An ideal Renaissance city
where art and culture blend

Urbino The small hill town of Urbino, in the Marche, experienced a great cultural flowering in the 15th century, attracting artists and scholars from all over Italy and beyond, and influencing cultural developments elsewhere in Europe. Owing to its economic and cultural stagnation from the 16th century onwards, it has preserved its Renaissance appearance to a remarkable extent. Urbino has been inserted from the Unesco in the list of the world-heritage patrimony of the Humanity.

The town is built on a hill that divides the valley of the River Foglia from that of the River Metauro. The Palazzo Ducale, commissioned by Federico II di Montefeltro in 1455, is certainly the monument that most symbolizes Urbino. Next to the palace is the 18th century Duomo which houses the Albani Museum with its exhibits of frescoes, ceramics, wall hangings and the exceptional 5th century bronze candelabra attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini. In the crypt there is a Giovanni Bandini Pietà. The church of San Francesco is in Gothic style and both the portal and the terracotta bell tower date back to the 14th century; in the apse hangs a painting by Federico Barocci entitled "Il perdono di Assisi" depicting the apparition of Jesus to Saint Francis. The imposing fortified remains of the Albornoz Fortress are worth visiting in order to admire the ample panorama over the Montefeltro area until San Marino and the arches and turrets of the Palazzo Ducale.
Cuisine: Casciotta, a firm cheese, is typical of the area and can be accompanied by red wine.
Wines: Urbino is part of the "Colli Pesaresi" area that produces Sangiovese, a light wine that can be drunk during the entire course of a meal and which goes perfectly with the territory's cuisine.
Purchases and souvenirs: Beautiful reproductions and posters of all the masterpieces on exhibit at the Marche National Gallery can be purchased. Many shops sell ceramic objects decorated with Renaissance motifs and colours.
The environs: Two and a half kilometres eastward, near the Cemetery, one comes to the Basilica di San Bernardini degli Zoccolanti, designed by Giorgio Martini, where Federico and Guidobaldo da Montefeltro are buried.
Urbania, about 25km away, is a town with a wealth of monuments. In the Cathedral visitors may admire a 14th century Crucifix painted on wood by Pietro Da Rimini. Next to the Convent of Saint Francis is the Church of the Dead with its curious Mummy Cemetery. In the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena there is a painting by Guido Cagnacci and in the Church of the Crucifix there is one by Federico Barrocci.