Ducal Palace of Urbino

The Ducal Palace of Urbino was built from about 1454 for Federico da Montefeltro. The Florentine Maso di Bartolomeo began the work; Luciano Laurana, a fortress architect from Dalmatia, designed the substructure. Francesco di Giorgio Martini also took part, and Donato Bramante, who came from the area, may have contributed to its completion. Since 1998 the palace has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the historic centre of Urbino. Today it houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, with works by Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Titian and Federico Barocci.

The most famous room is the Studiolo, a small study with inlaid panelling and painted trompe-l'oeil shelves. Rick Steves calls it the highlight of the palace. In the courtyard, arcades rest on Corinthian columns; the slightly sloping floor once drained rainwater. The paintings include Piero della Francesca's “Flagellation” and Raphael's “La Muta”. In the lower level two chapels lie side by side, one Christian and one dedicated to the Muses, along with service rooms such as the cold store and stable.

From Corso Garibaldi you can see the Torricini façade, a three-storey loggia between two round towers. Explanations are sometimes sparse, so a guide or audio guide helps; exhibits may have been moved. Allow two to three hours for the palace.