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How many Americans have Italian origins? Many. But not all Italian Americans can boast an ancestor like Ventura Mazza, a student of Federico Barocci, the Urbino painter who was a key figure in Italian Mannerism and the art of the Counter-Reformation, considered one of the precursors of Baroque. The protagonist of this story is Maria Theresa Siclare...

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While the likes of Matera and Taormina might draw the largest crowds, you shouldn’t overlook Italy’s lesser-known hill towns, ranging from higgledy-piggledy Calcata to savagely beautiful Pietrapertosa. Whether you’re keen to explore lofty castles or verdant Piedmont vineyards, there’s a clifftop enclave to suit every taste — here are some of the be...

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Urbino, a city located in the hills of the Marche region, has gained international fame for its extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage. However, its notoriety is not only due to its artistic riches, but also to its history and the key role it played in the Italian cultural landscape of the Renaissance. In the heart of Urbino is the Ducal Pala...

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Urbino, a picturesque hill town in central Italy’s le Marche region, is famous for its Ducal Palace, the first in Italy, and as the home town of the painter Raffaello (Raphael). The palace holds one of Italy’s top collections of Renaissance paintings. In the 15th century, Duke Federico da Montefeltro established Urbino as one of the most influentia...

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Italy is filled with Renaissance beauty: Florence, Perugia, and Siena. Mantova, Pavia and Ferrara, just to name a few.  This is not surprising, because the Renaissance, the historical and cultural period that, in Italy, runs from the very early 14th century to the end of the 16th, is as much a symbol of our art, culture and contribution to civiliza...

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In one of the most famous paintings in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, Federico da Montefeltro gazes at his wife, Battista Sforza, as they stand in front of the landscape over which they ruled. Undulating hills rise to volcano-like peaks on which towns perch. The ragged Apennine mountains stalk the horizon, and what's thought to be the Metau...

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The historic centre of Urbino is a magical place and, since 1998, its beauty has earned it inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The beautiful palaces, churches and characteristic narrow streets transport the tourist directly back to the atmosphere of fifteenth century when Urbino was the glittering city of the dukes, rich, in cultural ferme...

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