Le Marche, Italy and Urbania: Travel Off the Beaten Track

Le Marche is one of Italy's less touristed regions but it has many attractive hidden gems. The lively town of Urbania, near the better known city of Urbino, is one of them. I was invited to visit Urbania by Marianne Pruiksma, director of Italian Operatic Experience, a summer program for opera students held in conjunction with Scuola Italia Italian Language School.

Urbania's Ducal Palace, now a museum, was once the summer residence of the Duke of Urbino bringing art and culture to the small town of Urbania. Today, summers are filled with festivals and music events of all kinds and the main square is always full of people. Urbania is also one of Italy's top towns for producing handmade ceramics.

We stayed at the beautiful Country House Parco Ducale, just outside town, next to a stately building that was the Duke's hunting lodge and is now being restored. The Parco Ducale offers bed and breakfast in a relaxing setting with a pool, garden and play area, and nice common rooms that can be used by the guests. They also have suites with kitchen area that can accommodate up to four people and are great for families. The Parco Ducale makes a good base for visiting Urbania, where you'll find several good restaurants, and other charming Le Marche towns. I've added Country House Parco Ducale to my list of Recommended Italy Lodging.

By the way, if you're in the area, you can see a free opera performance presented by Italian Operatic Experience in Urbania's historic Bramante Theater on August 3.

Le Marche Travel: Marche Map | Urbania Travel Directory
More about Urbania and Marche Madness on Europe for Visitors blog

_{Photo of Country House Parco Ducale © 2007 by James Martin, Europe for Visitors}