Pesaro and Urbino is one of the five provinces in Le Marche, the other four being Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata and Fermo. It sits in the very north of the Le Marche region, bordering the enclave of San Marino and Emilia Romagna to the north, Ancona to the south, the Adriatic Sea to the east and with both Umbria and Tuscany as neighbours to the west. If you’re looking for a Le Marche villa holiday, then we can thoroughly recommend making sure that this northernmost province of Pesaro and Urbino is on your holiday bucket list of places to visit during your trip.
The provincial administrative capital of Pesaro and Urbino is Urbino however the county council is based in Pesaro. This dual government approach is reflected in the province’s coat of arms – a shield divided in two.
Exploring the towns and villages of Pesaro and Urbino
Urbino was an incredibly important centre at the time of the Renaissance thanks to Federico da Montefeltro who invited numerous influential artists and writers to his court. It was also the birthplace of one of the most important artists of the Renaissance period – Raphael – who was born in Urbino in 1483. Even today, Urbino is viewed by many as an ‘ideal city’ with a perfectly preserved and incredibly beautiful historic centre. It’s not surprising that it’s included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy.
Make sure you visit the Palazzo Ducale, home to a number of museums including the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. Here you’ll find works of art by the likes of Piero della Francesca, Titian and Raphael himself. Also worth a visit is the adjacent Duomo and the Casa Natale di Rafaello (the birthplace of Raphael) where you can learn more about the artist and admire many of his earliest works.
Check out our Urbino travel guide for more information ahead of your Le Marche villa holiday.
Where Urbino sits inland, in contrast, Pesaro is a bustling and popular seaside town with a thriving fishing port. However, like Urbino, it has also had its fair share of famous residents in the past. Pesaro was the birthplace of Italian composer, Rossini, probably most famous for his work the Barber of Seville. Incidentally, if you want to learn more about Rossini, head to the Casa Rossini in Pesaro to see where he once lived. Pesaro was also the birthplace of Valentino Rossi, the nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. For motorbike enthusiasts, Pesaro is home to a couple of motorbike museums – the Moribidelli museum and the Benelli museum.
To start your visit, head to Pesaro’s main square – the Piazza del Popolo – where you will find the 15th century Palazzo Ducale. From here, the Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta should be the next stop on your list. It’s home to some incredible mosaics which historians estimate could date as far back as the 4th century and which were probably once part of the floor of an early Christian basilica. These were uncovered during essential restoration work and are now carefully protected under glass panels.
Also worth a visit is the Rocca Costanza Castle (which served as a prison at one time) and the Ruggeri House. Whilst you can’t go inside this residence, it’s still worth heading to the Piazza della Liberta to admire its incredible facade. We can pretty much guarantee that you’ll never have seen anything like it anywhere else!
There are plenty of other towns and villages in Pesaro and Urbino that are worth exploring on your Le Marche villa holiday. Other main towns include Fermignano, Cagli, Appecchio, Fossombrone, Mondavio and Fano. Find out more about all the towns and villages of Le Marche in our A to Z guide to Le Marche.
Exploring rural Pesaro and Urbino
However, there is so much more to the province than its towns and villages. There is much to see across the rural landscape of Pesaro and Urbino too. The province is affectionately referred to as the ‘Riviera of Hills’ and most of the area is covered in rolling hills stretching to the more rugged Appennine mountain range. The highest of these mountain peaks is Monte Catria standing at over 1700 metres tall whilst at the other end of the spectrum you have Monte Bregno at just over 700 metres high. However the province is home to 290 other named peaks in between!
Not only that, this province is also home to not one but two National Parks, namely Monte Sibillini ands Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga. There are also five regional parks – Monte Conero, Monte San Bartolo, Sasso Simone e Simoncello, Frasassi and Gole della Rossa – and five nature reserves too. These include Abbadia du Fiastra, Gola del Furlo, Montagna di Torricchio, Ripa Bianca and Sentina. All this makes Pesaro and Urbino an ideal destination for keen walkers, hikers and cyclists who make the most of the many hundreds of kilometres of tracks and paths that criss-cross the landscape.
Exploring the beaches of Pesaro and Urbino
The coastline of Pesaro and Urbino is pretty impressive too! The beaches of Le Marche can quite rightly lay claim to being some of the best in Italy and several of the very best of these can be found in Pesaro and Urbino. Even if your Le Marche villa has a pool, we can highly recommend spending time on the beach. The most well known of these are at Gabicce Mare, Pesaro, Fano and Marotta.
Gabicce Mare is situated in the Mount San Bartolo Park. It can boast a stretch of beach 3km long, lined with rows of sun loungers and parasols. However, if you’re looking for something off the beaten track, then head slightly east from here where you will discover much more rugged coastal scenery with small pathways taking you down to quiet, pebbled coves cut into the rock.
Pesaro has a few beaches for you to choose from, mostly filled with neat rows of brightly coloured sun beds and parasols. This is typical of the way the Italians visit the beach – you’ll pay a small fee to access them but there facilities on hand. However, if you want to avoid costs, then there is a free section of beach at the southern end of Viale Trieste. If you have young children, the Spaggia di Levante is probably your best bet in Pesaro. But our favourite beach in Pesaro is actually the more secluded beach just north of the centre of Pesaro at Baia Flaminia.
The beaches at Fano are divided in two by the fishing harbour but both are excellent for families with gradually sloping sands and water that stays shallow for a long time. To the south is the slightly quieter Spiaggi Sassonia whilst to the north is the shorter but livelier Spiaggia Lido.
Finally, Marotta offers holidaymakers miles and miles of wide sandy beaches to enjoy. There are also plenty of free areas dotted in between the concessions where you can hire parasols and sun beds.
Check out our guide to the beaches of Le Marche for more information on the best beaches to visit during you Le Marche villa holiday.
How to travel to Pesaro and Urbino
By plane: The nearest airport is the Aeroporto di Ancona-Falconara (AOI) in Ancona.
By boat: Again, the nearest ferry port is also in Ancona. Ferries regularly go back and forth from here to Greece, Turkey, Croatia and elsewhere.
By car: The main road that runs through Pesaro and Urbino is the A14 which runs all the way from Bologna in the north down to Taranto in Puglia in the south.
Inspired to explore Pesaro and Urbino for yourself? Then take a look at the Le Marche villas available to rent from Italy villa rental experts, Bookings For You.