Following the old ducal road which leads to the Upper Metauro Valley, one arrives at the town of URBANIA. Situated on a narrow river bend, Urbania (in past centuries known us Casteldurante) is famous for its ceramic production and has many important architectural examples within the characteristic medieval core.

The fifteenth century Palazzo Ducale was built for Federico di Montefeltro by the Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini. It was erected on top of a preexisting structure which in the thirteenth century was the residence of the Count Brancaleoni. The Palace went through various transformations in the sixteenth century by Girolamo Genga and is today home of the museum, the art gallery and the old ducal library. In it are exhibited sixteenth and seventeenth century paintings from the region of Marche, fourteenth century frescoes, local majolica works, precious manuscripts and incunabula, numerous fifteenth century Spanish gold coins (cinquecentine), global maps, geographic maps and a collection of more than two thousund etchings and drawings by various important artists.

Other places of interest are: the sixteenth century Palazzo della Ragione; the Cathedral, built on a pre-romanic structure (the old benedictine abbey of San Cristoforo) which contains a precious crucifix of the fourteenth century; the Church of San Francesco, built in the thirteenth century and rebuilt in 1762 (one of the most characteristic examples of Baroque architecture in the Marche) which preserves a large altar, panel by Picchi (1582); the Oratorio of the Corpus Domini containing paintings by Raffaellin del Colle; the Chiesa dei Morti with its romanesque facade renowned for its Mummy cemetry. Other examples of religious architecture are: the Convents of Santa Chiara and Santa Maria Maddalena, and the church of the Santissimo Crocifisso, which holds the tomb of the last duke of Urbino.

Outside Urbani's fortified wall is the Parco Ducale otherwise known as 'Barco', residence and hunting retreat of the Dukes of Urbino. It is a grand villa started by Francesco di Giorgio and continued by the architect Genga. The small central church was built by Vanvitelli. Near the hills which graduate towards the Metauro plains there is the eighteenth century Santuario di Battaglia, place of pilgrimage. Close to the small town of Muraglione an archaeological area of the Roman era is located .</>

Urbania is also the centre of a prestigious Dante Alighieri school established for the teaching of the Italian language to foreigners.