Situation
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.
Art
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.
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