The collections belonging to the National Gallery of the Marche are on display in a unique setting: Urbino’s splendid Ducal Palace, built for Federico da Montefeltro.
Federico came to rule over the Montefeltro State in 1444.
His political expertise and moderation as a ruler meant he was immediately welcomed by his subjects as well as in the courts of Italy. In just a few decades under his rule, Urbino became a leading light of the Italian Renaissance.
His refined choice of decorators, as well as of vanguard artists and architects, such as Piero della Francesca and Leon Battista Alberti, meant that Federico was able to leave a definitive mark on the cultural and urban landscape.
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Opening days
from Tuesday to Sunday
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Opening times
Tuesday to Sunday 8.30 - 19.15
the ticket office closes at 18.15 -
Closing
Monday (excluding 1 to 29 July 2024)
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Extra Opening times
Monday (excluding 1 to 29 July 2024)
every Monday, from 1 to 29 July 2024,
from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm (ticket office closing at 6.00 pm). - Web National Gallery of the Marche - Urbino’s Ducal Palace
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Feature List
- Info line
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Accessibility
Wheelchair access limited to the 1st floor, located on the ground floor, near the Pasquino Garden
- THE DUCAL PALACE
In 1459, Federico had already begun the works to extend and decorate the existing modest residence belonging to the Montefeltro counts. The Ducal Palace was built in several stages; a significant part was designed by Dalmatian architect Luciano Laurana, responsible for the fairy-tale twin turrets, and by military architect and engineer to the Duke, Francesco di Giorgio Martini from Siena.
The Palace becomes an expression of the culture of the Urbino court in the middle of the Renaissance with the splendid study built using wood inlay, the vast library of illuminated manuscripts, the small Chapel of Forgiveness, attributed to Bramante, as well as a small temple dedicated to the Muses, painted by court artist, Giovanni Santi, father of Raphael, the apartments and the immense Banqueting Hall an the stupendous courtyard. - THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF THE MARCHE
The works in the National Gallery of the Marche are shown in the rooms on the first and second floors. On the ground floor there is the Archaeological Museum.
The National Gallery of the Marche contains paintings and sculptures dating back to the 13th through to the 18th century, ceramics, coins, drawings and some furnishings, to which we can add the “fixtures” of Urbino’s Ducal Palace.
The museum’s prestige is linked in everybody’s minds to the absolute masterpieces of the Renaissance that are part of its 15th-century core. To name but a few, we could mention the “Flagellation”, the “Madonna of Senigallia” (Piero della Francesca) the “Ideal City” (central-Italian painter, previously attributed to L. Laurana), and the “Portrait of a Gentlewoman” known as “La Muta” (Raphael).
The visit to the Ducal Palace of Urbino will be an experience full of emotions and wonder!
Services
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Visits
by reservation
available in Italian, English - Bookshop
- Cafés and food Courts
- Wardrobe
- Restaurants
Where
Piazza Rinascimento, 13 - Urbino
Transportation
By bus
_ From Pesaro train station
Adriabus autobus CS, CD, 46 Pesaro-Urbino
_ From Fano train station
Adriabus autobus CS, CD, 46 Pesaro-Urbino
By car
_ exit “Pesaro-Urbino” of the A14, and take the SP423 in direction of Urbino
_ exit “Fano” of the A14, and take the E78-SS73bis in direction of Rome-Urbino
Visiting Rules
Some simple rules must be followed in order to ensure eccess to the site
_ It is not permitted to
- enter the museum rooms with bags, backpacks, pushchairs, prams, umbrellas, or cameras;
- keep cellphones switched on in the rooms;
- take photographs or film;
- smoke in the rooms;
- eat in any of the rooms
