Discover a place that preserves a rare beauty from the Renaissance in Italy

Urbino, a small city in the Marche region, central Italy, but not many tourists notice. But if you go back to the 15th century, this was a great power of the Renaissance.

City of Urbino.

The regional ruler, also Federico da Montefeltro, is one of Italy's most cultured leaders.

It is worth noting that 6 centuries have passed, but Urbino does not look too different if not identical to what Federico built before.

Classic bars with Renaissance porches, steep streets for horses, not cars, or Palazzo Ducale for Federico with its exquisite twin towers perched on the edge of a hill.

Palace of Palazzo Ducale

The buildings built from the Renaissance are still intact

Palazzo Ducale was built in a beautiful, seemingly impregnable location. Towering walls, balconies, spiers. Inside the wall is a beautiful small courtyard, a green garden, and a public library open to the people of Urbino.

Upstairs, artists like Botticelli decorated the artistic mosaic doors, hanging on the walls a number of paintings by the prominent forward-thinking artist of the time. Those ancient paintings are still intact to this day.

Today, the Palazzo Ducale is the museum of the Marche region and the 28th most visited museum in Italy. Inside, there are many artworks by Raphael, Giovanni Santi, Titian, Paolo Uccello and Piero della Francesca.

Speaking of Urbino, it is impossible not to mention Raphael, considered the great master of Renaissance painting. The Raphael house, a 5-minute walk from the Palazzo Ducale, is still open to the public.

Painting by artist Raphael

In Raphael's bedroom hangs a fresco "Madonna and Child", which he painted as a teenager.

The famous painter once shared that Urbino was the basis for his vision of beauty.

While many of Italy's other Renaissance cities have been overshadowed by modern suburbs or overcrowded with tourists, Urbino has remained largely the same.

"The town's geographical position helps it to fully preserve the historic center, saving it from major construction projects," said Luigi Gallo, art gallery inside the Federico's palace. still retain all the beauty and architectural works in the Renaissance period".

The historic center occupies less than 1 square kilometer, but it is home to many European heritages and imprints of history, culture, art and architecture.