Welcome to Urbino
Birthplace of the artist Raphael, Unesco-listed Urbino is both a vibrant university town and a model Renaissance city. Its immaculate centro appears to have changed little since the 15th century when it enjoyed a golden age under the powerful Duca Federico da Montefeltro, one of the giants of the Italian Renaissance. Under his influential stewardship, Urbino became a thriving centre of the arts, drawing the great artists, architects and scholars of the day.
Top experiences in Urbino
Amazing hotels and hostels
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Urbino activities
10 Days Luxury Cooking Vacation and Tours in Bologna, Veneto and Tuscany
ItineraryDay 1: Pick up in Bologna, check-in, Aperitif and Dinner at a famous Cooking School.Stop At: Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Province of Bologna, Emilia-RomagnaAfter check-in in your Hotel and a rest we'll walk around the historic city center of Bologna and have an Aperitif. Soon after we'll walk to a famous Cooking School and we'll make and have Dinner there.Duration: 3 hoursMeals included: • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: 5 Star Hotel in the city center of BolognaDay 2: Market Tour and Cooking Class in a famous Cooking School in BolognaStop At: Mercato di Mezzo, Bologna, Province of Bologna, Emilia-RomagnaThe cooking day starts after Breakfast with a trip to the Middle Market, to buy what they have on the stall that day and what is in season. After the purchases we'll walk to the Cooking School where we'll Snack on Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano while cooking Lunch. After Lunch and a rest in your Hotel we'll walk around the Bologna City center. Aperitif in the late afternoon and Dinner at the Cooking School with the menu we planned art the market in the morning.Duration: 1 dayMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: 5 Star Hotel in the city center of BolognaDay 3: Balsamic Tour and Cooking at the AcetaiaStop At: Rocca di Vignola, Vignola, Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagnameet at CIBO at 8.30am, go shopping to the market with the chef and visit the vinegary “La CÃ dal Non” (in English “Grandfather’s House”) where Mariangela and her family will lead you to the discovery of the fascinating world of Traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena aged over 12 and 25 years. Here, after the visit we will be preparing a delicious meal using Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Saba and the BALSAMOSaba sweet and sour condiment collection as main thread. The tour will last 2 hours and it will unlock the secrets of the production of this famous vinegar. You’ll walk in the ancient lofts where vinegar ages for many and many years and you’ll be guided through the tasting of these amazing vinegars and buy them at a retail price if you like.Duration: 1 dayMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerNo accommodation included on this day.Day 4: Lake Garda, Amarone and Extra Vergin Olive Oil Tours, Cooking Class in a VillaStop At: Punta di San Vigilio, Garda, Province of Verona, VenetoAfter breakfast in Bologna we'll drive to Lake Garda where we'll check-in. After Lunch in a local Restaurant we'll visit an Amarone Vinery with wine tastings and an Extra-Vergin Olive Oil Factory. We'll then purchase ingredients and cook Dinner in an ancient Villa.Duration: 6 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Locanda San Vigilio, a historic charming lakeside HotelDay 5: Lake Garda, Bianco di Custoza, Prosecco and Metodo Classico Tour and Tastings, Cooking Class in a VillaStop At: Punta di San Vigilio, Garda, Province of Verona, VenetoAfter Breakfast we'll go on a tour to discover and taste great local wines: today Bianco di Custoza, Prosecco and Metodo Classico. In the afternoon after a rest in your Hotel we'll go and cook in an ancient Villa.Duration: 12 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Locanda San Vigilio, a historic charming lakeside HotelDay 6: Day Trip to Venice, aperitive at the Mercato di Rialto, City Tour and Lunch Stop At: St. Mark's Square, VenetoTour of Venice and Lunch. In the afternoon we'll leave to the Tuscan Mountains and check-in in our Hotel on Mount Fumaiolo where we'll cook and have Dinner.Duration: 12 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: 5 Star Hotel in the city center of BolognaDay 7: Sansepolcro and Arezzo at the discovery of painter Piero della FrancescaStop At: Museo Civico di Sansepolcro, Sansepolcro, Province of Arezzo, TuscanyWe'll admire the paintings of Piero della Francesca and have Lunch in a local typical OsteriaDuration: 2 hoursStop At: Church of San Francesco Arezzo, Arezzo, Province of Arezzo, TuscanyWe'll admire Piero della Francesca's "Storie della Vera Croce"Duration: 2 hoursStop At: Sorgente del Tevere, Verghereto, Province of Forli-Cesena, Emilia-RomagnaHere we'll cook and have a great Dinner at Stefano mountain retreat.Duration: 12 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Hotel "Sorgente del Tevere" on Mount FumaioloDay 8: San Leo and Urbino at the discovery of Duke Federico da MontefeltroStop At: Forte di San Leo, San Leo, Province of Rimini, Emilia-RomagnaWe'll visit this magical village and its Fortress and have Lunch at a local Trattoria.Duration: 2 minutesStop At: Cattedrale di Urbino, Urbino, Province of Pesaro and Urbino, MarcheWe'll visit the renaissance town of Urbino and the Duke Federico da Montefeltro's sumptuous PalaceDuration: 2 hoursStop At: Sorgente del Tevere, Verghereto, Province of Forli-Cesena, Emilia-RomagnaIn the afternoon we'll go back to our mountain retreat and cook a great DinnerDuration: 12 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Hotel "Sorgente del Tevere" on Mount FumaioloDay 9: Visit to the Sanctuary of La Verna founded by San Francis of Assisi and lead-glazed terracotta by Andrea Della RobbiaStop At: La Verna (Santuario Francescano), Chiusi della Verna, Province of Arezzo, TuscanyFounded by Saint Francis of Assisi, La Verna Sanctuary is located in the Tuscan Apennines. The mount covered with a monumental fir and beech trees forest, is characterized by an unmistakable appearance thanks to its summit (1283 sea level) bending in sheer drop over the valley. Over the sheer cliff and wrapped around by a surrounding wood we can find the hole unit of the Sanctuary, which cherishes several art, culture and history treasures inside its massive and articulated structure.Duration: 3 hoursStop At: Basilica San Vitale, Ravenna, Province of Ravenna, Emilia-RomagnaAfter Lunch on the way back to Bologna, we'll stop and visit the town of Ravenna and its Basilica of San Vitale, one of the most important surviving examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in Europe. Duration: 2 hoursStop At: Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Province of Bologna, Emilia-RomagnaAfter check-in in our Hotel in Bologna we'll have aperitif and our last sumptuous Dinner at CIBODuration: 2 minutesMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Hotel "Sorgente del Tevere" on Mount FumaioloDay 10: Check-out and transportation to Bologna Airport or Train StationStop At: Piazza Re Enzo, Bologna, Province of Bologna, Emilia-RomagnaDepending on your departure time, we might have Lunch and a quick tour in Bologna. We'll drive you to the Bologna Airport or the Train StationDuration: 2 hoursNo meals included on this day.No accommodation included on this day.
Private walking tour of Urbino with a local guide
Discover an idyllic hill town in the Italian region of Marche where houses and palaces of weathered brick and pantiles cluster around steep narrow streets, surrounded by misty mountains and green and yellow hills, like the background of a Leonardo portrait. Maybe you didn't know it but, because it is on the opposite side of the Apennines to the more famous Florence and Siena, Urbino has been half-forgotten by tourists and art lovers. What a shame!In its time – the 15th and 16th centuries – Urbino was one of the cultural capitals of the Renaissance and it also represents, even now, a quite unique and picturesque university town.During this private your you'll explore the famous University of Urbino, Piazza del Rinascimento, the church of San Domenico, the dome, the monumert to the great Raffaello and the beautiful Ducal Palace. Get ready to take amazing pictures of this real hidden Italian gem!
Rome Renaissance Private Tour with Borghese Gallery Admission
Raphael was the most prolific High Renaissance master. A highly proficient painter in youth, he honed his skills in Siena and Florence before flourishing in Rome. Raphael incurred the wrath of Michelangelo and tried to save the Roman Forum as prefect of antiquities under Leo X. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, Urbino being the name of the town where he was born some 145 kms outside Rome (region of Marche), died on his 37th birthday (April 6th) in 1520. Entombed in the Pantheon and revered as much today as in his prime, Raphael lived and worked at the same time as his contemporary and main rival, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Our private Raphael tour in Rome explains how the paintings in the Sistine Chapel interwove his life with that of Michelangelo and the young Raphael's mentor, Perugino, both of whom he imitated in order to create his own inimitable style. We see the works of art he created in Rome, we explore his skills as a draftsman, and we unravel the complex nature of his relationships (and untimely demise from syphilis). Born into the Court of Urbino with enviable ascribed status, Raphael, the great imitator, became the greatest High Renaissance master. A painter of immense natural ability, he possessed an unquenchable desire to learn. Family background and social status proffered him unlimited access to the works and workshops of his contemporaries, which almost certainly helped him get acquainted with patrons and powerful contacts during his career. Having learned from his painter and courtier father Giovanni Santi, then becoming a master in the court aged 17 years, Raphael spent time in Siena with Pinturicchio, Città di Castello where he learned from Signorelli, and then Florence where he was greatly influenced by Da Vinci, before moving to Rome. Donato Bramante, who was related to Raphael, prompted Pope Julius II to introduce the young rising star to Rome, where he lived until his death. Raphael's creations in the Vatican, which continued under Medici Pope Leo X after the death of Julius II in 1513, are of course his best known commissions. In addition to studying the magnificent Raphael Rooms (Vatican Museums), we visit Villa Farnesina, Church of Santa Maria della Pace, the Chigi Chapel (Church of Santa Maria del Popolo), and Church of Sant'Ignazio to round off this fascinating, in-depth private Raphael tour in Rome. You will see the following paintings; "Loggia of Cupid and Psyche" (1517), "Creation of the World" (1516), "The Sibyls" (1514), "The Triumph of Galatea" (1512), and all Raphael's works in the Vatican Museums. In the Borghese Gallery (self-guided) you will see and learn about "Portrait of a Man" (1502), "Young Woman with Unicorn" (1506), and "The Deposition of Christ" (1508).
Florence - Private Tour of the Uffizi Gallery (Skip the Line)
The Uffizi Gallery – formerly an administrative office – is home to a breath-taking collection of art, ranging from Botticelli’s Venus to Caravaggio’s Bacchus. On this 3 private tour, you’ll enjoy a chronological journey through art history, seeing some of the greatest masterpieces in Western art and learning the stories behind the paintings in the company of your personal guide, an art historian.Your private tour of the Uffizi begins in the medieval era. The great innovator was Giotto, whose sublime Ognissanti Madonna is on display here. While the Byzantine influence is clear, with its gold background and hierarchical layout, you’ll also appreciate how Giotto was ahead of his time, creating remarkably realistic and three dimensional figures – a precursor for Renaissance realism. You’ll also see the famous medieval masterpiece the Battle of San Romano, by Florentine artist Paolo Uccello.The room containing paintings by Botticelli is arguably the highlight in a gallery full of gems. You will see the beautiful Venus and Primavera and discover their secret symbolism, as well as learning more about Botticelli’s mysterious life and his reputation as an “outsider”.The exploration of Renaissance art continues with Titian’s sumptuous and sensual Venus of Urbino, and Michelangelo’s portrait of the holy family known as the Doni Tondo. This magnificent work by the mature Michelangelo has attracted a multitude of different interpretations, and on your Uffizi tour you will discover why this ambiguous painting continues to fascinate its viewers. Other highlights include Leonardo da Vinci’s the Annunciation and Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch.Paintings take a darker turn in the Baroque with Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Holofernes. Gentileschi was a rare example of a successful female artist in the early 17th century, whose work shocked and captivated in equal measure. Inspired by the work of Caravaggio and her own traumatic experiences, Gentileschi’s Judith and Holofernes is a violent and powerful work. Works by Caravaggio, the Baroque master, are other highlights of the Uffizi tour; his decadent Bacchus and striking Medusa are remarkable portraits.Join an exclusive private tour of the Uffizi in Florence for an unforgettable journey through centuries of art history.