Urbino - The Marche

The skyline of Urbino is hard to miss with its twin-towered palace that reminds visitors of the area's history. The heart of the town, the Piazza della Repubblica, is also a visual masterpiece in that it is interestingly located between two peaks of a hill. The city is the birthplace of one of the greatest artists of all time—Raphael—and is still a center of fine arts and mathematics, appetizing rustic food and peculiar festivals such as the famous "Frog Race.".

History
Although historians do not know very much about Urbino's original inhabitants, recent findings show that the area was populated even before the ancient Romans. The town itself was founded by the Romans, who called it Urbinum Metaurense, which comes from "city" (Urbinum) and "by the Metauro River" (Metaurense). During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, Urbino saw the development of artistic, architectural and academic masterpieces under the rule of the Montefeltro family.

Sights
Every year on the Sunday after Easter, 16 people dressed in 16th century costumes race each other while pushing carts in which a frog is seated. If the frog hops off, which is inevitable, the person pushing the cart has to stop, pick up the frog, set it back on the cart and continue racing. Foods from the area round out the festive atmosphere, making the event hilarious as well as delicious.

However, no festival can be as exciting as the experience of setting foot into Raphael's house. Born there in 1483, Raphael grew up with a remarkable father: painter, poet and teacher Giovanni Santi. Although perhaps the stuff of legend, it is said that the father and son used to sit on a big rock outside their house where they would prepare painting colors together. Today the house is a museum and is filled with paintings, manuscripts and original furnishings from the 15th century. The room where Raphael was born is embellished by the beautiful fresco "Madonna with Child," which is believed to have been made by the artist at a very young age.

Other works of the artist are exposed in the city's most important museum, The Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. The museum showcases paintings from the 14th through the 17th centuries and is housed in the Ducal Palace, which was built by Duke Federico da Montefeltro. He had the palace built to symbolize the military power of the sovereign and to celebrate freedom and culture. Accompanied by his wife, Federico invited some of the most famous and appreciated artists of the time to his court, including Bramante, Paolo Uccello, Leon Battista Alberti, Piero della Francesca and Raphael. The museum was built inside the palazzo in 1912.

When tired of art and history, Urbino is also filled with gastronomie, little food stores where you can purchase fresh cheeses like pecorino, flavorful prosciutto, sweet breads, piadine and fresh pasta, like passatelli (delicious in truffle sauce).

Details
Palazzo Ducale/Galleria Nazionale delle Marche Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rest of the weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Casa Natale di Raffaello All week from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chiesa di San Francesco All week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a 2 hour lunch break.
Oratorio di San Giovanni All week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with 1 hour lunch break.
Museo Albani All week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a 2 hour lunch break.

Transportation
By Plane: The closest airports are the ones of Ancona or Rimini. From there, take a bus or car. By Train: The closest train station is in Pesaro then take a bus or car. By Car: Take the A14 highway in the Canosa/Bologna direction. Exit at the Pesaro/Urbino exit, the take the SS423 to Urbinate.

Links: http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/urbino.htm