Urbino – le Marche

Urbino is a small, absolutely gorgeous and wonderful place. No tour of Italy should exclude it. This town, and nearby Urbania, remain special places for my wife and I, with many happy memories.



Urbino was the first place I stayed in le Marche and the first place in which we rented a beautiful Italian cottage. Our first real holiday in Italy as a married couple, the time spent here cemented forever my love for le Marche and for my wife of course!

Where to Stay

Hotels in Urbino are a pretty miserable lot. The best hotel and ideal base to explore, if you have a car, is the Country House ca' Virginia. The Virginia is a rustic farmhouse that has been painstakingly restored. The brick walls and old beam ceilings are quite lovely.

This is also a lovely place to base yourself to explore the surrounding areas from Urbino to San Leo (a delightful hill top village) .

About Urbino

The town lies between the river valleys of the Metauro and Foglia rivers, perched upon two hills and offering breathtaking views all the way across lush rolling hills to the Appenine Mountains beyond.

The old town enclosed by ancient walls is known as the cradle of the Italian Renaissance and is still beautifully preserved, maintaining in many ways the character of the times.

Some of the great names of the Renaissance were born here. Don’t miss the following museums to see some of the great accomplishments of the leading figures of the time; the National Gallery of the Marche, the Albani Museum, the Gessi Museum, the Archeological Museum and the Typography Museum.

Churches and cathedrals of great interest are the Urbino Cathedral, the Church of St Francesco, the Church of St Domenico, and the Church of St. Spirito. The town also has a monument to one of its most famous sons – Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), the famous Renaissance artist - visit his fifteenth century house located in the old town.

Other illustrious names born here include: Raffaello Sanzio, Donato Bramante, Girolamo Genga, Federico Barocci, Federico Brandanti and many more.

There are countless other things to see including the Palazzo Ducale, an important example of Renaissance architecture; the building surrounds a beautiful courtyard and is the symbol of the town.

Carlo writes: “There exist those towns where the souls remain forever open to discovery … by the beauty of their nature, their history and of the human endeavour which here was expressed and lives forever. This is Urbino, city of emotions, unpredictable and incomparable. This is not only for the artistic patrimony, but for the city itself, the extraordinary beauty and for the very air that one breathes.”

Whoever arrives in this magical town for the first time is in for an extraordinary surprise, a leap back in time and a journey that lifts ones spirit.

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