Palazzo Ducale & Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino

The Palazzo Ducale dominates the steep hilltop town of Urbino and stands among the finest examples of Italian Renaissance secular architecture. Built largely between 1454 and 1472 for Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino and one of the era's most celebrated condottieri and humanist patrons, the palace was designed in part by the Dalmatian architect Luciano Laurana and later Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Its twin-turreted west facade, the Facciata dei Torricini, frames a balconied loggia that looks out over the Marche hills, while inside the elegant Cortile d'Onore set a standard for courtyard design copied across Italy. Since 1912 the palace has housed the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, whose collection of late medieval and Renaissance art is among the most important in central Italy. The undisputed highlights are Piero della Francesca's enigmatic 'Flagellation of Christ' and the celebrated 'Ideal City' panel, alongside Raphael's portrait 'La Muta', works by Paolo Uccello, Titian, and Federico Barocci, and the duke's intimate Studiolo, lined with trompe-l'oeil intarsia wood panelling. The town of Urbino around the palace, a remarkably intact Renaissance hilltop city and the birthplace of Raphael, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 AM, with the ticket office closing at 6:15 PM; admission is €10 for adults and free for visitors under 18, with free entry on the first Sunday of each month. Allow two to three hours for a thorough visit. Urbino's steep, stepped streets make for a strenuous but rewarding approach on foot.