Urbino

Urbino remains one of the most important towns in the Marche - indeed in Italy - for the tourist in search of great Italian art and architecture and its beguiling streets well reward the curious traveller. Its centro storico now boasts the honour of being included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

For the second half of the 15thC its windy hill was the setting for one of the most illustrious courts in Europe. Duke Federico da Montefeltro gathered around him the greatest painters, poets and scholars of his day and housed them in one of Italy's most beautiful Renaissance palaces.

For the best first impression approach the town from Arezzo to see the fairy-tale twin towers of the palace that give Urbino its unmistakable skyline; already you will see that it was built by a benevolent and secure ruler who had no need to intimidate or brag.