The town of Urbino lies on a steep-sided hill in the north of the Central Italian region of Marche, some 35km/22mi west of Pesaro and about 70km/43mi south of Rimini. Urbino is the see of an archbishop.
History
Urbino was the Roman Urvinum Metaurense. In 1213 it came into the hands of the Montefeltro family, which acquired the ducal title in the 15th century. The court of Duke Federico di Montefeltro (1444-82), a discriminating patron of art and learning, was recognized to be the most splendid of its day. From 1508 to 1631 the duchy was held by the Della Rovere family; thereafter it was incorporated in the States of the Church.
In the 15th century the painters Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca, Melozzo da Forli and Giovanni Santi (Raphael's father) worked in Urbino. The great architect Bramante (1444-1514) was born near the town, and probably worked for Luciano de Laurana. Raphael (1483-1520) and the Baroque painter Federigo Barocci (c. 1537-1612) were natives of Urbino. It was here that Count Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529) wrote his Il Librodel Cortegiano, a manual for courtiers.
The Historic Centre of Urbino was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.
The Palazzo Ducale in Urbino is a beautifully restored residence dating from the mid 15th C. Interesting points of note include an impressive staircase and colonnaded courtyard.
There is a rewarding drive to the Furlo Gorge (Gola del Furlo), enclosed by sheer rock faces. At the narrowest point is the Galleria Romana del Furlo or Forulus (177m/584ft), a tunnel 37m/40yd long carrying the Via Flaminia through the rock. It bears an inscription recording that it was cut by the Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 76. Adjoining is the older Galleria Piccola del Furlo 8m/9yd long (third century B.C.).
In the center of Urbino is the Piazza della Repubblica, the market square. From here Via Vittorio Veneto leads up to the Piazza Duca Federico, on the north side of which stands the cathedral, rebuilt in 1801 after the destruction of an earlier church by an earthquake in 1789. It contains a number of fine paintings, including in particular works by Federigo Barocci. In the third chapel in the crypt (entered from outside the church, under the arcades to the left) is a marble figure of the dead Christ by Giovanni Bandini.
To the right of the cathedral in Urbino is the Museo del Duomo "Albani", which contains 14th century frescoes, ceramics, sacral objects and chasubles, 14th-17th century pictures and a bronze paschal candelabra.
Via Raffaello meets the spacious, park-like Piazzale Roma, with a Monument to Raphael (1897). From the adjoining bastion, Pian del Monte, there are excellent views, extending as far as San Marino.
Southwest of the Piazza della Repubblica, at the end of the short Via Barocci, the Oratorio di San Giuseppe has a life-size Nativity group by Federico Brandano. Nearby in the Oratorio di San Giovanni are paintings by Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni (1416).
Address: Oratory Churches of St. John and St. Joseph, I-61029 Urbino, Italy
Hours:
January 1 to December 31: 10am-12pm, 3pm-5pm; Sun:10am-12:30pm, 3pm-5pm
From the Piazza della Repubblica in Urbino, Via Raffaello climbs up towards the northwest. At the near end, on the right, is the church of San Francesco (14th century), with a porch and a fine campanile.
Opposite the Ducal Palace can be seen the church of San Domenico (14th-15th century), with a fine doorway by Maso di Bartolomeo (1449-54). A little way south is the university founded in 1671, with a coat of arms above the doorway.
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Palazzo Ducale
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Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
Urbino
