Declared a Unesco World Heritage site, Urbino is a city-monument of great splendour. The cradle of the Renaissance, Urbino promoted culture, beauty and refinement and, while under the rule of the Montefeltro, drew many great artists and scholars and the best scientists of the time. Federico da Montefeltro was the man who changed Urbino forever, turning it from a fortified settlement into a rich and refined city where every layer of society stood to benefit; he also formed international relations that were to earn the city many important recognitions and alliances. Under the rule of Federico di Montefeltro, Urbino reached a level of splendour which can still be seen in the grand architecture and elegant stately homes lining the up-and-down streets of the centre. As you approach Urbino, you immediately see the extraordinary walls that were erected to protect the entire urban settlement. In addition to the old gates, there are many churches and oratories that were commissioned by Duke Federico who also ordered the construction of the Duomo, the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace) and Chiesa di San Bernardino or Mausoleo dei Duchi (the Dukes’ Mausoleum) where he wished to be buried. The Duke of Urbino invited to his court the best and most illustrious architects, artists and intellectuals of the time to carry out his various projects. These included Francesco di Giorgio Martini who superintended many of the civil and military works, Leon Battista Alberti, Luciano Lauranca who began the construction of the Ducal Palace, Giuseppe Santi and Piero della Francesca, to mention but a few. Urbino is a city that rewards the visitor with beauty at every corner and many points from which to admire stunning views, like the Colle dei Capuccini (the hill of the Capuchin Friars) where you can make out the sea, and the Albornoz Fort which affords a view of the old town. Urbino is also a city of learning, with important Universities and an eye for the contemporary:  this is evident in the impressive design, by the architect Giancarlo de Carlo, of the Palazzo Battiferri complex for the Economics Faculty, and of the Law Faculty in the former convent of San’Agostino as well as of the premises for the Faculty of Education Sciences and Sociology. There are many masterpieces of inestimable value in the rooms of the Palazzo Ducale that make up the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, and in the many churches and oratories. Not to be missed, too, are the beautiful crafts and delicious food: you shouldn’t leave without having first tasted the “crescia” flatbread of Urbino, or without sitting down somewhere to taste one of the many local delicacies. For people who love sport and the open air, there are also many pleasant walks to be had in the green countryside just outside the walls of Urbino, where there are some beautiful villages like Castel Cavallino, north of the city, with its old and picturesque Parish church, or Torre Cotonga, the atmospheric ruins of an old fort not far from Ca’ Mazzette, a small village with a population of about eighty, where you can walk along Valle del Foglia as far as Schieti; another place of great interest is Villa la Croce, on the road to Fossombrone, a small and very old hill-top village where you can enjoy views of the gentle landscape of the Marche.

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