Urbania e Pesaro: borghi e castelli tutti da scoprire!

Towns and Castles

Experience the Marche: tradition, history, art and nature

You may range between mountains, hills, art cities and seaside places. Taste the local food while sipping local wines. Marche's food and beverage quality is excellent.

The Marche, a region with many different features, have a lot to offer ranging from history to art. The northern part in particular, bordering with Romagna, has had a very worthy of note past due to important historical events and the presence of many important and powerful medieval and renaissance towns.

urbania KM 2
The “Barco” (established in Urbania in 1465 as the summer residence of the Duke of Urbino and Montefeltro) is adjacent to the private road leading to Villa Aloisi. It is where to start to admire the architectural and landscaping beauties of the area.

OLD TOWN CENTRE

DUCAL PALACE

BARCO DUCALE' S PARK

WHITE TRUFFLE
Urbania is a very well preserved small medieval town dating back to the VI century. It was originally named Castel delle Ripe. It was destroyed in 1277 by the Ghibellines. The survivors sought refuge next to the Benedictine Abbey of San Cristoforo del Ponte (8th century) where is today the Co-cathedral. The new town was built in 1284.
The Pope Martino IV commissioned such prestigious project to the Provençal prelate Guglielmo Durand who was also the Governor of Romagna and the Urbino’s District. As a homage the Durand the town was renamed Casteldurante, until Pope Urbano VIII, decided to change its name into Urbania. Throughout history, Urbania was in the hands of the Montefeltro family since 1427. It then passed under the possession of Della Rovere family until 1631.
From an artistic point of view, Urbania has many churches of different eras. Its most precious building is for sure the Ducal Palace famous for its two fortified towers. Urbania is, therefore, a town with a strong historical background, so much that apparently the poet Torquato Tasso was inspired by Urbania’s bucolic territory and decide to set his drama, the Aminta, in Urbania.
In the Aminta one of the characters’ name is Lucrezia and it might be a homage to Lucrezia d’Este, wife of Francesco Maria II della Rovere. Along with Sant’Angelo in Vado and Acqualagna, Urbania is the home of the white truffle.
URBINO 16 KM
The city of Urbino was the hometown of the great painter Raffaello and it is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Urbino reached its maximum expansion during the Renaissance under the Montefeltro family, the Dukes of Urbino. The city has many museums to visit and works of art to admire. Thousands of tourists visit Urbino every year to admire its beauties, starting from the Ducal Palace and the beautifully preserved city walls.
Acqualagna 18 KM
Home of truffle, is mostly famous for its annual fair of white and black truffles.

Old city centre

White Truffle

Gola del Furlo

S.Vincenzo Abbey
Home of truffles, is mostly famous for its annual fair of white and black truffles. During the fair many truffle harvesters and traders sell their highly valued truffles and thousand of tourists come to Acqualagna only for this reason. Its city centre is very charming and there’s plenty more to visit in immediate proximity, starting from the stunning Romanesque Abbey of San Vincenzo. Not to be missed is a trip to the Gola del Furlo, an authentic paradise crossed by the river Candigliano creeping among the imposing rocky walls of the Gola: simply breathtaking.
PENNABILLI 40 KM
Pennabilli is a small town worth visiting!
Pennabilli houses the International Festival of Street Art “Artisti in Piazza”. The festival includes performances and concerts by professional companies of street art in all its forms. It is the perfect event to get a sense of the artistic and cultural scenery. Pennabilli is also known for the Sanctuary of Thoughts, part of the Luoghi dell’Anima (places of the soul), an open-air museum conceived by local poet Tonino Guerra. Worthy of seeing is also the thousand year old Torre di Bascio. It stands just outside Pennabilli in a beautiful area where many go hiking.
TAVULLIA 44 KM
Famous for being Valentino Rossi's birthplace, Tavullia is parte of the Marche and not, as many think, in Romagna!
The MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi's accent is quite misleading as Tavullia is in the Marche but it's very close to the border of the neighboring Emilia-Romagna. In Tavullia you will find even a whole store dedicated to Valentino Rossi as well an enlargement of him on the top of the city walls. At the Bottega dei Rossi you can taste typical food and wine of the Marches.
CITTÀ DI CASTELLO 50 KM
Città di Castello is near Perugia, on the Umbrian hills.
The city's gentle slopes have become famous to the Italians as Città di Castello was the setting of a tv series. The Arch of Augustus is one of its most important monuments. Other places worth seeing are the Fontecchio's baths and Swan Park. In the city is held another important fair of fine white truffle.
GRADARA 55 KM
The Gradara Fortress is famous for being the place where Paolo e Francesca, the medieval lovers mentioned by Dante in Inferno’s Fifth Canto, consummated their passion.
Apparently, they were also killed there by Gianciotto, Paolo’s brother and Francesca’s husband. The Gradara Fortress is the town’s symbol and it is very well preserved also thanks to the many restoration works it has undergone over the centuries.
SAN MARINO 55 KM
San Marino is an enclave surrounded by Italy.
It is worth visiting for its history and architecture but also for a shopping tour as it has very convenient prices compared to Italy. Piazza della Libertà and the Duomo are worth stopping over. The cable car ride is breathtaking.
FANO 55 KM
Fano is a city on the Adriatic Sea, famous for its Carnival.
Every year a Carnival parade, takes place in Fano. To the delight of children, candies are thrown as floats pass by! Fano is also very rich in history: many fought to conquer it for its strategic position by the sea. Places worth stopping over are the Eremo di Monte Giove and the Augustin Arch. It is also possible to visit the archeological area of the city in a number of underground walking tours, a very fascinating experience.
Gubbio 52 KM
Located in Umbria, Gubbio is one of the most beautiful towns of Central Italy.
Besides visiting the Duomo, Piazza Grande and the Consuls Palace are also worth a stop. You also don't wanna miss a cable car ride!
GENGA 60 KM
Do not miss the Temple by Valadier and San Vittore Abbey: historical and spiritual landmarks.
Genga is best known for the Frasassi Caves. They were discovered by chance in 1971. Since then, the fame of the beautiful caves very well endowed with stalactites and stalagmites has attracted visitors from all over the world. The surroundings are also worth a stop: the Natural Regional Park of Gola della Rossa and its many trails and paths await you to be explored.
ANGHIARI 62 KM
This town in the province of Arezzo (Tuscany) has been awarded with the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag in Italian), a recognition of quality to small towns in Italy for excellency in tourism and hospitality.
Anghiari is famous for a battle fought in 1440 between the forces of Milan and the Republic of Florence. The Battle of Anghiari was depicted in a now-lost painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. The town, very important in the Middle Ages, is nowadays very well preserved.
PESARO 70 KM
Pesaro is the most northern provincial capital of the Marche.
Pesaro has a flat topography, it is therefore easy and fun to discover the city by bike. You will be astonished to see a golden sphere at the end of the main street at the edge of the Adriatic Sea. This monument is the work of Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. Nearby you can see Ruggeri House, a Liberty-style villa. Don’t forget to visit Pesaro City Library and Museum which house many rare books and artifacts.
RICCIONE 70 KM
Its promenade and its many design clothing stores attract many tourists.
Riccione is an important tourist destination. It has a very famous aquarium contains even dolphins. Its many nightclubs attract many young people but most people stay in Riccione for its wide sand beaches.
RIMINI 85 KM
Rimini is full of attractions to spend a day enjoying yourself.
Rimini and the Romagna Riviera are certainly an attraction to those who love wide sand beaches, nightlife, clubs and so on. The area though has a lot to offer also from an artistic and historical point of view. The many churches scattered around the city are the remainder of Rimini’s mightiness over the past centuries, especially in the late medieval period.
arezzo 90 KM
Arezzo, is a beautiful city in Tuscany. It is a destination really worth the slightly longer drive.
So why do not leave for such a city rich in art and history? Wandering around the historical center you will discover the Basilica of San Francesco, rhe beautiful Piazza Grande and the Church of San Domenico, where you can admire the Cimabue’s Crucifix.
ancona 120 KM
Marche's Regional capital is not too far from Urbania. Keep heading south!
Many are the beauties you will find in Ancona: Roman ruins such as the Arch of Trajan in the port area. Over the city hills stands San Ciriaco’s church, the Duomo of Ancona. The “Lazzaretto”, also called the Mole Vanvitelliana is a pentagonal shaped building designed by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli. Finally, take a walk around the Passetto neighborhood where you will see the War Memorial, better Known as Passetto Monument. While you’re there descend towards the beach and peek inside the Passetto Caves that were dug by fishermen inside the cliff falling sheer to the sea, in order to recover their boats.
RIVIERA DEL CONERO 130 KM
Over 20 km of coastline and numerous blue-flag beaches (meaning such beaches meet the FEE‘s stringent standards for quality, safety and environmental education and information), a promontory overlooking the sea that gives rise to caves, coves and creeks between white rocks and vegetation.
Relaxing hills and medieval villages offer an opportunity to relax as well as enjoy unique experiences such as hiking and many other outdoor activities and sports. Taste the most typical dishes, pairing them with Rosso Conero, a red wine produced in this area, characterized by its concentrated color and firm tannins. It provides intense aromas and flavors of black cherries and Mediterranean herbs.