THE "MONTEFELTRO"

The city of Urbino (35 kms from Pesaro), historical capital of the homonymous dukedom, is certainly the first destination of every visitor of this zone.. With the monumental "Palazzo Ducale" , that contains the rich National Gallery of the Marche, with the numerous treasures of art contained in her beautiful churches and convents, with the Rafael's native house and with the various patrician buildings disseminated along the characteristics roads and little roads, Urbino is a city that leaves everyone amazed and fascinated.  All around Urbino a panorama made of necks and great valleys, as in the paintings of the great painters of the Renaissance, invites you to cross the roads of the territory in direction northwest to reach the earth of the Montefeltro, country of the homonym Renaissance family, positioned in the extreme northern confinements of the Region Marche, in contact with Romagna and Tuscany, area dominated by the appenninic peak of Carpegna mountain (m.1415), beyond that you find the valley of the Marecchia river and the mountain of Perticara (m.883). From Urbino you can reach the river Foglia valley, and go up to Sassocorvaro (m.331), that,  from the high of is precipitous hill, dominated by the mighty Fortress of  Ottaviano degli Ubaldini (planned by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, XV sec.), reflect herself in the lake of Mercatale. From Sassocorvaro, going up again the valley of the Foglia, you reach Lunano (m.297), to the feet of his ancient demolished castle, then up to Piandimeleto (m.320), still today dominated by the imposing massive structure of the Castle of the accounts Oliva, to reach then the near Belforte all'Isauro (m.343). Returning back, after Piandimeleto, following the road that follows the valley of the stream Changes, you pass for Frontino (m.530), advanced sentinel of the Montefeltro, at the border with the Massa Trabaria, dominated by the suggestive rocky boardings of the "Sasso Simone (m.1204) e Simoncello (m.1221)" (natural Park). After Frontino you can reach Carpegna (m.784), village extended to the feet of the homonymous mountain, pressed around the severe seventeenth-century massive structure of the Building of the Princes Carpegna , still inhabited by the descendants of the ancient family. After Carpegna, revolving the oriental slopes of the mountain, the road reaches Pennabilli (m.570), medieval village characterized from the ruins of the castle of "Penna" and from that of "Billi", that together gave the name to the place, and from an historical center rich in buildings and medieval monuments, with characteristic roads plunged in another epoch. From Pennabilli you go down up to the valley of the river Marecchia and, crossed the valley in direction northeast, you go up again up to S. Agata Feltria, extreme rampart of the ancient dukedom of Urbino, village placed behind the nude peak on which  places the mighty massive structure of the Fortress Fregoso.   Returning back along the river Marecchia you reach San Leo (m.589-639), tall on his enormous rock sheer to the surrounding valley, with the ancient and impregnable fortress in the summit of the cliff and the houses and the splendid medioeval churches immediately below it. From here, in few minutes you can reach the Republic of San Marino.

THE METAURO VALLEY

Point of arrival and at the same time of departure of the valley of the Metauro is Fano, the ancient Fanum Fortunae, with its historical center rich in monuments: from the Roman epoch to the Middle Age, from the Renaissance period to the Baroque age. Fano is the arrival of the ancient roman street Flaminia, that follows the river Metauro for a part of his journey.  Going toward inside of the valley, the first village we find is Calcinelli (13.4 kms) where we meet the crossroads that allows to effect two suggestive hilly runs between the suburbs and the castles of the low Metauro. The first one, correspondent to the northern slope of the river, conducts to Saltara (m.160), attractive village dominated by the imposing town-walls that contains the ancient castle, to continue then in slope, between the green of the grapevines and the silver of the olive-trees, up to Cartoceto (m.235) with his characteristic nucleus of ancient houses fan-shaped, on the slopes of the hill dominated from the nineteenth-century collegiate-sanctuary of S.Maria of the Mercy.  Still continuing in slope, we reach Mombaroccio (m.311) situated to among the valleys of the Metauro and the Foglia, village entirely surrounded by the strong fifteenth-century town-walls. Here we find the ancient convent of the Beato Sante (m.393), authentic casket of art, all surrounded by a beautiful wood of oaks, holm-oaks and chestnut trees. Reentered to Calcinelli, we face the second hilly run, that correspond to the southern slope of the Metauro, overcoming the river on the long road bridge and climbing to M.Maggiore al Metauro (m.197), real panoramic balcony on the valley. The second journey crosses the hills that separate the valley of the Metauro from that of the Cesano. We cross the villages of Piagge and S. Giorgio di Pesaro (ancient castles with town-walls), and then we reach the inhabited area of Orciano di Pesaro (m.249), well visible also from far, with his tall bell tower and the tower of the 'castle', inside that is opportune to visit the splendid Renaissance church of S.Maria Nuova, work of Baccio Pontelli. From Orciano you can reenter to Calcinelli, and to climb the valley up to Fossombrone. The center of the city is in a narrow passage of the valley, between the buttresses of the Cesanes and the steep slope of the hill of the Cappuccini. The little city climbs itself on the hill and among the roofs they emerge the bell-towers of the most greater churches and the façades of the noblest buildings, first among those the noble structure of the "Corte Alta dei Montefeltro" and, even more aloft, over the Middle-Age Citadel, the summit of the hill of S.Aldebrando with the ruins of the fortress of Malatesta-Montefeltro family. Left Fossombrone, we continue our journey toward west, along the tall valley of the Metauro river, and we arrive at Fermignano, with the thick Tower of the Militias, sets to protection of the picturesque bridge to three arcades on the river with the characteristic terrace-cascade. The next stop is Urbania, the ancient Castel Durante (m.273), attractive town rich in monuments, surrounded for three sides by the course of the Metauro and all encircled by the ancient town-walls, licked up by the river, together with one of the fronts of the Ducal Building, the building where Francesco Maria II della Rovere died in 1631. Immediately after Urbania there is the imposing and elegant structure of the "Barco Ducale", countryhouse for hunting and summer residence of the dukes of Urbino. Still going up the valley of the Metauro, we meet, climbed on a hill with beautiful sight panning on the valley, the ancient castle of Peglio (m.534).The following village is S. Angelo in Vado, the ancient Roman commune of Tiphernum Mataurense (m.359), other attractive town with its churches and buildings and the fourteenth-century Palace 'El Campanon', the severe civic tower, tall on the lower contemporary Palace of the Reason. Sant'Angelo in Vado is one of the countries of the appreciated white truffle (tuber magnatum pico), together with the whole zone of the tall "Appennino pesarese". Climbing toward the Appennino we reach Mercatello sul Metauro (m.429); another town with beautiful monuments like the Middle-Age church of S.Francesco with the "Christ Crocefisso" of Giovanni from Rimini and the rich Museum of tables and fourteenth-century polyptychs or as the stately Palace Gasparini. The journey is concluded when you reach Borgo Pace (m.449), little village settled to the center of the "Massa Trabaria", the vast zone of Appenin mountains from where once upon a time the trunks of tree used for the roofs of the basilicas arrived to Rome, along the course of the river Tevere. Here the Metauro divides itself in Meta and Auro, Auro that reaches, over the border of the province of Arezzo (Tuscany), his own sources on the "Alpe della Luna".