Palace of the Duca and Fountain delle Anatre

Palazzo del Duca overlooks right in front of the Rocca Roveresca. Commissioned by Guidubaldo II della Rovere in the mid-sixteenth century based on a design by Gerolamo Genga, it was enlarged in the decades immediately following by his son and heir Francesco Maria II, the last representative of the dynasty, who altered the symmetry of the façade, making the entrance portal then located on the left. The palace was not designed to house the duke permanently, but rather as a representative residence for the court and its illustrious guests, who from the windows could admire the military parades that took place in the square.

Inside, a splendid coffered ceiling attributed to Taddeo Zuccari embellishes the Throne Room. The forty-nine coffers were most likely made between 1553 and 1555 and evoke joyful, cheerful, festive atmospheres. But one can also notice irony and satire towards political and cultural power: the master Zuccari paints carnival themes showing an imaginary world in reverse, where children, represented by cherubs, rule over adults, and the poor over the rich. Also visible in the Throne Room is a family tree on paper of the Della Rovere family.

The building overlooks the square of the same name, whose name instead refers to Giovanni Della Rovere. The square has unique characteristics for the Renaissance era: no religious building overlooks it and the so-called Fountain of the Ducks (or Lions) is located in an off-center position, thus confirming the military use of this space.

The fountain, built between 1599 and 1602, was commissioned by Francesco Maria II della Rovere to remind the population of the redevelopment of the marshy area of the Saline. Ducks symbolize the birdlife present in the wetland, while water features represent the control of the waters, once carriers of disease and now a symbol of prosperity.