The Marche city of Urbino has a fascinating history, rising from its status as just another Italian city state during the Middle Ages, to become one of the most important courts in Europe under the stewardship of Federico di Montefeltro (1444-1482). Federico was a remarkable patron of the arts, commissioning Renaissance artists as enthusiastically as any of his more powerful rivals in Florence or Milan.
Federico was a hugely successful condottiere (mercenary) and diplomat, and his riches brought Piero della Francesca to court to write on the science of perspective. Francesco di Giorgio Martini wrote his treatise on architecture here, and Raphael's father Giovanni Santi his account of the main artists of his time.
The result is a surfeit of fine public buildings, chief among them the Palazzo Ducale built by Federico's son; within is the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, one of the world's finest collections of Renaissance paintings. There are the Palazzos Albani, Odasi and Passionei, the Albornoz Fortress, and a fine Duomo (cathedral) rebuilt after an earthquake in 1789; the Duomo has the famous 'Last Supper' by Federico Barocci. Important churches include San Giovanni Battista, Sant'Agostino, San Francesco and the Oratory of San Giuseppe. Outside the city you'll find the Church of San Bernardino, which has the tombs of the Dukes of Urbino.
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of Urbino hotels.
