City of Urbino Information

Urbino is located 30 kilometers inland West from Pesaro on the top of a hillside 485 meters above sea level, with a population of 15,566 inhabitants. The entire walled city is one large monumental attraction.  The city of Urbino is one of the most important historic cities in Italy, in fact, the most important within the Marche region. The city center was recently included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. (whc.unesco.org/en/list/828)

It was from this beautiful city that Duke Federico Da Montefeltro ruled between 1444 and 1482. During the second half of the fifteenth century Federico Montefeltro housed the greatest painters, poets and scholars in his beautiful Renaissance palace, a palace that still stands today in an incredible state of preservation. The courtyard of the palace is a masterpiece of proportion and light, each space designed with magnificent detail and care. One of the grand rooms of the palace is the "Galleria Nationale delle Marche" (National Marche Gallery), housing a remarkable collection of paintings including one of the world’s greatest and enigmatic painting, Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Crist. (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellazione_di_Cristo_(Piero_della_Francesca))

Few traces of the original Roman settlement, Urbinum Metaurense (the original Roman Name of the city) may be evidenced in the archeological museum at the ground floor of the Ducal’s Palace. (www.palazzoducaleurbino.it)

Giovanni Santi was the court painter of Urbino who might have not been mentioned today if he had not been the father of master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio. (www.accademiaraffaello.it) Raffaello’s childhood home and studio are located at the city of Urbino, the house is now a museum. A simple fresco of the Madonna and Child in one of the rooms may have been one of his earliest works. At the summit of the hills following Via Raffaello a statue of Raffaello stands in the middle of a green courtyard with striking views to the valley below. 

The city houses, within its historical walls, one of the oldest university in Europe founded in 1506. The most prestigious world recognized university of Urbino is the University for Historic Restoration and Preservation, Universita’ del Restauro, (www.uniurb.it/restauro) academics from all over the world visit the university and its various laboratories.

Student life bursts year-round, all streets filled with young enthusiastic students, reading, and hanging in the cities libraries, cafes and restaurants. During several periods of the academic year faculty may be seen giving class to their students out in the piazzas, in front of the Ducal Palace and within some of the quaint city parks inside the city walls. Urbino is constructed on a hill therefore the streets curve up and down. Parking is located outside the city walls and, given its dimension, the entire city can be visited by foot.  

Urbino is reachable by bus, approximately 1 hour from Pesaro’s train station, depending upon traffic (buses to Urbino run every 20 min. Italian time) or by car 45 min. from Pesaro. Students can also take advantage of a fast bus line – Pesaro Urbino-Pesaro:  “Linea Rapida” a 45 minute trip. (bus schedules)


LINKS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbino
www.turismo.pesarourbino.it