Jane Stevenson’s new book tells the story of the hilltop town of Urbino, on the eastern side of Italy's Apennines, an idyllic place of steep streets lined with houses and palazzi of weathered brick. In the fifteenth century it was the capital of a cultured duchy, ruled by a remarkable man. Federico da Montefeltro was lord of Urbino between 1444 and 1482. He was also one of the most successful and extraordinary condottiere of the Italian Renaissance: a renowned humanist, patron of the artist Piero della Francesca, and creator of one of the most celebrated libraries in Italy outside the Vatican. In the fine palace he built overlooking the rooftops of Urbino, Federico assembled a court regarded by many as representing a high point of Renaissance culture. For Baldassare Castiglione, author of The Book of the Courtier, Federico was 'the light of Italy'.
The story of Urbino sheds light on patronage, politics and humanism in fifteenth-century Italy. The lives of Federico and his successors reveal the physically demanding lifestyles of Italy's mercenary captains and the often prominent political and cultural roles played by their wives during their protracted absences on campaign. As well as recounting the stories of Federico and his successors, The Light of Italy considers in details Federico's cultural legacy - his palace, the splendours of the ducal library, and his other architectural projects in Gubbio, Pesaro and elsewhere.
More information about The Light of Italy can be found here.
