
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 3
NOW
The magazine of Italy’s
Le Marche Region
Number 3, 2012 – 2013
2012.inurbino.net
8311 Brier Creek Parkway, Suite 105-430
Raleigh, North Carolina 27617 USA
www.ieimedia.com
Publisher
Andrew Ciofalo
President and Director
Andrew Ciofalo
aciofalo@ieimedia.com
Editor in Chief
Susan West
Deputy Editor
Michael Gold
Design Director
Bob Ciano
Contributors
Nandi Alexander, Samantha Benedict,
Allison Butler, Leah De Graaf, Erica
Demson, Mikayla Francese, Ashley
Grisham, Emily Harmon, Milana Katic,
Pachia Lee, Sofia Lugo, Kaitlin McKinney,
Megan Northcote, Timothy Reuter,
Stephanie Strickland, Azia Toussaint,
Elizabeth Zabel
Program Assistant
Marie Gould
Italian Instructor
Francesca Carducci
Interpreters
Serena Alessi, Luca Ambrogiani, Alice
Bertaccini, Alberto Biondi, Fabiola
Castellani, Chiara Ciattaglia, Elena
Garbugli, Andrea Gatto, Giada Guastalla,
Manuel Khouadri, Alessandra Maci, Sara
Manfroni, Ilaria Pasquinelli, Luca Sartori,
Elena Sorchiotti, Silvia Verducci
Production Layout
Beth Brann
Consultants
Gabriele Cavalera, Olivia Wise
Special thanks to: Giuliana Sparaventi,
ERSU Urbino, and the town of Urbino
4 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Executive Director
Rachele Kanigel
Admissions Director
Heather Anderson
heather@ieimedia.com
Urbino Program Director
Dennis Chamberlin
Urbino Magazine Program Director
Susan West
Urbino Magazine Program Instructors
Michael Gold, Bob Ciano
All rights reserved © 2012 – 2013 ieiMedia.
No material in Urbino Now may be
reprinted without express permission of
the publisher. Prices, hours and dates, and
contact information are current as of the
time of publication.
Urbino Now is a travel magazine for
English-speaking visitors to Le Marche.
Each summer, students write and
photograph stories for Urbino Now
as part of a month-long study abroad
program organized by ieiMedia. For more
information about the program and the
magazine, visit ieimedia.com. You can
buy copies of this issue and the 2011
edition of Urbino Now on MagCloud.
Visit magcloud.com and search for
“Urbino Now.”
Doing What
it Takes
to Get
the Story
T
EDITOR’S NOTE
wo men and two women eased through a hole in
the fence and onto the ancient cobblestones. Though it
was early evening, the sun blazed as hot as noon and
heat wafted from the stones. One of the men, a highway
worker’s reflective vest over his black shirt and pants,
motioned the women to him. The second man hung
back, taking photos with his cell phone. The young
woman with long hair began pacing back and forth on
the old road, her Roman-style sandals slapping softly
on the stones. Directly in the walker’s path, the second
woman stretched out on her belly, squinted through her
camera’s viewfinder and hit the shutter.
A road crew taking a break? A guerrilla fashion shoot?
Nope. It was all in a day’s work for the young lady on the
ground, Megan Northcote, a journalism student in the
2012 Urbino Magazine Project.
Megan’s assignment for our month-long project was
to write about an archaeological dig along the Via Flaminia, the 2,000-year-old road that once ran from Rome
to Rimini. The month was coming to an end, and she’d
interviewed the scientists, seen the artifacts, collected
background information, and written most of the story.
But she’d never actually
seen the site: As can happen
to a foreign correspondent,
miscommunications, cancellations, and mysteriously
changing rules had frustrated her many attempts
to get first-hand details
and photographs. Instructor Michael Gold had driven
her to the site once, but the perimeter fence kept her and
her camera at a distance. This time, she had come with
reinforcements — Michael, design instructor Bob Ciano,
and illustrator and design assistant Olivia Wise. Olivia
found a break in the fence, Bob (mischievously wearing
that reflective vest) directed the photo shoot, and Megan
got down to work — literally.
That’s what ieiMedia founder and president Andrew
Ciofalo calls “experiential learning”— learning by doing,
and doing, and doing. And that’s what sets ieiMedia’s
programs apart from other study-abroad offerings: The
students have to stretch, in more ways than one. At the
beginning of June, our students arrived in a place they’d
never been to, in a culture they didn’t know, where people spoke a language they didn’t understand, and were
expected to create a magazine that would explain that
place and those people to you, our readers. Four weeks
later, they had succeeded. We hope you enjoy the results.
Grazie mille,
Susan West, Editor in Chief
P.S. Megan finally did
visit the Via Flaminia site
“officially,” guided by the
archaeologists she had
interviewed. Her story, on
page 24, won the Urbino
Magazine Project 2012
Award for Reporting.
URBINO NOW 5
CONTRIBUTORS
Nandi Alexander
is a junior at James
Madison University in
Harrisonburg, Virginia,
majoring in media arts
and design and justice
studies. She plans to be
a lawyer and a lobbyist.
Nandi says, “My motto
is ‘Live every day like
it’s your last.’ Life is too
short to not live it to
the fullest.”
Allison Butler
just graduated from
Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa, with a
degree in journalism
and minors in apparel
merchandising and critical studies in design. She
has been the photography director of the Iowa
State Fashion Show and
photographed the Iowa
caucuses for Google.
Samantha Benedict
majors in photojournalism at San Francisco
State University. Of her
time in Urbino she says,
“I learned far more than
just journalism. I learned
about life, growing up,
passion, culture,
and cuisine!”
Leah De Graaf
studies journalism and
mass communication at
Iowa State University in
Ames, Iowa, and reports
for the Iowa State Daily.
One of her passions is
traveling and discovering
different perspectives and
cultures. This trip was
Leah’s fifth time abroad,
but her first in Europe.
6 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Erica Demson
is a rising senior at James
Madison University in
Harrisonburg, Virginia,
studying cultural communications and religion.
Erica says, “From the
people to the artwork to
the architecture, I don’t
think I will ever experience such beauty all in
one place ever again.”
Mikayla Francese
has a degree in journalism and fashion design
from Lindenwood
University in St. Charles,
Missouri, and will
attend graduate school
in communications
there in the fall. Of her
time in Urbino she says,
“I am now more confident than ever to pursue
my career.”
Emily Harmon
majors in journalism
and international studies at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Of her time in Urbino
she says, “Cappuccinos
in Urbino eight times
a day will never be
matched in greatness,
and the same goes for
the reporting experience I gained.”
Ashley Grisham
majors in media arts and
design at James Madison
University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She says,
“I had been to the tourist
towns of Italy, but I’ve
never had this unique
opportunity to learn,
observe, write about, and
photograph the beauty
of daily Italian life.”
Milana Katic
is a junior at Indiana
University in Bloomington, Indiana, studying
journalism, political
science, and Spanish.
She takes every opportunity to see as much
of the world as possible.
Recent travels have taken
her all over Europe,
and she hopes to one
day visit Asia, Africa,
and the Middle East.
Pachia Lee
attends WinstonSalem State
University in
Winston-Salem,
North Carolina,
and majors in mass
communications.
Pachia says, “The
people I have met
and the friendships
I have gained in
Urbino, Italy, will stay
with me forever.”
Stephanie Strickland
is a senior at James
Madison University in
Harrisonburg, Virginia,
studying media arts and
design and communication. Stephanie blogs
for her sorority and for
a wedding-inspired site
she created. In the fall,
she will work for JMU’s
Public Affairs Office.
Sofía Lugo
is a journalism major at
Mount Royal University
in Calgary, Alberta. She
was born in Venezuela
and moved to Canada in
2007. That move, at age
15, opened her eyes to
the world around her and
increased her desire to
know more about it.
Azia Toussaint
is a senior in mass
communications at
Virginia State University in Petersburg,
Virginia. Born in Queens,
New York, and raised
in Brooklyn, she was
exposed to many different cultures. While
embracing them all, her
absolute favorite is the
Haitian culture.
Kaitlin McKinney
majors in journalism and mass communication at Iowa
State University in
Ames, Iowa. Kaitlin
says, “I’m leaving
with professional
journalistic skills
gained with the help
of experienced and
talented professors.”
Megan Northcote
will graduate December
2012 from Appalachian
State University in
Boone, North Carolina,
with degrees in public
history and cultural
anthropology and a
minor in communication. Currently, she
freelances for The High
Country Press in Boone.
Timothy Reuter
attends Iowa State
University, in Ames,
Iowa, majoring in journalism and mass communication and international studies. He says,
“This has truly been one
of the most memorable
experiences of my
college career.”
Liz Zabel
majors in journalism
and mass communication and international
studies at Iowa State
University in Ames. Liz
loves outdoor adventure,
but her biggest passion is
photography. She hopes
to work for a magazine
that combines these
two passions…perhaps
Outside.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 7
BELLA VISTA
IN CHARITY’S KITCHEN
Sister Angelina is one of six Sisters
of Charity who maintain the Suore
della Carita Pensionato Universitario S. Felicita, a dormitory in Urbino
for female university students. At
right, she prepares dinner for the
residents. “My mother was ill, so
I have always done everything for
my family,” she says. Photos by
Kaitlin McKinney. (Full story
online at 2012.inurbino.net/sistersof-the-vow/)
8 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 9
GO NATIVE
Pause for Pausa
Leah De Graaf
Gated storefronts, dark grocery stores, and deserted streets might
not be the greeting you’d expect upon arrival in Urbino, the quintessential Renaissance city. But if the time is between 12:30 p.m.
and 4:00 p.m., this is the likely scene.
The Italian pausa, similar to the Spanish siesta, is a break in
the midday for storeowners and employees alike to close up shop
and escape the busy day. While the rest of Italy grows closer to
the international 9-to-5 work day, small cities and towns like
Urbino still retain traditional practices. Giovanni Garbugli,
owner and operator of the Sugar Caffé in Urbino, says most workers during pausa go home, enjoy a small lunch, take a little rest
or even a nap, finish some much overdue housework, or pick up a
book to read.
Ashley Bartner, co-owner and operator of La Tavola Marche
Organic Farm, Inn, and Cooking School, learned about pausa the
hard way. She and her husband, Jason Bartner, discovered that hosting Italians for lunch is more than a one to two hour meal: After
several rounds of cards, a quick nap by the pool, coffee and final
good-byes, the “lunch” lasted until well after 4 p.m. The couple’s
stress levels rose when they realized they still had the evening’s
dinner to plan. Now, she and Jason entertain only at dinner.
For a tourist in Urbino, the two-to-four hour lull can generate
extreme frustration. The most necessary tasks of the day always
seem fall within pausa. But don’t get discouraged, says Garbugli;
instead, embrace the local custom and find your inner Italian.
How to pass the time? He suggests taking in the unforgettable
views on a walk around the city, planning activities for the next
day, or sitting and enjoying the Piazza della Repubblica with a
cappuccino shakerato (iced cappuccino) at Caffé Basili. Then
watch as the streets of Urbino come alive once more.
– Leah De Graaf
10 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
A Street for Italy’s
“Beating Heart”
Walking long roads on steep hills can be tiring,
and Urbino’s elegant landscape is filled with
these kinds of byways. Knowing the history of
some of the streets you hike will give you something to focus on other than your shaking legs.
Take, for example, Via Giuseppe Mazzini.
This is the main street that leads from the
Borgo Mercatale to the Piazza della Repubblica. Walking up this hill, you pass through one
of the most vital parts of the city, with everything from pizza restaurants to shoe and bag
boutiques and even hardware stores. Maybe
that’s why the street was named after the “Beating Heart of Italy,” as Giuseppe Mazzini was
called. Mazzini (1805 to 1872) was a journalist
and Italian politician, and a leader of the Risorgimento movement that helped unite the various
states along the Italian peninsula into one
country. Mazzini’s dream had been to create a
democratic republic; however, the country was
unified in 1861 as a monarchy. It wasn’t until
1946, long after his death, that Italy became a
republic. So it’s fitting that Via Mazzini leads
to the square that commemorates that event,
Piazza della Repubblica.
– Azia Toussaint
Debunking
the Curse
of the
Ducal Palace
Want to know a little
secret about Urbino’s
infamous Ducal Palace?
Legend has it that
university students
believe this site is cursed,
and refuse to enter the
palace for fear of never
graduating. While
some believe this to
be true, most think it’s
a silly myth.
Former university
student Ilaria Pasquinelli
is proof the “curse” is
not true. “It’s more of a
legend, part of the Urbino
culture, than an actual
belief,” she says. “We
are in a small town
Kaitlin McKinney
www.larchivio.org
Order Coffee Like an Italian
with some superstitious
people who believe it,
but I visited twice as
a student and graduated
in 2010.”
People who really do
fear the palace don’t
know what they are
missing. This Renaissance-style art gallery
will leave you in awe
of the inlaid woodwork
throughout Federico’s
study, his initials and
crests along the palace
walls, and the restored
chambers belonging
to this former duke. It
is one of Urbino’s greatest
treasures, full of
history, beauty, and
art — all worth seeing
for yourself.
– Stephanie Strickland
“It’s a way of life,” says Giovanni Garbugli, co-owner of Urbino’s
Sugar Café, as he explains why coffee in Italy is the best in the
world. Want to order coffee like a native? Here are a few tips on
what to drink and how to order it, Italian-style.
• In the U.S., a “macchiato” is likely to come with caramel flavoring. But in Italy, a macchiato is very different. “Macchiato”
literally means “marked” or “spotted.” And in Italy, that is just
how the people like it: A shot of espresso spotted with just a
little bit of milk is a “caffé macchiato.” A “latte macchiato,”
on the other hand, is a cup of warm milk spotted with espresso.
The more common form is the caffé macchiato.
• A nywhere in the States, a “latte” is well known to be a mix of
milk and espresso. In Italy, asking for a latte will get you a glass
of milk. Why not order like a true Italian and get a cappuccino?
A cappuccino is mostly espresso with some milk, often served
in a ceramic cup to keep the drink warm.
• When you want to experience a novelty coffee found only in
Urbino, the Sugar Café, located at the corner of Via N. Pellipario
and Giro dei Debitori, is the place to go. Their specialty, Di
Zucchero Café Stile Estivo, which means “sugar coffee summer
style,” is a unique blend of espresso, Nutella cream plus secret
ingredients, and light whipped cream to top it off.
And if you want to really blend in, you will never go wrong by
ordering a simple shot of espresso.
– Mikayla Francese
Sugar Café
Via Giro dei Debitori, 24
61029 Urbino, Italy
0722 350 464
info@sugarcafe.eu
sugarcafe.eu
Open Monday through Friday,
6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.,
and Saturday, 6 a.m to 3 p.m.
Closed Sunday and holidays.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 11
GO NATIVE
Cheek
Kissing 101
Two fashionably dressed Italian women
wave to each other and scream, “Ciao!”
Quickly, they approach one another, dive
in for a hug, and kiss on both cheeks.
Walking around Urbino, you’ll see
this scene repeated everywhere, a simple
hello gesture between family and friends.
Although the double cheek-kiss is more
popular among the young natives of
Urbino, it is also done by the elderly.
Pasta so good you’ll die?
Rumor has it that a certain type of pasta, strozzapreti, was so good that
it once strangled a priest.
He was so enthralled with
the dish that he ate it too
quickly, choked, and met
his demise.
While you surely don’t
want to meet the same
ending, this particular
type of pasta is something you shouldn’t miss.
According to Valerio Piergiovanni, co-owner of the
restaurant Il Ragno d’Oro,
it is one of their most
popular menu options.
“It is popular, especially in Urbino, because
this pasta spans two
regions,” says Piergiovanni, referring to
Emilia-Romagna and
Tuscany. He also adds
that almost every restaurant in Urbino serves it.
Il Ragno d’Oro makes
the pasta by cutting the
dough into short lengths,
rolling the pieces up into
round tubes, and clapping
them between two hands.
This produces a slightly
curled, twisted noodle,
which is then cooked in
Allison Butler
Pasta
to Die
For
boiling water with salt
until it rises to the top
of the pot.
Dishes containing
“strangle-the-priest”
noodles traditionally
come in two varieties,
with herb and sausage or
smoked ham and spinach.
12 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Il Ragno d’Oro serves the
sausage-and-herb variation. Piergiovanni recommends pairing the dish
with a white wine such
as Verdicchio or Passerina
Brut. And be careful to
eat slowly.
– Allison Butler
Il Ragno d’Oro
Viale Don Minzoni, 2
61022 Urbino, Italy
0722 327 705
Open every day,
9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
OLIVIA WISE
Learn the
Lingua Digitale
No doubt you already
know how to answer the
phone in Italy (“Pronto”)
and how to say goodbye
Divine Light
The Ducal Star, a glass
lampshade based on a
mathematical design that
dates back to the 1400s,
is a symbol of Urbino’s
Renaissance.
The shape of this star
is considered mathematically perfect and was first
described in De Divina
Proportione (About the
Divine Proportions), a
book by mathematician
Luca Pacioli, illustrated
E-mail
Proper e-mail etiquette can
go a long way toward helping you make a reservation
or get information from a
travel agency.
Greeting: Address the
recipient as “Gentile Sig.”
or “Gentile Sig.ra,” which
translate to “Dear Sir” and
“Dear Madam.”
Closing: You might be
tempted to use “Ciao,” but
by Leonardo da Vinci,
which dates to around
1497. Made of blown
glass and brass, the lamp
adorned the noble homes
of Urbino.
Nowadays, the method
of making the shades may
be the same as that used
by 15th-century craftsmen, but the lamps can be
found everywhere, such
as university buildings,
the windows of Raffaello Degusteria on Via
Bramante, and above the
that is reserved for informal
situations and would be
considered rude if used in
a formal email. Instead, use
“Cordiali saluti,” the English
equivalent of “sincerely”
or “salutations.” If you
are thanking someone in
advance for a favor use
“Anticipatamente ringrazio.”
Trp means troppo, “too
much.” “Bologna e’ trp
lontana!” “Bologna is too
far away!”
Sn means sono, “I am.”
“Sn in piazza.” “I am
in the piazza.”
Xké means perché, “why”
or “because.” “Xké nn
usciamo?” “Why don’t we
go out?” “Xké sn stanca.”
“Because I’m tired.”
Px means posso, “I can.”
“Px passare da te!” “I can
come to you!”
Gg means giorni, “days.”
“Fra 3 gg parto.” “I will
leave in 3 days.”
– Erica Demson
Texting
The Italians are just as busy
texting on their smartphones as Americans. The
American “LOL” has even
made its way into Italian
texting lingo. Here are
other tips for deciphering
Italian text messages:
LaPoliedrica
SN
TRP
(“Arrivederci”). But what
about e-mail and texting?
They have a style all their
own. Here are some tips
to keep you from getting
“lost in translation.”
“It is an act of affection and shows the
beauty of being together,” says a faculty
member of University of Urbino.
So when an Italian friend leans in for
a kiss, don’t assume she’s trying to make
a move on you. Here’s how to reciprocate:
Move toward your right and gently press
your left cheek against the other person’s
left cheek, then switch sides and do the
same with the right cheek. Follow this
rule, and you’ll never go wrong greeting
an Italian.
– Pachia Lee
tables of the restaurant
Vecchia Urbino on Via
dei Vasari.
In fact, you can buy
one of these lamps for
your own noble home.
Visit Bottega d’Arte Nevio
Sorini at 107 Via Mazzini,
where they are handmade
by Vittoria Gulini.
A medium-size shade
costs 160 euros, and
Gulini will pack the lamp
so you can carry it home
without worry.
– Sofia Lugo
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 13
GO NATIVE
Megan Northcote
Roman
Remnants
Revealed
Federico Fest
Jousting.
Dance.
Poetry.
Soccer.
These events and more take place every August
at Urbino’s annual Festa del Duca. This festival
celebrates the majesty of the past: the Court of
Federico da Montefeltro. It has honored the
cultural legacy of this court for 31 years.
The festival includes something for everyone.
Artisans such as basket makers and wood carvers showcase their work and provide children the
opportunity to learn techniques that date back
many years. Performers dance, recite poetry,
play music, and appear in both theater and film
productions. In honor of the court of Montefeltro,
there is an archery tournament, staged just as it
was centuries ago.
For 2012, the festival adds two new events.
The first is L’Aita, a military game played in the
1500s. In addition, costumed teams will play a
game of calcio storico fiorentino — a version of
soccer that originated in Florence in the 16th
century. Fireworks will end the festival.
The 2012 Festa del Duca will be held August
17, 18, and 19. For more information, visit
urbino-rievocazionistoriche.it.
– Nandi Alexander
14 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Most people regard Urbino as a quaint
Renaissance walled city, overflowing with
15th century Raphael masterpieces and
grandiose Ducale Palace architecture. But few
realize traces of even more ancient architecture, including curved Roman arches and
triangular Medieval arches, can still be found
incorporated into modern-day buildings.
Inside the courtyard of the University
of Urbino economics department off Via
A. Saffi, for example, you can marvel at part
of an original city boundary wall from
Medieval times composed of bricks and
chunks of marble. Across the street, at Via
S. Girolamo, take a look at a brick building
constructed atop a footing of marble column
(shown at left). In Roman times, a row of
full-sized columns stood here, signifying to a
horse and buggy approaching the city to begin
making the turn through the city entrance
arch, a few yards beyond the columns.
– Megan Northcote
Pass the
Passatelli,
Please
in and around Urbino.
The physical properties
of the noodles are what
make the dish special.
They are long, thick, and
spongy — much more
enjoyable than their
description suggests. As
del Leone’s passatelli chef
Nadia Silvestri (shown
below, on right) puts it,
“It is special because it is
simple, tasty, and it also
fills you.”
Pasta simplicity at its
finest, folks — you just
can’t pass on the passatelli.
– Milana Katic
La Trattoria del Leone
Via Cesare Battisti, 5
61029 Urbino, Italy
0722 329 894
Latrattoriadelleone.it
Open for dinner all week;
open for lunch Saturday,
Sunday, holidays, and
by reservation.
U
Milana Katic (2)
At the restaurant La Trattoria del Leone, located
on Via Cesare Battisti in
Urbino, the traditional Le
Marche dish passatelli in
brodo reigns supreme.
Made from a mixture
of grated bread, mixed
pecorino cheeses, parmesan, eggs, and a bit of salt
and nutmeg, passatelli
noodles are first squeezed
through a potato press
and then cooked in a pot
of boiling beef or veal
broth until they float. Traditionally, the noodles are
served in the broth, but
there are other versions of
the dish that can be made
with a fried vegetable
medley or even with
truffles and shellfish.
This regional favorite in
all its variations is available in many restaurants
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 15
ARTE E CULTURA
Dark unkempt hair tucked underneath a cream fedora, billowing
linen shirt revealing only a pinch of
chest hair, and loose khaki-colored
pants. He arrives at our table, having
successfully completed the obstacle
course through the rows of tables
and chairs that line the café.
Leaning strongly to one side, he
swings an arm forward to reveal a
trunk. Tattered, jade green, complete with camel-colored buckles,
the trunk finds its resting place on
the table in front of us.
We sit like children waiting for a
magic show to begin. It creaks open,
and one by one he reveals his treasures:
masks of Italy’s traditional Commedia
Dell’Arte. Pulling out one after the
other, he lays his shiny creations down
as if they were eggs about to break,
smiling proudly. The room fills with
the scent of fresh leather.
A man of many talents, Federico
Gargagliano does much more than
show and tell. He is a master leather
mask maker in the Commedia
Dell’Arte art form. Gargagliano and
16 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
BEHIND
his partner, Alessandra Ceccarelli,
produce one-of-a-kind, hand-made
leather masks under their company
name, Fa Maschere. They also put
the masks to good use, acting in their
own theater troupe, Circa Teatro.
Before his self-made success, Gargagliano was a street performer but
wanted more. His journey to becoming a mask-maker took off while
he was attending the University of
Urbino. He met and began working
under Georgio Di Marchi in 2003
during his studies. He graduated in
2004 with a degree in preserving
art and began working full time as
an apprentice for Di Marchi making
leather masks.
Fortunate enough to travel
around the world with his master,
Gargagliano learned enough to take
off on his own. In 2009 he started
his company with Ceccarelli, who is
also his girlfriend.
Ceccarelli focuses more on the
delicate and detailed elements of the
company. She makes all of the hats
for the masks as well as creating
artistic touches on the faces such as
colorful paint and facial hair. When
crafting the masks, Gargagliano uses
hand-made bone and wood tools,
compliments of Ceccarelli. Jacks of
many trades, these two also perform
in their theater troupe in the roles
of Arlecchino and a servant named
Cincilla.
Projecting a mysterious, dark, puzzling aura, Gargagliano fits right in
with the devilish personality of Arlecchino. Translating in other languages
as “Harlequin,” Arlecchino is known
for his exaggerated tricks, violent
movements, and outrageous transgressions. He is the most well-known
stock character in the Commedia
Dell’Arte, but there are many others.
Beginning in the early 1500s,
this improvisational, interpretive
art form brought relief to the public,
allowing them to temporarily escape
often difficult daily lives. Because the
stories were told through gesture and
universally understood expressions,
they were accessible to everyone.
Shows at this time were performed
Federico Gargagliano,
both mask-maker and
actor, often takes on
the role of the trickster
Arlecchino in performances of Commedia
Dell’Arte. Opposite, one
of Fa Maschere’s masks
in the making.
THE MASK
Story and photos by Allison Butler
at open-air theaters. The actors were
equipped with costumes and masks,
transforming them into the characters that have existed since the 1500s
and continue to exist today.
A common theme of the art form
is love. The young people are often
searching for the meaning of it, asking everyone in town. The servants
play an important role, being the
messengers for the rich as well as the
brains behind most of the schemes.
In the end, the older people are the
only ones with real knowledge, educating the young.
The style evolved from the improvisation style of the 1500s to a more
pantomime style, with fewer words
in the 1700s. Vastly popular during
these 200 years, the art form was
All of Fa Maschere’s
masks are made from
Tuscan leather. Top row
and middle row, left,
Gargagliano carefully
molds wet leather
over a form of facial
features. Middle row,
right, Gargagliano
nails the leather onto
the form; below,
Gargagliano will
make a seam to fit the
leather over the nose.
Opposite page, maskmakers Alessandra
Ceccarelli and Federico
Gargagliano, at
home with their
daughter, Alice.
18 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
then forbidden in Italy under Napoleonic law in the 1800s. The only
traces of the style could be found
in puppets and in the red nose of a
clown. The nose was a key component of the Commedia Dell’Arte
stock character Pierrot, and it symbolized its survival.
Long after the Commedia’s sudden
disappearance, Italy was faced with
the difficulties of World War II. Having been effectively split into two, the
country was seeking reunification.
A group of artists contacted Amleto
Sartori, who was famous for his work
with leather theatrical masks, and
asked him to revive the lost art. In
1953 Sartori made a set of classic
Commedia Dell’Arte masks for a theater company in Venice, and the art
form was alive again. People from all
over Italy attended the shows.
The masks are the glue within
the plays. Each element of the mask
is carefully chosen, representing a
different expression or gesture for
the actor.
Both Gargagliano and Ceccarelli enjoy the process of making
these unique leather masks. It takes
between four and five days and
begins with the selection of leather.
They use only one hundred percent
natural leather from Tuscany, which
is known for its high quality. Once
the leather is selected, the shaping
process begins.
On the first day the leather is wet
down with warm water, molded by
hand over a form with facial features
carved into it, then nailed down to
hold its shape. On the second day,
when the leather is half dry, they use
their hand-made tools to smooth it,
allowing it to dry completely. On
the third day the nose is the main
focus. They begin by making a fourmillimeter seam down the center of
the nose, wetting the leather again to
make it pliable, and finally sealing it
in place with fish glue.
On the fourth day colors are
added as well as wax to protect the
mask against water damage, sweat,
and daily wear and tear. During the
fifth and final days they coat both
sides of the mask with fish glue and
oil. “What is well done remains,”
says Gargagliano about the lengthy,
manual process.
With all steps complete, it’s time
to send the mask to its new owner.
Gargagliano looks proud yet sad as
he gingerly places a freshly finished
mask into a shipping box. Having
spent countless intensive hours on
this piece of art, he is understandably attached. Ceccarelli looks on
fondly, and explains, “Masks are like
orphans, they need a body. When
they find a body we are happy for
them,” she says. Gargagliano smiles
and closes the box, knowing it’s
going to a good home. U
Fa Maschere
329 934 3372
famaschere.com
info@famaschere.com
Who’s Who: The Main Characters of Commedia Dell’Arte
Pulcinella
From Naples. Poor worker who is
often married but rarely in love.
Dark mask filled with wrinkles
and a wart, showing age. Gargagliano’s take: “Ancient, friendly.”
Il Doctorre
From Bologna. A comic character that makes fun of the professors at the university in Bologna.
Mask covers only the forehead
and nose, allowing the actor to
have reddened cheeks to show his
fondness for alcohol. Gargagliano’s take: “Pedantic, ridiculous,
forgetful.”
20 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Pantalone Di Bisognosi
From Venice. Uses Venetian dialect.
Top of the pecking order of stock
characters; what he says goes.
Mask adorned with a mustache
and other white facial hair,
symbolizing knowledge. Gargagliano’s take: “Kind, cheap.”
Il Capitano
Spanish Captain, introduced after
the birth of the Commedia Dell’Arte.
Represents foreign domination,
a bold soldier. Large, meant to
attract women and intimidate
men. Gargagliano’s take:
“Vainglorious, fresh, scared.”
Arlecchino
From Bergamo. Speaks in Venetian
dialect. The evil spirit of a deceased
child, son of a witch, who came
back as Arlecchino. Big mouth
and flat cheeks signal he is poor
and always looking for food.
Gargagliano’s take: “Hungry,
terrible, sly.”
ARTE E CULTURA
The sign reads “Oliveriana Biblioteca.” Step by step, with a long line of
stairs in front of us, we make our way
into the hall of the ancient library in
the center of modern Pesaro, Italy.
As we look around, all we can see
are books of various shapes and
sizes behind glass doors that seem to
scream, “Do not touch.”
The librarian, Maria Gra zia
Alberini, greets us with a smile as my
interpreter explains who we are. She
walks into a back room and returns
a few minutes later. In her hands she
holds the mysterious book.
“Here,” says the librarian as she
passes it to me. “Hold it.”
In awe, I take the book. I slide the
latch, creating the sound of an ageold story unfolding. Dust fills the air
as the leather cover opens into the
Restoring the
Heart of History
Story and photos by Mikayla Francese
shape of a heart. My finger moves
over the dry pages. They are more
than five centuries old.
“It was found in this library,” says
Alberini. “We asked Mr. Vincenzo
Santoro to restore it — because he is
the best.”
It was a week earlier in Santoro’s
shop that I first heard about this
unique book, and decided I had to see
it, hold it, and feel its mystery. In the
closet-sized workspace in Urbino,
Santoro greeted me excitedly with
outstretched arms, calling “Ciao!
Ciao!” and looking as if he were welcoming a celebrity or an old friend.
His wide eyes glistened through tiny
glasses; his scruffy beard complemented his thick black hair with
gray highlights. The five-foot-tall
restoration expert seemed twice that
height with his joyful presence.
The walls were covered with his
successes, pictures of antique but
now renewed books and paintings
were framed and hung with pride.
Santoro said that he started studying the art of restoration during high
A heart-shaped
book holds
music (for
the love
song “J’ay
Pris Amour”),
poems, a
journal — and a 500-yearold mystery.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 21
school and continued during college at the University of
Urbino. He decided he wanted to teach the technique to
younger students. Now a high school teacher in the city
of Urbino, he runs a well-respected sideline in restoring
books and works of art from all around Italy.
Books, he said, were his favorite. One in particular
caught my attention as he explained that it was one of
the most mysterious objects he had ever seen.
“J’ay Pris Amour,” he called it. Translated from old
French, the title means “I have taken love.” He pointed to
a picture on the wall. There it was — a book in the shape
of a heart.
He said that the book had three parts: a section of
written music, pages of poems, and a journal. “The
author is unknown,” he added. “Based on the restoration
process, I know that it was written in the 1500s. I think
it might have belonged to Duke Guidobaldo’s wife, Elisabetta Gonzaga.”
Now, 20 miles from Urbino, I stand in Pesaro’s Oliveriana library with the open heart sitting in my hands. I see
the words in front of me as I look at the first few pages of the
book: “J’ay Pris Amour.” The words on these pages are the
lyrics of a French chanson popular in the 1400s. The written
music is the accompaniment that was to be played on the
lute. I start to wonder about Santoro’s speculation: Might
this book really have belonged to Elisabetta Gonzaga?
I can almost see her, the weight of Urbino on her
shoulders, further burdened by worries of her husband’s
health. As heir of the great Duke Federico da Montefeltro, Guidobaldo needs to keep the city of Urbino running prosperously and peacefully, but his body has failed
him. I imagine her sitting on a chair next to his bed,
managing interruptions from members of court and governmental subordinates who come to her with personal
concerns, requests to consider, and legal matters to
decide. Seeing the stress in her eyes, Guidobaldo thanks
her for never leaving his side.
She smiles and gives a tiny giggle as if to say that even
the thought of leaving him is absurd. She might then pick
up her lute. Holding the neck of the instrument with one
hand, she places the other ready to pluck the strings on
its round, wooden frame. Then she reaches for her book,
opens it to form the shape of a heart, and sings in a sweet,
gentle voice, “I have taken love as my device…”
I flip past the pages holding the music of “J’ay Pris
Amour” to reach the second part of the book, this one
containing words just as deep: hand-written love poems.
My imagination stirs again as I wonder whether this
might be Elisabetta’s work — or do I see someone else
now holding the book?
I envision a woman grasping an ancient pen, dipping it
into the black liquid that sits in front of her, and then opening the heart and starting to write. The pen bleeds these
words onto the paper…“Chi dice chio mi do poche pensiere”
(Who says that I give to myself few thoughts). She continues
to write as she thinks of the man to whom she will present this unusual gift. “Alzare il capo e dir qual cosa fia”
(To lift the head and to say that something will do).
22 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
A wealthy landowner in the 1500s wrote his own family
diary onto the later pages of the book, above.
Vincenzo Santoro works on the binding of an ancient
book (below) and cleans the pages of another (below left).
I reach the last part of the manuscript, the section with
the most clues to its history. Ink faintly shows the name
Tempesta Blondi. Experts have identified him as a successful landowner who lived in San Lorenzo in Campo
in the 1500s. Around the edges of the tarnished pages are
notes describing Blondi’s marriage as well as the death
of his father. The title on the fly-leaf of the book reads
“Miscellanea di Tempesta Blondi,” confirming that this
final section served as a sort of diary.
Blondi was a wealthy man whose life was full of culture. He and other members of his family were patrons
of and participants in the arts, particularly music and
poetry. Looking over the diary, it’s easy for me to imagine
a peaceful night in the life of the Blondis.
The gentle sounds of the lute fill the household; perhaps a few children dance to the beat. Outside, white
flakes fall from the sky; inside, candles bathe the family
in a warm light. Tempesta sits on the cushion of a love
seat; his wife sits across from him knitting a child’s winter hat. He plucks the strings of the musical instrument
that has shaped his past as it continues to bring joy to
his present. His oldest comes into the room carrying the
book. Tempesta takes the heart and writes out a few sentences to document the evening’s events, while planning
on many more to come.
As I close the book and study its cover of dry, broken
leather, I am pulled back into the present. It was just a
couple of days ago that I asked Santoro to describe the
process of how he restored such a delicate piece. He
explained that long journey while demonstrating some
of the techniques on a more recent restoration.
“Very carefully,” he said as he slowly took apart the
sewn binding one strand at a time, and then removed the
pages from the string. “I must scrape off the insect residue,” he explained as he cleaned each page — 380 in all.
Santoro wiped Gomma, a dry rubber powder, onto each
sheaf and placed the newly fluffed paper into water. He
removed the paper to then rub a thick, clear glue onto the
soft pages — cautiously so as not to rip them. He opened a
drawer in front of him. “My specially imported Japanese
paper,” he said as he placed a piece on the table. He sandwiched each newly hardened page between the paper and
a piece of gauze and waited for it to dry…
I hand the book back to the librarian and contemplate
its history, the facts and the imagined possibilities. It is
certain that Tempesta Blondi was the author of the journal that appears on its later pages. But who created the
book? Who owned it and who wrote the music and poetry
onto its pages before the book came into the possession of
the Blondi family halfway through the 16th Century? At
first, I found it too hard to accept how much is unknown.
Now I realize that this is part of its beauty, and a measure
of Santoro’s skill. This ancient book is still full of life,
love, and mystery— and that is what makes it precious. U
Website extra: See ancient books restored by Vincenzo
Santoro and others. A list of libraries and collections in
Le Marche is at 2012.inurbino.net/santoros-books
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 23
ARTE E CULTURA
In
the
Footsteps
of
Ancient
Rome
Story and photos by Megan Northcote 24 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
soft whirring of propeller blades breaks the silence of the sunny, late May afternoon in the Italian Marche countryside. Archaeologist Oscar Mei, hovering in
a helicopter, peers down to observe the Archaeological Park of Forum Sempronii,
the site of a partially excavated ancient Roman colony. At first glance, the land
appears a vast 60- to 70-acre sea of green wheat. Only
the Strada Statale 3, a modernday highway, is clearly
visible, bisecting the town along the same route the Via
Flaminia followed more than 2,000 years ago from Rome
to Rimini on its way to the Adriatic Sea.
Mei holds out his camera, snaps a photo of the town’s
southeastern quadrant, and reviews the image. The camera screen appears entirely green. But then he zooms in.
In the midst of the green field emerges a clearly defined,
yellow ochre semi-circle. Instantly, he has a hunch about
what lurks beneath the wheat at this unexcavated section
of town—a Roman amphitheatre. Turns out, he was right.
Mei joined the ranks of students working at Forum Sempronii in 1994, adding to 20 years of ancient Roman ruin
discoveries made by archaeologists-in-training. Every summer since 1974, Mario Luni, director of excavations at the
site and classical archaeology professor at the University
of Urbino, has instructed students like Mei in 40-day field
schools. Forum Sempronii is located 15 miles southeast of
Urbino, within the present day town of Fossombrone.
Under Luni’s meticulous guidance, Mei worked (or
dug) his way up the excavation ladder, also becoming a
professor of archaeology and now serving as Luni’s assistant director of excavations. “Mario Luni gave me the
opportunity to work to the highest level of archaeology,”
Mei said. “He taught me you have to work with an open
mind and without preconceptions.”
For instance, Mei’s assumption that the semi-circular
pattern in the photo represented a Roman amphitheatre
wasn’t enough to please Luni. They had to dig before deciding if Mei’s hypothesis held true. It did. Last year, Luni
and Mei assisted students in excavating the entrance of
the amphitheatre, uncovering cobblestone walls approximately a yard high as well as part of the original floor.
How do Mei’s aerial photos enable archaeologists to see
beneath the soil and detect where Roman ruins are hidden? It’s not magic. As Mei explains, every year between
late May and early June when the wheat is in full bloom,
archaeologists have about 10 days (before the entire field
turns brown) to detect the yellow ochre lines caused by
the ancient structures hidden beneath the soil. These
structures prevent ample nutrients from reaching the
plants directly above, killing that wheat a few days earlier than the rest of the field.
But you don’t always need a camera to uncover the
past. Sometimes a bit of luck and modern day construction will do the trick. The entire ancient town was discovered in 1974 when construction workers, planning to
lay the foundation for a new industrial city, accidentally
dug into the settlement’s crumbling walls.
Forum Sempronii was founded by Gaius Sempronius
Gracchus in 133 BC. For over 700 years, between 200 BC
and 500 AD, this small town teemed with life, boasting
between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, primarily farmers.
Other residents, Luni said, worked as soldiers, magistrates, and merchants, who traveled up and down the Via
Flaminia trying to eke out a living.
Constructed between 223 and 220 BC under Roman
Consul Caius Flaminius, the Via Flaminia both increased
trade among roadside towns and served as a military
thoroughfare down which Roman soldiers marched into
battle. As the first main Roman road running through
Italy, the Via Flaminia greatly expanded the empire.
“Just as Americans settled their country from east to
west, the Romans moved from west to east, toward the
Adriatic Sea. Before the Romans, the land along the Via
Flaminia was wild, without agriculture. The Romans
reclaimed the fields,” Luni explained. Gracchus founded
University of
Urbino students
Laura Invernizzi,
left, and
Lara Pollidori
examine skeletal
remains near
the ancient
Via Flaminia,
whose stones
(opposite page)
are visible in
the Archaeological Park
of Forum
Sempronii.
Forum Sempronii in the Metauro River Valley after the
passage of lex Sempronia, an agricultural law, which
mandated equitable distribution of land to farmers.
Thanks to Mei, every finding excavated at Forum Sempronii by the university, from the smallest pottery shard to
the longest ancient wall, has been meticulously described,
measured, photographed and documented in his excavation diary. Among these are several large structures, all
within two-and-a-half acres, including: small, private
thermal baths; larger, public baths; a 200-meter-long cobblestone stretch of the Via Flaminia intersected by parts of
smaller side roads; and a domus or Roman house.
Working with their students, Luni and Mei have gleaned
much information about daily Roman life through careful
examination of these findings. The presence of not just one,
but two Roman baths in such a small town suggests the
importance these baths held as a means of bringing the community together, especially since the baths were often free or
cost very little. “Roman baths are a symbol of Roman life,”
Mei said. “For example, in many colonies in the Mediterranean, in Africa, in eastern Turkey, and in Roman colonies, the first structure the Romans constructed was not
the forum, basilica, or the temple, but the baths. If I go into
the baths, I am a Roman citizen. That was the mentality
of this period.”
Yet some sections of Forum Sempronii were more
socially stratified. Two mosaics, for example, were found
on the dining room and bedroom floor when excavating
the domus close to the Via Flaminia, suggesting that
most people who lived inside the city were wealthier than
those who lived further outside. “Romans decorated their
homes with mosaics of exotic animals like giraffes and
tigers to show off their wealth and to welcome guests to
their home,” Luni said.
Even smaller objects found in the ditches used for
dumping trash outside the domus reveal much about the
University
archaeologist Oscar Mei
helps Invernizzi
and Pollidori
expose an
ancient Roman
skeleton first
uncovered a
few summers
ago near the
Via Flaminia.
Opposite, Mei
brushes dirt
and pebbles
from another
specimen.
Romans’ daily activities and diet. Among the lucky
finds: gold jewelry, Roman coins, rusty keys, a game
die, mussel and clam shells, chicken bones, and even
the residue of a kind of Roman cocktail sauce called
garum lining the walls of a ceramic pot. To make
garum, Mei said, the Romans would pour a mixture
of oil, lemon, and vinegar over fish intestines placed
inside a bowl and allow it to sit for three months. It
was used for flavoring fish and meats.
But it’s not just material culture that’s being excavated and documented; ancient Romans are, too.
About 15 years ago, with the help of aerial photography (of course!), Mei and Luni’s team stumbled
upon a skeleton buried along the Decamanus minor,
a side road intersecting the Via Flaminia in the center
of town. Over the years, one by one, more and more
skeletons were discovered, all buried inside the walls
of Roman shops along this side road. In recent years,
the archaeological team has mapped a total of 44 skeletons, all of which, laboratory tests reveal, fell victim
to the Black Death, a plague that killed many people
in Italy around the 5th century AD, roughly corresponding to the abandonment of Forum Sempronii.
During the most recent archaeological work, in
the summer of 2012, students re-excavated some of
these same bodies, removing bones for further laboratory analysis to determine their gender and age.
Nearby, another group continued to unearth more
interior sections of the domus and the baths. In addition, students pursued further excavations of the
amphitheatre that Mei originally spotted from his
perch in the helicopter. Equipped with small trowels called scopettas, cameras, and sketch pads, these
archaeologists-in-training will continue to explore
Roman ruins that lie beneath those short-lived, yellow ochre patterns in the field. U
Website extra: Driving the Via Flaminia:
an interactive map to guide you along the ancient
Roman road — by car!
2012.inurbino.net/flaminia-map
Archaeological Park of Forum Sempronii
Via San Martino del Piano
Fossombrone, Italy
Open in July, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. by appointment
(e-mail oscar.mei@uniurb.it)
During off-hours, site is viewable from behind fences
Archaeological Museum “A. Vernarecci”
Palazzo Ducale Corte Alta, Via del Verziere
Fossombrone, Italy
072 171 4645
bit.ly/archeo-museum
Summer: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
(closed Monday)
Winter: Saturday 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.,
Sunday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 27
MANGIA BENE
“Simplicity.” In that one word Jason
Bartner sums up his style of cooking.
Jason, co-owner and chef of La Tavola
Marche Organic Farm, Inn, and Cooking School, specializes in transforming the freshest of local Le Marche
ingredients into five-course meals.
“I take the freshest ingredients I
can and I do the least to them,” says
Jason, as he leans against a stone
archway dividing the kitchen from
the entry room in his 300-year-old
farmhouse. “It has taught me as a
cook, it is not what I do, but what I
don’t do that makes a dish better.”
La Tavola Marche is tucked into
the Apennine Mountains about 6
miles northwest of Piobbico. Here,
guests learn to prepare local and seasonal dishes of the Le Marche region.
Jason, who trained at the French
Culinary Institute in New York, and
his wife, Ashley Bartner, formerly
member relations director at a high-
end New York club, have created a
portal for travelers and locals alike
to immerse themselves in the simple
Italian way of life.
Take their regular Thursday
pizza night, for example. In the early
morning, Jason mixes together milk,
olive oil, beer, and flour, then rolls
the dough into six-inch spheres and
places them in covered plastic containers. As the dough rises, Jason
gathers onions, peppers, mushrooms,
Simpl
28 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Every Thursday night, Ashley and
Jason Bartner prepare pizzas for
the guests of their agriturismo
and cooking school. By continuing the local culinary traditions,
the couple hopes to inspire others
to eat locally and seasonally.
olives, and tomatoes, mostly from
the couple’s garden, for chopping. He
places other toppings such as sausage, anchovies, rosemary, and prosciutto in bowls and sets them outside in the center of long oak tables
opposite his outdoor stone oven.
As the agriturismo’s guests return
in the early evening from their adventures, Jason dusts the tables with flour.
He hand tosses each ball of pizza
dough into 12-inch circles and places
them on the dusted tables. Ashley,
answering questions from guests and
observing from the side, throws Jason
a towel to soak up the sweat gathering
on his brow. With all the toppings laid
out before him, Jason quickly spoons
tomato sauce onto each circle. He then
shovels the first pizza of the night into
the oven where a white-hot crackling
fire blazes.
A family of four Americans surrounds Jason’s working area, quizzing him as he prepares the pizza.
A Canadian couple, who spent the
day in Urbino, takes photos of Jason
working, and two Kiwis ask Jason to
toss another pizza in the air just one
more time. At last, a dozen of Jason and
Ashley’s Italian friends and neighbors
drive up the way. Handshakes and
hugs are exchanged, and the energy
of the party increases with the mix
of languages and laughter.
Jason removes the pizzas one by
one. Ashley stands near to sprinkle
greens over the top and add the final
touches. Then, a pie in each hand,
she places them in front of her two
dozen awaiting guests.
Pizzas of ever y kind — 28 in
all — flow from Jason’s oven: potato
and ricotta; black olive, pepper,
tomato and cucumber; cheese with
wild greens; sausage and mushroom;
salami piccante; onion; cheese and
prosciutto; capers and anchovies; and
the simplest, olive oil and rosemary.
“This is the first time I have eaten
a pizza cooked by an American,”
says guest Giorgio Mochi, the mayor
of Piobbico. “It’s as good as the Italian ones.”
“Sto imparando ancora,” Jason
says — I am still learning. The ingredients themselves make the dish,
he says. “You can be the best cook
in the entire world, but if you don’t
have these beautiful things to play
with, these beautiful ingredients,
you can’t transform them into something that they are not.”
Jason and Ashley pride themselves in producing nearly all of their
own “beautiful ingredients.” They
grow ten varieties of tomatoes, as
well as eggplants, onions, beans, berries, melons, and cucumbers. Ashley
icity
Story
and
photographs
by
Leah De Graaf
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 29
is responsible for their two roosters
and 18 hens, which produce 16 eggs
a day. The couple also has apple and
nut trees as well as wild leafy greens
surrounding their home.
The tree-covered Apennine Mountains, nearby Adriatic Sea, and central
location of Le Marche are what first
caught the attention of Jason and Ashley on their month-long honeymoon
during the spring of 2006. But what
drew them back was the opportunity
to live among Italians. “I just kept
30 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Instead of showing up at their hosts’
home for finished meals, Jason would
ask to learn first-hand by preparing
dinner with his hosts. These neighbors and friends from the surrounding towns of Urbania and Piobbico
had the greatest influence on Jason’s
Italian cooking.
“The Italians are great teachers. If
you show an interest they are more
than willing to teach,” says Jason.
Cardiologist Settimio Gaggi, Jason
and Ashley’s neighbor and “adopted
papa,” has been one of the greatest
aids in getting to know the simple
Italian way. “They’re very curious,
and they want to learn,” says Gaggi.
“They came to our house to have
lunch and they wanted to learn the
dishes they ate in our home. Sometimes they came to my wife, Rossana, and they asked her: ‘How do
you cook this dish?’ For them I feel
great fondness.”
For Jason and Ashley, getting
back to the simple way of things has
brought them even closer to their
Italian neighbors and friends. In fact,
it was while delivering homemade
apple pies to welcome a new neighbor that Jason and Ashley first met
Gaggi, the friend they now consider
family. “Food is probably the most
accessible way to know a culture
and become connected with it,” says
Ashley. “I think when you get to
know the food of an area, you get to
know a bit of their history, too.”
As Jason places the last two pizzas of the night in front of his Italian guests, the crowd erupts with
cheers. “Che la pizza era buona!”
says Giorgio Mochi — the pizza was
very tasty! Jason bows and waves his
thanks. Applause fills the cool evening air. U
The Thursday pizza nights at La
Tavola Marche attract not only
the guests of the agriturismo but
also friends and neighbors from
the surrounding towns, who
credit Jason with making pizza
as good as an Italian’s.
Website extra: La Tavola Marche
chef Jason Bartner debunks the
myth of heavy Italian cuisine at
2012.inurbino.net/Italian-cooking
saying, ‘We could live here,’ ” says
Ashley. In 2007, they made the move.
As the only Americans in the
area, the Bartners were soon invited
over for dinners with neighbors and
taught the main dishes of the region.
La Tavola Marche
Agriturismo Ca’Camone
Via Candigliano
61046 Piobbico, Italy
331 525 2753
latavolamarche.com
F
Sempre
“Ciao!”
MANGIA BENE
amiglia
says the short, elderly woman
standing behind the counter. On her apron are the words
“Gastronomia Beltrami, Cartoceto, Italy.” This is Elide
Beltrami, wife of Vittorio Beltrami, a man who has been
ordained the “Einstein of cheese” by famous chef Lidia
Matticchio Bastianich. With a wide, warm smile, Elide
makes me feel as welcome as if I were walking into my
local corner store.
However, Gastronomia Beltrami is not just your average corner store. Inside the front glass case are piles of
pecorino cheese, made from the milk of the Beltramis’
sheep. To the left, stacked on wooden shelves, are jars
of fig and other fruit jams, made by Elide and her family
and wrapped in brown paper and ribbon. Lastly, on a wide
oak cupboard are bottles of glistening green olive oil — a
product that brought this family name much praise in
the early 1900s — harvested from the Beltramis’ groves
and pressed in a 500-year-old palace.
Elide Beltrami is
A petite woman in her midthe matriarch
thirties with short dark-brown hair
of the cheeseand olive-oil
comes from the back and flashes a
making family.
smile. This is Cristiana Beltrami,
the daughter of Vittorio and Elide Beltrami. “Let’s go on
a tour,” she says and I follow her to her car. As she drives,
Cristiana explains that she has worked at the shop for 15
years, since graduating with a degree in economics from
the University of Urbino.
Our first stop overlooks the town; the view is filled with
olive trees, churches, hills, and fields. Cartoceto is located
in the Marche region and is a municipality in the province
of Pesaro and Urbino. Cristiana explains that Cartoceto
is part of an association called “Città Dell’Olio”— City of
Oil — because of the town’s large production of olive oil.
The Marche region, she explains, was a church territory in
the 1500s, with a lot of priests, churches, and monasteries.
“The olive oil produced in this area would all go to Rome.”
The Beltramis have been among the
Story by
region’s olive growers since 1870. In the
1960s, Vittorio’s father, Quindi, opened a Nandi Alexander
tabacchi store that sold everything including
Photographs by
the family-made olive oil. Vittorio and Elide
Elizabeth Zabel
took over the business in 1980 and named it
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 31
Gastronomia Beltrami, adding cheese
festivals such as Slow Food InternaIn the 15th-century palace that is
now the family’s olive oil factory,
and jams. These days, the family grows
tional and Milano Food. Lidia BastianCristiana Beltrami explains the
20 different varieties of olives in a
ich, American chef, restaurateur, and
process of making the oil.
secluded area called “Covo dei Brigauthor specializing in Italian food, even
Opposite: The Cartoceto region
anti”— hideout of bandits — where
did a segment on Vittorio Beltrami on
is known for olives and cheese.
men once took refuge to avoid joining
her PBS show, “Lidia’s Italy.”
the military. Once a week, the olives are picked by hand.
We stop at the “Covo dei Briganti,” where the BeltraThese olives are then taken back to town to be pressed in
mis’ goats and sheep roam the countryside, eating the
the old Rusticucci Palace, originally owned by a cardinal in
grass, and living “completely in symbiosis with nature,”
the 1500s, to create the final product, extra virgin olive oil.
Cristiana explains. Vittorio hand-picks the sheep and
Fast forward to 1980, when Vittorio Beltrami brought in
goats, she says, to assure the best cheese. He travels all
something else: formaggio di fossa; in English, “pit cheese.”
over Italy to find the animals, brings them back to the
This form of making cheese has its roots in the Marche.
pasture, and names each one. Cristiana points to some
According to Ashley Bartner, a food expert living in the
of the goats nearby, reciting their names: Mansueto,
region, in the 1400s farmers stashed their cheese in caves
Bianchina, and Bella. Eric LeMay, professor at Ohio Unito hide it from raiding soldiers. After the soldiers left, the
versity and author of the book Immortal Milk: Advenfarmers retrieved their hidden cheese only to find it not only
tures in Cheese, describes Vittorio Beltrami as a man
edible but delicious because of the constant temperature.
who “has a true investment in the land, the animals, and
It has a musty smell, a sharp taste, and a crumbly texture.
co-workers, and he’s not afraid to stand up for tradition
The Beltramis’ version of this cheese has been featured in
and against those who would compromise it.”
32 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Our next stop is the Rusticucci Palace, where Cristiana
describes the process of making the formaggio di fossa.
Each August, Vittorio puts the formaggio di fossa into
cloth bags filled with herbs and stores it in a dark, cold
cave beneath the Rusticucci Palace, leaving it to mature
until November. After three months, the Beltramis
unveil the buried cheese in an annual ceremony. Visitors
come from all over Italy to see and taste the new cheese.
Driving back to the store, Cristiana says, “For me, my
family is very important and this was a choice of life.”
The family uses the word “retroinnovazione” to sum up
what they do. This term means remembering the past
and never forgetting it. However, it also means using the
principles of the past in the present and the future. “Our
history is in the job that we do, we have roots; a culture.
Here we run a real economy because we make the products from start to finish,” Cristiana says.
Back at the store, Cristiana and Elide bring out a platter of two types of formaggio di fossa, white wine, and
focaccia bread. One “fossa” is older and tastes strong.
The other, a young fossa, is fresh and light. The savory
tastes of the cheese and foccacia fit perfectly with the
sweet taste of the wine. Next Elide serves fresh yogurt
with berry jam in a small cup. I savor every bite. Elide
asks, “Ti piace?” “Do you like it?”
“Si, buonissimo!” U
Website extra: Read more about Cartoceto’s food offerings at 2012.inurbino.net/foodies-guide
Gastronomia Beltrami
Via Umberto I, 21-23
61030 Cartoceto, Italy
0721 893 006
gastronomiabeltrami@alice.it
gastronomiabeltrami.com
Open Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
and 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. Open Sunday and Monday
by appointment only.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 33
URBINO CENTRO
C
Healing the racks
Art restoration
students save works
damaged in a 2009
earthquake — and
help heal communities
at the same time
Story by Sofia Lugo
Photographs by Timothy Reuter
The smell of paint fills the quiet, wide room. This is the
art restoration lab of the University of Urbino, where
professor Michele Papi teaches. Religious paintings,
taller than the people who walk past, recline against
the walls with sculptures of saints standing close by.
On the floor near each piece of art is a slip of paper that
describes the work and says where it’s from: One slip
says, “Castel del Monte. Mary shows the insignia of
San Domenico.”
Seated before some of the paintings are people wearing white overcoats who meticulously mix colors on a
palette and delicately daub the artwork in front of them.
Their eyes move only between the paintings and the
palette, and not to the visitors nearby, as this is a skill
that requires a great level of concentration. These are
Papi’s students, completing the five years required for an
art restoration degree. The lab where they work — three
well-lighted rooms near the entrance to the Ducal Palace — is always open to the public to display the latest
restoration project.
For many of these students, the latest project is special.
The art pieces they are working on were damaged by an
April 6, 2009, earthquake that devastated the province of
L’Aquila, located in the Abruzzo region just south of Le
Marche. The paintings and sculptures aren’t all that significant artistically, but they have a different kind of value.
“They have more of an emotional value than they
have actual value because they belong to small commu34 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
An art restoration student
works near the 17th-century
painting The Massacre of
the Innocents, which was
damaged in a 2009 earthquake. University of Urbino
professor Michele Papi
(opposite) leads the art
restoration lab.
nities, so they were more special that way,” says Daniele
Costantini, a student who participated in the project.
Lucia Arbace, superintendent of art history for the
Abruzzo province, agrees. All are worth restoring, she
says, because each piece comes from a different church,
so each has something unique. “The ecclesiastical
heritage is very diverse and heterogeneous,” she says.
36 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
The L’Aquila earthquake, with a magnitude of
6.3, was the worst to strike Italy in more than three
decades. More than 300 people died and more than
40,000 were left homeless. About 10,000 structures
totally or partially collapsed; at least 400 of those
were from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. By contrast, the series of earthquakes in May 2012 in the region
of Emilia-Romagna left an estimated 17 people dead.
“I was really afraid for my family and for my friends,”
says Stefania Paolini, another of Papi’s students, who was
born in Castelvecchio Subequo, a village in the L’Aquila
province. “One of my friends died.”
The reaction to the earthquake was immediate. Within
days, the University of Urbino offered its help to restore
Papi, his co-workers,
and 70 students spent
two years restoring
17 paintings and sculptures damaged in the
L’Aquila earthquake. The
artwork was returned
to the villages it came
from at the beginning
of July 2012.
some of the damaged art. The Marche Regional Association of Municipalities financed the process, “adopting”
one or two paintings from each of several affected villages.
The total of chosen pieces came to 17 and included paintings and sculptures. Arbace says, “There was great interest in saving L’Aquila’s artistic heritage.” And now, after
almost two years of work, Papi, his coworkers, and their 70
students have finished their task.
“It is beautiful for L’Aquila,” Paolini says.
Costantini and three other students restored one of
the works damaged in the earthquake. It is from the town
of Popoli, and it is a triptych by an unknown artist depicting Christ, the Madonna with Christ, and Joseph with
Christ. Costantini says the steps for restoring a piece of
art are always similar, but the process itself depends on
the piece. For this painting, he started out by working
on the back, the support of the painting. To fix fractures
in the support, the restorers dug out the damage and
filled the holes with small wooden triangles and sap-like
glue. Next the restorers turned to the front
of the painting. First, they cleaned it with
organic solvents. Then, they filled blank
spots with a mixture of glue and chalk.
After smoothing these spots with sandpaper, the students restored the image with
watercolors and paint. Finally, Costantini
brushed a clear synthetic liquid over the
surface to preserve the colors.
Though these paintings are from
many places and by many artists, Papi says
he gives them all the same care. “All paintings are valuable, whether they come from
Abruzzo or elsewhere,” he says, “because
paintings are the historical memory of our country.”
Papi has restored art for more than 25 years. He studied
first at the Istituto Statale d’Arte in Urbino and later at
the Accademia di Belle Arti, also in Urbino Though he
specialized in chalcography (copper and zinc engraving),
he says restoration is his passion. “One day in 1982 I met
a restorer from Florence who was teaching restoration,”
he says. “Ever since then I’ve never stopped doing it.”
He sounds confident as he says that the Abruzzo
paintings didn’t present any specific challenges. These
paintings were damaged and needed restoration, which is
something he and his team deal with all the time.
“The real challenge is giving them back to the population,” he says, because of the emotional connection. He
will face this challenge at the beginning of July, when,
after almost two years of work, the team will return the
pieces to Abruzzo. An exhibit of the restored works in
L’Aquila will allow people to appreciate the art and the
work that was done.
Says Papi, “For them, seeing the paintings they love is
a way to go back to go normality.” U
Website extra: Michele Papi and his colleagues have
restored many of Urbino’s art treasures. See the list
at 2012.inurbino.net/restoring-urbino
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 37
URBINO CENTRO
Paradise Lost
the Palazzo Ducale. “Federico tried to create a perfect
society and a perfect kind of art, also a perfect palace.”
Sadly, this “perfect society” was short-lived. Everything Federico accomplished in his reign was lost soon
after his death in 1482. Luckily for us, though, the palace
still offers a window into Federico’s ideal city — granted,
of course, you know who to ask to decipher the symbols.
Take, for example, the palace piazza, the space that
stretches between the palace and the duomo. “Anyone
walking up to the palace at that time would have been
impressed,” says Valazzi. In contrast to many fortresslike palaces of the time, she explains, the Ducal Palace appears to welcome people in. The wide, spacious
piazza and its light and airy quality seemed to aid in
the free flow of ideas. It was there in the piazza that
the mathematical renaissance grew and thrived.
The Palazzo Ducale, says Valazzi, was “a city in
form of a palace.” At its height it was home to over
400 people including the architect Melozzo da Forli,
the mathematician Luca Pacioli, and the artist Pedro
Berruguete. Federico used his military wealth and
success to attract and hire local artisans for his architectural projects, and he alleviated taxes on his subjects, all of which made him a well-loved ruler. Artists
and thinkers flocked to Urbino to take part in the new
cultural revolution initiated by Federico.
If the palace is a city, Federico’s studiolo, or study,
is the city’s heart. The study, located on the second
floor of the palace, is filled with symbols and hidden
meanings, say Valazzi and museum curator Alessandro Marchi, most of which refer to the ideals of Federico’s perfect society.
Though only the size of today’s typical closet, the
deep and warm colors of the intricately inlaid wood
Timothy Reuter
The palace doesn’t seem that big from the courtyard.
It is only when I go underground to the cavernous
kitchens and storerooms, where the air gets at least
10 degrees cooler, and when I walk up the wide, grand
staircases that I truly understand this palace is enormous. Just when I think there can’t be any more hallways, there is always another around the corner, filled
with golden Byzantine altarpieces or collections of
delicately painted ceramics. The typical boulder-anddungeon atmosphere of a 15th-century castle is absent
in Urbino’s Palazzo Ducale. It is surprisingly light.
Stone corridors are lined with unexpected windows,
allowing light to pour in. I peer out every window
to find different courtyards; some filled with green
shrubbery and blooming flowers while others are simply paved with stone.
These now-barren courtyards once bustled with
people. Federico da Montefeltro, soldier, scholar, and
the duke of these lands from 1444 to 1482, initiated
the flow of great minds to Urbino. The mathematician-artist Leon Battista Alberti, who brought back
the ideals of classical architecture, and Piero della
Francesca, who was a pioneer in the usage of perspective, were some of the notable individuals in the city.
Urbino became the home of a movement now known
as the mathematical renaissance, which was born out
of the marriage between the arts and sciences.
For Federico, this was the perfect society. It was a
society where people of different disciplines shared
ideas and lived in harmony, a society unique for its
time. “While the city of Florence had mathematicians
and artists, they didn’t live together as they did in
Urbino,” says Maria Rosaria Valazzi, director of the
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, which is housed in
38 Urbino Now
A glimpse of
Federico’s ideal city
by Erica Demson
The harmonious proportions of the Ducal
Palace’s Honor Court, above, reflect
Federico da Montefeltro’s interest in the marriage of art and science. Opposite:
The inlaid-wood panels of the duke’s studiolo
are filled with symbols; the squirrel
represents the duke’s tendency to collect
ideas from many sources.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 39
Deserted City:
The city has no
people. Thus, it
becomes “perfect”
by lacking
“imperfect” man.
Precision:
If you get close enough
to the painting, you can
see the mark left by the
protractor the artist used
to measure out the exact
proportions of the image.
Temple:
The temple in the
center of the painting
takes a circular form,
symbolizing the
eternalness of God.
Su concessione del Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali. Soprintendenza per i Beni Storici, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici delle Marche-Urbino.
panels make this room one of the most memorable of
the palace. The top halves of the walls are lined with
portraits of men. These men were people of the duke’s
past and his present, including the poet Homer, philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and religious figures Solomon
and Moses, all looming over Federico as if to send down
inspiration as he worked.
Just below the portraits begins the woodwork. A
hodgepodge of books and sheet music appear to be stacked
on shelves while a knight’s armor and spear seem to be
strewn on benches. The intarsia technique, or inlaid
wood, allows panels to take on perspective and depth, an
impressive feat during that time. The four walls are lined
with tricks and illusions of trompe l’oeil that make your
eyes believe that the objects face you no matter where
you stand in the room.
On one wall a lute appears to lie next to a spear. The
placement is not accidental, says Valazzi. The instrument
represents the perfection of music, the unflawed relationship
40 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
between math and sound. It was this harmonious blending
of disciplines that Federico so admired. But the military
weapon has its purpose too. It symbolizes the idea that
a perfect society has many elements, including a strong
military force. Scientific instruments such as a compass
and an hourglass also find their homes among the trompe
l’oeil shelves, reminding the viewer that it takes the balance
and accord of many subjects to achieve an ideal society.
One of the most distinctive features of the studiolo,
says Marchi, is the small squirrel settled on a receding stone background framed by Grecian columns and
arches. Marchi explains that just as a squirrel takes
acorns and saves them for the winter, Federico would take
many ideas and readings and save them. “It is a symbol
of how you take culture and store it, and then later in life
it will become valuable to you,” says Marchi. Federico’s
wide range of interests helped create a rare kind of utopia
where harmony and justice were the center: Urbino.
Federico’s ideals lasted only as long as the reign of his
Open door:
The door of the
temple remains open,
symbolizing the hope
that man can one day
reach perfection.
Harmony:
The balance and
proportion of the
shapes and spaces in
the painting were
inspiration to have
harmony in reality.
son Guidobaldo, then disappeared. By the late 15th century,
after Guidobaldo and his wife Elisabetta had passed away,
the architects and philosophers had fled the city, leaving it
in a standstill. The changing worldviews at the end of the
15th century overtook what Federico had created and no
more attempts were made to recreate his utopia.
Valazzi, however, has a hope for what people might
take away when they visit modern Urbino, a hope Federico himself might have approved of: “That the world
can be harmonious. That the world can find an idea of
justice and harmony.” U
Palazzo Ducale
Piazza Rinascimento, 13
61029 Urbino, Italy
Palazzoducaleurbino.it
Socialization:
As in Renaissance
Urbino, the open piazza
was a place where people
could gather to share
thoughts and ideas.
Signs of a Renaissance
During the summer of 2012, the painting above, called
La Città Ideale (The Ideal City), was the centerpiece
of an exhibit at the Palazzo Ducale about the arts and
sciences that blossomed during Federico’s reign. In
addition to the enigmatic painting — its artist, date,
and commissioner are unknown — the exhibit included
some 80 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and manuscripts by Piero della Francesca, Donato Bramante, and
other members of Federico’s court. Luckily for modernday visitors, La Città Ideale is a permanent resident of
the Ducal Palace, allowing ample opportunity to scrutinize the work for the signs of Urbino’s “mathematical
Renaissance.”
– Erica Demson
Open Monday 8:30 a.m. – 2p.m. and
Tuesday through Sunday 8:30 a.m. –7:15 p.m.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 41
URBINO CENTRO
La
Diva
Della
Via
Story and styling by Azia Toussaint
Photographs by Allison Butler
On Thursday nights in
Urbino, the Piazza della
Repubblica is the place to
be. Students party at the
square’s disco, “La Dolce
Vita,” and at its bars,
spilling out into the piazza
itself. Mara Dell’Erario, a
fashion design student
at the University of Urbino
joined the late-night
action in a fluorescentgreen, A-line dress. A-line
dresses are seen a lot in
the piazza, but Mara’s
choice of color made her
stand out. You can buy
this dress at Cilli’s booth
at the Saturday market
for only 25 euros.
42 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Want to
look like an Urbinata? Try shopping at the Saturday market.
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 43
intage, unique, one-of-a-kind clothing.
And you can only get it here!”
pared to American fashion, their style was conservative.
His salt-and-pepper hair goes well with his wrinkly
Turning to my left, I noticed a pale man with dreadlocks
face, and he wears a striped sun-kissed shirt with shorts
wearing an oversized graphic T-shirt, loose fitting jeans
to match. Captain of a clothes booth at Urbino’s Saturday
shorts, and black sneakers. A dog walked by his side, leashmarket, he uses his words as bait to reel customers in; I
less. To my right was a middle-aged woman wearing a dress
am one of them.
of colorful patterns complemented by a bright floral scarf
“Ciao bella. What do you need?”
and three-inch heels. But by the piazza’s fountain, which was
“I’m shopping for clothes to look like I fit in here.”
directly in front of me, there was a group of young women all
I tell him about the floral patterns and lace tops that
dressed differently. One had on pants in a floral print, another
a local friend recommends, and the comfortable harem
had on a tank top covered by a lace shirt, and the others
pants that everyone here seems to wear. He responds
wore what looked like genie’s pants, with a dramatically
by tossing a white beaded blouse straight at my chest.
lower crotch. They all managed to dress comfortably
Matching pants, floral dresses, and sequined tops follow.
and still look stylish.
My job at the market is done; my
Intrigued by the town’s fashions, I
With vendor Cilli’s help, writer
journey is complete.
decided to quiz my new Italian friends
Azia Toussaint outfits herself
about their tastes. One of the very
at the Saturday market.
My journey began when I
important “do’s” came
first set foot in the Piazza
from Luca Ambrogiani, a
della Repubblica, Urbino’s
student who says he loves
main square. Everything
women: “Be comfortable
about the location was
and be yourself, confidence
right: The sun was setting
is key. Urbino is a blend of
and I could taste the beer
Italians from all over Italy
and pastries in the air. But
so there is not just one parsomething was wrong.
ticular style of fashion. Just
Wearing boyfriend jeans
have fun.” One of the most
and a lime-green crop top,
important “don’ts” came
I looked completely Amerfrom Helen Sorchiotti, a
ican. No wonder people
student and a six-inch-heel
stared. Everyone around me
walker herself: “If you
was covered up, and, comare not a pro in heels do
44 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
not pack them. The cobblestone does not Want a great view
tie-dye dress with an embroidered neckline, a
permit, unless you’re really good.” They of Urbino? Check out
white sheer top and scarf, a gold pencil skirt,
also told me things like strappy sandals the vista from the
and a plain black top. Suddenly other shoppers
Fortezza dell’Albornoz
are a must-have. Serena Alessi pointed out the near the Raffaello
begin to flock to my pile. “Grazie!” I say, gathslashed T-shirts with tank tops beneath. Silvia statue. Mara enjoys
ering the clothes together to protect them from
Verducci said this year all the young women the Fortezza in a pair
the other women.
are buying any type of clothing with a flag on of dark jeans and a
At the cash register, Tommaso introduces
it. Mara Dell’Erario told me her favorite shop white sheer shirt.
me to his son, Cilli. Cilli explains that he
Mara’s shirt is embroiis the Piazza Srl at 71 Via Giuseppe Mazzini. dered with flowers
took the business over from his father 20
I was finally ready to shop.
years ago, selling mostly vintage clothing. As
along the neck line
This morning, Saturday, I got up at half and is complemented
he hands back my change he says, “Vintage
past 8, eager to start my shopping mission. with an everyday
was a luxury thing twenty years ago because
With only 50 euros, I set off to find unique, scarf — a fashion
you could not find it in the stores or in the
necessity here in
stylish, native Urbino clothing at the Sat­
central streets of Milan and Rome, and for
Urbino. You can buy
urday market. As I reached the top of the the shirt and scarf
this reason it was very expensive at that time.
hill on Via Raffaello, a whiff of peaches, at the market for
Vintage was something really unique.” With
roses, and beef snaked under my nose. I 5 euros.
the economic crisis, he says, second-hand
had arrived!
clothing has become a necessity and, now,
Walking slowly, I made sure to look at everything.
the majority of his sales are second-hand.
To my right, a man negotiated prices on underwear;
He puts my new clothes into a bag and hands it to me.
to my left a young girl examined a pink dress for flaws;
“Enjoy,” he says in English.
an elderly woman directly in front of me sniffed a cantaBut I’m not ready to leave yet.
loupe to make sure she had picked a ripe one.
“Can I use your dressing room?”
I began to shop from vendor to vendor until I began
He nods his head, and I rush to put on the gold pencil
to hear a loud cocky voice. I pictured a man who was six
skirt and black tank top I just bought. I step out of the
feet tall, mid-thirties, and muscular. I followed the voice
dressing room and into the crowd.
until it was in my face. That’s when I saw the captain
No one stares at me like I’m an American.
with salt-and-pepper hair.
Urbino’s street market
A blouse lands on my head. “Mi chiamo Tommaso,” says
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
the captain — “my name is Tommaso.” He tosses over a red
Intersection of Via Raffaello and Viale B. Buozzi
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 45
Going on a day
date? Italian men
love long legs!
Choose a mini-dress
to accentuate that
attribute. Mara
waits for her date
outside her door
wearing a paisleypatterned mini-dress
and colored sheer
leggings. She paired
the outfit with
neutral flats. At
Urbino’s Saturday
market, you’ll pay
10 euros each
for the dress
and the leggings.
46 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
▲ With so many stairs
to climb in Urbino,
comfortable clothing is a must — like
these floral leggings
paired with a plain
tank top and a lace
jacket. It’s a fun and
playful look. Now
that you can move
with ease you’re
ready to climb to
the top of those
stairs. This set costs
15 euros at the
Saturday market.
▲ The locals love
harem pants. Serena
Alessi, one of my
fashion experts, gets
hers at the Saturday
market for 10 to 15
euros. Add a crop top
and sandals, you’ll
look as good as
Mara, above. “In style
and comfy,” says
Mara.
Away from the
busy piazza, Urbino’s
night skies are dark
and starry, perfect
for a romantic
stroll on the small
roads that circle the
town. Try this subtle
but flirty approach:
A dark brown tank
shows Mara’s bare
arms, and the short
lace skirt allows her
to tease with just
enough skin. You’ll
like the results. At the
Saturday market, the
skirt costs 10 euros
and the top costs 5.
U
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 47
ESCURSIONE
The first thing I see when I walk into Tonti Agostina’s
Urbino house is a cobalt blue mushroom as large as a flattened bowling ball. Until Tonti’s discovery, Ganoderma
had gone unseen in the Le Marche region for 50 years.
It is only one of many rare fungi that this award-winning mushroom hunter has encountered. The stairwell
of her house, formerly owned by the Duke and Duchess
of Ubaldini, is crowded with baskets of fresh and dried
fungi. Tall bookshelves stand against the wall of the
grand dining room where books about mushrooms are
neatly stored and ready to study.
Tonti always has something to show and talk about
with her guests. “Do you have a boyfriend?” she asks on
my first visit. “No,” I answer. “I am single.” A huge grin
emerges on her face as she grabs a photograph of a young
man. “My nephew Alessandro is single and very goodlooking. He’s an intelligent twenty-one-year-old studying Spanish and English, with curly blonde hair and blue
eyes.” Following a coy wink and a slightly hysterical, yet
contagious, laugh, Tonti insists that her Italian nephew
must be married off to an American journalist one day.
Tonti is sitting beside me, a delicate, floral-patterned
tablecloth in front of her. My guess is she is in her early
seventies. She appears to be in good health, thanks, no
doubt, to her active life outdoors. Her long, black hair
is secured in a tight ponytail. Her olive skin glistens in
the summer heat. A centerpiece of tall sunflowers stands
in the corner of the room. Caged birds of red and orange
hues cheerfully sing in the window. Framed original
paintings by Salvador Dali
hang on the walls; a mural
depicting a regal Italian
King covers the ceiling.
Lying on the table are
photographs of Tonti holding polished gold trophies
throughout her years of
mushroom hunting. I ad­
mire one that shows her
next to the mayor of Urbania with yet another tro-
m
Story by
Stephanie Strickland
Illustrations by
Olivia Wise
“Being in
nature is
more useful
than going
to church,”
Tonti Agostina
says while
grabbing a
porcini mushroom. “You
realize who
is God and
what he has
created.”
ushroom
Madonna
48 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
phy; she is wearing a pearl necklace.
A basket of various mushrooms
also sits on the table. Tonti reaches
over, then drops something resembling a small pancake into my hand.
It feels smooth on the top and rigid
on the bottom. “Do you know what
kind of mushroom this is?” To identify the object and to label it as edible
or not, she opens what looks like a
sacred book. I imagine it contains all
the details an advanced mushroom
lover would want to know. She points
to the exact mushroom in hand, and,
continuing in her teacher-to-student
manner, explains: “The Mazza di
tamburo: it looks like large drums
with its tall stem and flat top.” Tonti
throws her arms in the air, like a
musician waving drumsticks in the
air. “You might see some on the hunt
around this time. Put them in water
for a day to grow. It’s beautiful to see
and eat.”
50 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
At age eighteen, Tonti, a former
seamstress, moved from Cattolica
to Urbino to marry into a wealthy
family. She and her husband, Alessandro, raised two children, now
middle-aged, and have been together
for 53 years. With the help of a
licensed expert, Tonti started mushroom hunting about 15 years ago to
conquer her fear of the dark woods.
After learning the basic ins and
outs of the hunt, she became passionate about trekking through the
high mountain tops and developed
a motivation to be a champion — a
mushroom hunting maven. “I love
mushroom hunting because I can be
one with nature,” she says. “When I
am exploring the nature around me I
can think about my family and God,
if there is one.”
Instead of selling mushrooms for
profit, Tonti shares what she finds. “I
don’t ask for money; it’s not important to me. In life, you must give
people the chance to know you. You
can be the richest or best person in
the world, but if you don’t communicate with the people around you, you
are nothing. I like to be open with
people and allow them to be part of
my life.”
Three days after meeting Tonti,
I find myself very much part of her
life — in her Panda Fiat as it races
toward Monte Catria in the center of
the Apennine Mountains. Eager to
get me on my first mushroom hunting excursion, Tonti turns sharply
along the winding roads, her foot
pressed heavily against the gas pedal.
For a brief moment, her eyes leave
the road and lock with mine in the
midst of an account of her husband
collecting 58 mushrooms during
one outing. She accidentally swerves
into the other lane, almost colliding
with an oncoming Fiat, whose driver
curses furiously in Italian. Gripping the wheel and leaning forward,
Tonti laughs, honks her horn back
at him, and continues to drive along
fearlessly.
We arrive to the top of Monte
Catria and walk to a desolate yet
breathtaking field. Looking up, I
see what appear to be hills on
top of hills stretching endlessly
toward the clear blue sky. I have
a Julie Andrews moment, imagining myself singing, “The hills are
alive…” as I run through the violet
orchids and yellow alpine flowers.
But my fantasy is interrupted when
I realize that Tonti is already on
the hunt, and I’m forced to chase
after her.
I assume we’ll find an abundance
of mushrooms, given the rain we’ve
had; as Tonti explained earlier, it is
best to go hunting four to five days
after it rains. But as she weaves
through grass almost tall enough
to reach her knees, Tonti is having
difficulty spotting anything, despite
her deep concentration. Not one to
let Mother Nature get in the way,
she leaves the high grass, climbs up
a steep meadow, and spots a cluster
of small mushrooms in the ground.
She bolts for the scene, gleefully
shouting, “Funghi! Funghi!” They
are flat, beige, furry… but, as Tonti
explains, not edible. She cuts off a
few to put in her basket anyway.
With the help of a certified mushroom hunting expert (to check for
poisonous fungi), Tonti believes that
anyone can safely partake in the
hunt. “Although autumn is the best
time to mushroom hunt,” she says,
“you can still find plentiful fungi in
the summer such as Russole, Gallinaccio, and Porcini.” Summer festivals are held in the town of Acqualagna, where porcini mushrooms
and beloved white truffles are available for purchase. The two differ
based on where they grow; truffles
are more rare as they sprout underground, while mushrooms grow
above ground.
Whatever the results of the hunt,
Tonti says each encounter with
nature leaves her with an indescribable, spiritual feeling. “It’s a whole
other world where I feel like I am
the middleman between God and
nature. Picking the fruits of God
shows me what he has created.” She
smiles and places the basket of inedible mushrooms in her trunk. They
will be helpful in teaching mushroom basics to her next student.
Tonti starts the drive back down
Monte Catria, leaving behind her
heaven on Earth, at least until the
next hunt. U
Website extra: Arrange a mushroom
excursion for yourself at
2012.inurbino.net/mushroom-trip
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 51
ESCURSIONE
APecChio:
Where Beer
Maketh Glad
the Heart
of Man
Story and photographs by Milana Katic
52 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Stepping into the main dining room of the agriturismo
Il Guiso was almost like diving into a glass of beer, the
amber hue of the room matching the tones of the frothy
liquid. Filippo Isotti greeted me with a smile, a handshake, and a bottle of Riserva Speciale, toned with that
same golden glow. This particular brew is a local craft
beer — a perfect start for the unique meal we were about
to experience. Isotti, the owner and sometimes cook at Il
Guiso, is a kind of mad scientist in the field of “alogastronomy,” the modern art of pairing food with carefully
chosen Italian craft beers.
Replacing the “wine” in “wine and dine” with a tall,
cool one? A different kind of beverage trend has emerged
in Italy in the past 10 years. The same people who made
liquid art out of grapes and coffee beans are now perfecting the art of brewing craft beer.
Just an hour’s drive southwest of Urbino, in the Montefeltro area of the Le Marche region, lies the town of
Apecchio, or “Città della Birra” as the locals say: City of
Beer. It is a place where beer is regarded with the same
sophistication and appreciation as fine champagne and
caviar. Nestled in the foothills of the Appenines, Apecchio is surrounded by natural marvels of mountains and
forests, including Mt. Nerone, source of the invaluable
spring water used in the beers that the town promotes.
The Città della Birra is aptly nicknamed for hosting two
of Italy’s most well-known craft breweries. On one side
of Apecchio is Collesi, a quaint, family-owned brewery, which is home to the Imper Ale line, a collection
that just received a gold medal in the 2012 “New York
International Beer Competition” for the second year in a
row. On the opposite side is Amarcord, named after the
Oscar-winning Fellini classic, a craft brewery known for
a line representing the four female leads of the film (La
Gradisca, La Midòna, La Volpina and La Tabachéra) and
for Riserva Speciale, its “champagne of beers.”
Back at the hillside niche of Il Guiso, Isotti had his
own poetic perspective on Riserva Speciale. “It is a beer
that cannot be included in a range,” he said, while pouring the peach-colored liquid into over-sized wine glasses.
“It escapes definition.” Isotti pairs Riserva especially
with the first course of his standard “beer menu” because
the sweetness of the beer perfectly offsets the saltiness of
Filippo Isotti (left),
mad scientist of the
the prosciutto crudo, ciacnew art of alogascia (a special type of focaccia
tronomy, swears by
from the Montefeltro area),
the pairing of cheese
and assorted pecorino cheeses
and beer, not wine,
served with beer marmalade.
as the modern Italian
Before delving into the first
sophisticate’s delight.
At his agriturismo, Il
course feast, I raised the glass
Guiso, visitors can
of Riserva Speciale to my
partake of a fourlips, sensing the bouquet of
course alogastrosour cherries and honey that
nomic menu. Each
characterize the brew. I took
course is paired with,
and prepared with, a
a sip — a regal introduction to
different Amarcord
the all-Amarcord lunch that
beer. Such activities
awaited us.
have earned Apecchio
Following the overture
the nickname, Città
of sweet and salty antipasti
della Birra.
came a symphony of dishes.
These not only were paired with various beers from Amarcord’s AMA line but also included the beers as ingredients. This was a show that posed a new threat to cooking
with wine.
First was creamy risotto with local truffles and herbs,
made with the AMA Bionda that sat beside it; brewed
with orange honey, the light, citrusy Bionda balanced
the heaviness of the risotto. Next came pork roast with
ratatouille vegetables straight from Isotti’s garden; AMA
Bruna, with its dark, bitter accents, was used to tenderize and enhance the meat while complementing the
ratatouille nicely. Marking the end of the meal was the
Sicilian dessert zabaione, a custard usually made with
Marsala wine, but in this case tasting of AMA Mora, the
coffee-infused dark ale that sat alongside it. The experience made American tailgating with hot dogs and Bud
Light seem like sacrilege.
“We call it beer, but these new beers are excellent
beers. They can’t be called like the beers before them.”
Isotti spoke while enjoying a post-plate performance
cigarette over a glass of AMA Bruna and hunks of grana
padano, a soft parmesan-like cheese. I found myself wondering if wine and cheese were ever really complements.
That is the Apecchio effect: leaving the Italian reality of
fine wine and entering a world where beer reigns supreme
as the drink of the sophisticate.
In fact, a whole association was formulated around
this idea a year ago, to promote Apecchio and the Italian craft beer revolution and to relay the significance of
alogastronomy to any passer-by through tours, tastings,
and restaurant recommendations. The group even coined
the term “alogastronomia” from the familiar “enogastronomia,” the art of pairing food with wine; they used the
prefix “alo” from ale to define the sophistication of the
craft beer. To them, this beer-and-food thing is a serious
matter. In the dim orange glow of the association’s headquarters, Massimo Cardellini, the association president,
recently summed up the idea.
“We’re not aiming for Oktoberfest,” Cardellini
told me as he swirled a glass of the award-winning
Collesi Imper Ale Tripolo Malto. “We want to create
a culture.” U
Website extra: Your daytrip to Apecchio: an
alogastronomic lunch, and lots more at
2012.inurbino.net/apecchio-trip
Il Guiso (La Locanda del Guiso)
61042 Apecchio, Italy
366 539 3199
info@ilguiso.it
ilguiso.it
Associazione Apecchio Città della Birra
info@apecchiocittadellabirra.com
apecchiocittadellabirra.com
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 53
ESCURSIONE
Brightly
colored
cabanas
line the
Pesaro-Fano
bike trail.
54 Urbino Now 2012 – 2013
Sea by Cycle
Story and photo by Pachia Lee
Visitors to Italy typically think art,
wine, cheese, and, of course, pizza.
Few imagine cycling alongside a sandy
beach. But if you’re based in Urbino and
want to explore a different side of Le
Marche, take a daytrip to Pesaro — from
which you can set out on a bike
trail offering stunning views of the
Adriatic Sea.
If you’re not already traveling with
a bike, you have two options. I found a
few commercial rental outlets near the
beach, but riding their tattered bikes
would not have been fun or comfortable. Instead, use the city of Pesaro’s
bike-sharing program, “C’entro in Bici.”
Visit the “Sportella Informa & Servizi”
office behind Piazza del Popolo to pay
your 10 euros and fill out a form; make
sure you have an identification card or
passport. You’ll get a key that allows
you to unlock one of the program’s
orange bikes at any of six locations
throughout town. These bikes have no
extra gears and are not the smoothest
riding, but they will get you through
a few hours along the beach.
I began my excursion at the Palla
di Arnaldo Pomodoro, a shiny spherical landmark in the center of Piazzale della Libertà. I took a moment
to appreciate the calm blue Adriatic
Sea and the clear sky filled with
frolicking birds. Then I inhaled the
fresh aroma of the ocean and began
to pedal.
As I rode away from Pesaro in the
direction of Fano, the large seaside
city at the other end of this eight-mile
trail, I passed pastel-colored hotels and
restaurants as well as neat rows of
yellow and green umbrellas. Farther
along, the scene was less crowded,
though there were still plenty of
beach-crazed people. White sailboats
moved slowly along the horizon. The
large hotels and restaurants were
now replaced by compact beachfront
bars, each with a unique logo and
color combination.
You can take a break from riding
at any of these bars. Just secure your
bike along a trailside wall or fence. The
bars have their own seating and eating
areas, with background music ranging
from American rock (I heard Lady Gaga
and Katy Perry) and jazzy love songs
(Frank Sinatra) to Italian pop. After a
snack, you can rent an umbrella and
chair on the beach — and it’s off to swimming you go.
I stopped for a cool drink at Bagni
Due Palme. The bar sits on a balcony
overlooking the bike path, giving
great views of the beach and sea.
Stretching alongside the trail were
shower houses of vibrant red, blue,
yellow, pink, and green. Tanned, young,
muscled men were playing two-ontwo volleyball. Teenagers played cards
and ate pizza. Laughter and conversation came from all directions.
Once back on the bike path, I heard
“Ding, ding, ding!” From behind me,
three middle-aged men zoomed by.
“Scusi, scusi,” I screamed. Thinking
this was my chance to meet some
fellow cyclists, I quickly added, “Ciao!
Do you guys speak English?”
“So-so,” replied one of the three,
as they pulled over to the side to talk.
I learned from one of them, Delfino
Lugiano, that they are all firemen and
that they ride the entire trail from
Pesaro to Fano three times a week to
stay fit.
“We like to bike this trail because it
connects the cities,” fireman Lugiano
added, “and it is a point of conjunction
for people.”
I was soon back on the bike, hoping
to find “Camping Norina,” a private
area farther along the trail. I had heard
that Norina was a place where families
and friends can stay for a few days in
rented bungalows. But somehow I had
come to a dead end. I stopped and looked
at my map, flabbergasted.
“Do you need help?” asked a fellow
rider, only a few footsteps away.
“Uh, yes, please, I’m lost,” I said,
feeling a little ridiculous. “Would you
know how to get to Fano from here?”
(The main trail was supposed to go
straight to Fano; I had no idea how I
had gotten thrown off.)
“Yes, you have missed the turn,”
said this helpful man in a strong Italian accent. “Follow me and I will show
you the way.” He led me under a bridge
and onto a straight-away. Then Pesaro
native Stefano Terenzi and I exchanged
contact information — just in case I
got lost again.
Finally, I saw the words “Camping
Norina” on the side of a bungalow. I
stopped to catch my breath, take a sip of
water, and gaze into the distance. The
bungalows were lined up like dominos
along the quiet beach. The bike trial
beyond seemed never-ending.
But it was time for me to return to
Pesaro, and then back to Urbino. Next
time I cycle this trail, I thought, maybe
I’ll reach the pebbly beaches of Fano.
Maybe you will too. U
C’Entro in Bici
Sportello Informa & Servizi
Largo Mamiani, 11
Pesaro, Italy
pesaromobilita.it
2012 – 2013 URBINO NOW 55
BELLA VISTA
THE BUSINESS OF BEES
Roberto Podgornik of La Fattoria
dei Cantori keeps his bees deep in
the hills around Urbino, far from
possible pollution, including pesticides used by other farmers. He
has been a beekeeper at La Fattoria
for 26 years, during which he has
learned much from the bees. He
said, “They are very perfect in
their life.” Photos by Emily
Harmon. (Full story online at
2012.inurbino.net/beekeepers/)
Study Media Abroad Summer 2013
Don’t just see the world…cover it!
Study in Italy, France, Turkey, Israel, or Northern Ireland with
Institute for Education in International Media
Urbino, Italy
June 6 – July 4
Multimedia journalism
Magazine journalism
Perpignan, France
June 27– July 25
iPad magazine
Istanbul, Turkey
June 20 – July 18
International reporting
Post-graduate foreign
correspondent internships
Jerusalem, Israel
Dates TBD
International reporting
Armagh, Northern Ireland
June 27– July 28
Multimedia journalism
Creative writing /playwriting
Prepared by MagCloud for ieiMedia Admin. Get more at ieimedia.magcloud.com.
Students study international report­
ing, media skills, and languages,
and publish work about their host
communities online or in print.
IeiMedia programs help students
develop professional skills and
build their resumes, giving them
a competitive edge as they launch
their careers.
All for-credit programs are $4,995.
Some programs available without
credit for $4,295. Includes housing
and some meals, but not airfare.
View past student projects and
apply online at ieiMedia.com