The reigns of power of the once free city of Cagli were donated to Federico da Montefeltro a few years after his elevation to the Dukedom of Urbino. It was an eminently
political move which caused him, in 1476, to become interested in the rebuilding of the mediaeval palace and, in all probability, to call upon the services of Francesco di
Giorgio Martini, the outstanding Renaissance military architect.It was during this period that the entrance was lowered to ground level and the levels of the floors above it altered
accordingly. The 15th Century loggia, which ran along the facade and rested on corbels which are still visible, was demolished on the orders of Duke Francesco Maria II during works carried out in 1612.
The travertine stone fountain which stands in the centre of the main piazza , with its multi-foiled basin, was built in 1736 by Giovanni Fabbri to a design by Anton Francesco Berardi.
A large balcony and the statue of The Madonna and Child (1680), carved in Venice out of Istrian stone, stand at the centre of the main facade. The clock above it is the work
of Scipione and Giambattista Finale (1575). To the right of the entrance you can see the ancient units of measure - feet, the length of an arm (yard) and the length of a cane (perch).
The Cagli coat-of-arms can be seen at the centre of the hip-vaulted ceiling in the entrance vestibule. The lunette above the doorway at the far end contains a 16th Century fresco of
The Madonna with Child, Saint Michael Archangel and Saint Geronzio. The symbols carved on the elegant 15th Century stone portal beneath it are of the Duke of Montefeltro.
Indeed, the proportions of the portal and the quality of the carving, with its egg and dart cornice work, are reminiscent of those seen in the Ducal Palace at Urbino.
From here, a staircase takes you up to the Sala degli Stemmi (the Hall of the Coats of Arms) which was decorated in 1889.
A public passageway ran immediately behind the Palazzo
Grande. In order not to close it, it was decided to build over the top, covering it with a barrel vaulted ceiling and supporting the coffered arches on pilasters.
From the rear courtyard you can see traces of the vault which would have supported a large first floor hall. From here an unfinished staircase, comprising two vaulted ramps
which are decorated by a substantial stone cornice, take you up to the eerie palace prisons. The courtyard also leads to the Palace of the Podesta, which now houses the
Archaeological Museum and Museum of the Via Flaminia - the collection is still in the process of being built up.
The building itself enables us to obtain quite a clear
picture of what the Podesta's palace was like. Its entrance was through the Gothic arch which has now been transformed into an exhibition cabinet.
text by Alberto Mazzacchera
