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Urbino and its sorroundings |
 Urbino and the Montefeltro area
The name of Federico da Montfeltro is forever linked to a kind of ideal city, Urbino, still intact after many centuries and characterized by periods of splendour, of decadence and of isolation. During the period of the Dukedom the city was transformed, as can be seen in the frescoes in the Oratorio of St. John the Baptist, considered one of the most beautiful examples of international Gothic in Italy. This period was concluded with the building of the Ducal Palace, a dwelling fit for a prince and famous throughout the world for its turrets which have become a symbol of Urbino . Federico's son, Guidobaldo, continued with the pomp and splendour, building the city walls and founding the university in 1506. Here Raphael and Bramante were born. After Guidobaldo's death the city began a period of decadence that lasted until the 20th century when the university was relaunched by Carlo Bo and is now the social and cultural hub of the town.
The Montefeltro area is one of the borders of the Marche, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna and is rich in fortified old villages reminding us of its past. It is rich in natural beauty due to the conformation of the land and its typical food products are known throughout the world. It is the ideal place for tourists who want to relax and enjoy good food. Places to remember are Sassocorvaro, with its fortress designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, called the Rocca Ubaldesca, Macerata Feltria, with its still partially walled old town and castle , Pennabilli, county town of Carpegna,with its Roccione around which the ancient town of Sant'Agata Feltria grew up, with its fortress by Fregoso, Novafeltria, one of the most important towns in the Montefeltro area with its municipal palace and the St Marina chapel, and San Leo, a village built on the edge of a cliff and where Alessandro Conte di Cagliostro was imprisoned in the fortress.
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