Hi everyone,

I posted something a while back about me going to Urbino this summer to study abroad, but it was just a general question about trains and such and getting to and from places, like going to see my family in Civitavecchia, etc.

As my trip date is coming closer I'm wondering a lot about this city. Is there a lot to do? Museums, discotechs, shopping, restaurants, etc. And my primary question, is the city heavily populated by tourists? (Im hoping not)I've been to Italy many times but never Urbino, any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Lorena

I would doubt that Urbino is "heavily populated by tourists," as it is almost impossible to get to without a car. I've been to Italy around 30 times and have not yet made it to Urbino, chiefly to see the Palazza ducale.

That should, of course, be "Palazzo ducale." (I should take the time to preview...)

I have been working on my trip report and will post it shortly but I just came back from Le Marche and one of my stops was Urbino. It's a beautiful town. I visited the Palazzo Ducale and many other places in Le Marche. I don't know what you mean by "tourist" city but there are many travelers who visit there, probably not from the US. There also appears to be a large student population. We also had one of our favorite meals there.

We took a day trip to Urbino (from Tuscany) a few years ago. There are certainly tourist attractions there, but since it is not in Tuscany or Umbria, it doesn't seem to get anywhere near the amount of tourist traffic it would otherwise. I think it's a lovely town and would be a great place to spend some time.

What if it were? It's worth the lengthy drive from western Umbria or Tuscany for the Piero paintings alone. Why anyone cares who else is looking at them is incomprehensible.

Pretty much the only people I've ever encountered inside the Palazo Ducale have been other tourists: some from Milan or Florence, most (it usually seems) from London and some from further afield. But it looks as stunning (inside and out) irrespective of where your fellow-visitors are coming from. And there's no evidence any of them are too upset about sharing their visit with tourists like you.

Since no-one ever eats in the restaurants opposite the main tourist attraction in their home town, the people you'll find in the restaurants in the main Piazza will also all be tourists. Again, so what?

As a rough guide to life, anywhere choked with tourists is likely to have a lot worth seeing. Avoiding other tourists is a pretty effective way of cutting yourself off from most of the best things this planet has to offer. It's a pretty sure sign of a very naive - or snobbish - tourist.

Flanneruk,

First of all, I dont care how anyone looks at me. That was not the point of my post. I am not familiar with Urbino, so I wanted to know if it was a typical over crowded tourist city. I am studying abroad there so I would prefer that the atmosphere is not over populated with tourists so that I can experience the feel of real life there.

And second, why would I be worried about coming across as a tourist? I dont care. I am who I am. Plus, I hardly feel like a tourist anyway, I've spent a large portion of my life between here and Italy. My whole family lives there except for my parents who came over after they were grown. I speak the language,know the culture, and have spent significant amounts of time there, I hardly feel like a tourist.

I don't know if your intention was to come off sounding like jerk, but you certainly did. Clearly you didnt understand the point of my post. Some people may like staying in cities where there are tons of tourists and may run into people from their part of the world so that perhaps they can make connections with other people and find new friends, but for me, I think I would enjoy my studying abroad experience more without dealing with everything being over crowded. That was the intent of my post. You're being a bit presumptious by assuming I'm a naive or snobbish tourist when all I did was ask a simple question.

"Why anyone cares who else is looking at them is incomprehensible."---uhh yeah, if you reread my post you wont see anything in there that says anything about me being concerned about being a tourist. Maybe you should read things carefully before jumping to conclusions and making assumptions.

I really do appreciate the input that everyone else has given and look forward to any other feedback that anyone has on the city.

Thanks

Lorena

We were there for one night last June and found it extremely quiet - to the extent, in fact, that we regretted staying there. We saw hardly any other tourists, but we arrived late afternoon & left mid-morning, so maybe lots come for the day - I don't know. It is of course spectacular as you approach (we were doing the Piero della Francesca trail so driving from Sansepolcro). And the ducal palace is great. But we weren't aware of anything else specific to see & didn't manage to find a nice restaurant or bar. But if you are living there for a while I'm sure it will be great - just wandering round & soaking up the atmosphere will be lovely, & you'll have the chance to find out the good places to go.

Flanneruk - avoiding other tourists is a pretty effective way of cutting yourself off from most of the best things this planet has to offer? Bollocks! I do both - if sufficiently interested I sample the tourist things when I get to a place (for example I wouldn't NOT see the pyramids if i were in Egypt), but I spend by far the greatest part of my time in any country or city, losing myself amongst the locals, well away from tourist spots and tourists. And I can truly say that most of the best things I've seen that this planet has to offer, have been in those lesser known and less visited places.

I also just returned from Urbino. It is a lovely city but it is quiet, especially at night. However, I am sure it is more lively outside of the winter months. We had one of the best meals of our trip in a restaurant there. It was Ristorante Vecchia Urbino. The steak there is out of this world and melted like butter in your mouth. The service was excellent and olive oils sublime. The waiter brings olive oils from all over the country to your table. The one from Sardinia was heavenly. The bill was quite reasonable given the quantity and amount of food provided. The local wine was excellent. The owner will come and sit with you telling you wonderful stories as well. When we were there it was full of locals only (and they all know each other!). The also have a website: www.vecchiaurbino.it

In addition, there is a nice wine bar at the very top of one of the steep hills leading away from the main Piazza. It was full of locals and great wines. The owner was there and sampled many with us while constatnly providing a nice selection of local salamis and cheese. This tiny wine bar is at the top of a hill near a park with a great view over the countryside.

You can see all the museums in a day or so; however, the people are friendly so if you can get involved locally you will never be bored. Finally, this is a university town so there are indeed a lot of students. Enjoy your time in this wonderful area if Italia.

Thank you to everyone for continually posting these wonderful experiences.

Danielle--Im off to check out the website!

Lorena:

I studied abroad in Le Marche (in the town of Macerata) some years back, and now I actually live here. I have been to Urbino a few times now, and I think it's a really nice city. It IS small, but it has a good University population, which should help you meet people as a student there.

I think I understand your concerns about it being touristy, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Le Marche is relatively quiet, and while Urbino is the main draw, it isn't overly populated with tourists--you will have chances to speak Italian without being responded to in English, and you should be able to enjoy daily life more as a student than as a tourist.

Living in Macerata, which is a bit larger, I get the sense that Urbino might not have quite the same night life (even Macerata's is pretty dead), but with all of the students, there should be bars and such. I don't know about discos, though. Nearby Pesaro might be a nice place to go to discos and such--it's reasonably nearby, and there are many such sea towns that have more of a night life.

I would study there in a heartbeat.

Jackie

Jackie,

Thank you so much for your reply. How did you come about living in Italy? What do you do for work? I want to make the move also but of course the fear of being able to find work is always a big one.

Your post was so helpful, thank you so much. I'm really excited!

Lorena

Lorena:

I made the "big move" for what I had planned to only be a year--after having studied in Macerata a few years back, I decided I just had to return, and I quit my job and everything in the states to move over. I was lucky enough to find a job in Italy before leaving from the states, and I spent a wonderful wonderful year working as an assistant for an American study abroad program.

During my year there, I started a relationship with an Italian guy that I had known when I studied abroad, but we had just been friends . I ended up moving back to the states after the job ended and then, after four months of living in the states and continuing a long distance relationship, I said "Forget this, I'm moving back to Italy."

And here I am! Since that point we've gotten married, and now I work as an English teacher for an English school in town, doing lessons for the local middle school and elementary school, and doing private lessons as well.

Anyway, I think you are doing the right thing in starting with a study abroad program. If you do end up liking the area enough, you should do some research on jobs while you are studying. If you have the flexibility, you could always stick around Italy after your program is over. I know a lot of people who do this--find jobs after they've finished studying and stay in Italy for a while longer.

good luck! if you want to exchange contact info, let me know. I'd be happy to give you more information. I really like this region of Italy.

Jackie,

I would love to exchange contact information with you and talk more about this. My e-mail adress is attached to all of my posts, so drop me an e-mail and we will definetely talk!

Lorena

How would a person only able to speak English do in this town and area of Italy? I have been in the major Italian cities visited by tourists and some smaller towns (Lucca) and never had difficulty. We are researching this area for a possible trip. Thanks

Urbino is a University town in the summer so a lot of people are very equipped in knowing at least 'enough English' to communicate with the tourists. Can I ask what your specific interests are or why you are considering Urbino? I just spent the whole summer there and maybe could give you some feedback. I speak Italian, so the language thing was never an issue, but I knew many American kids who got by with English. Of course I would reccomend that you try learning at least a little Italian, because not EVERYONE speaks English, but you should be fine.

I so appreciate your response! We enjoy being near the beach, (loved Bellagio and the lake towns...) would like to do some day trips to Florence, etc., would like a peaceful, relaxing stay in an authentic Italian town with natural beauty, we like renting a car and seeing the countryside, shopping and museum hopping a little. Are you familiar with the town of Numana or Hotel Scogilera? 4 of us (2 couples) like to travel together and follow up on interesting destinations that we hear of. Thanks so much for any info.

A day trip to Florence is doable but it's a little bit of a hassle. There is no train station in Urbino. So unless you are planning on renting a car you will have to take a bus from Urbino to Pesaro and then take a train from Pesaro to Florence. Pesaro is about an hour and a half away from Urbino. There are a few neat museums in Urbino. I would guess that the most highly reccomended thing in Urbino would be palazzo Ducale. Urbino is a very small town and there isnt much to do there. I made the most of my stay there this summer and made good friends at school which is what kept me content most of the time.

I would suggest that if you make Urbino your home base and go to Florence that you at least stay over night in Florence because it takes enough just to get there that you would be cutting yourself short by having to leave the same day and catch a train back to Pesaro and then a bus to Urbino. It would be a very rushed day.

If the beach is your thing maybe you may want to stay in Pesaro and make a day trip or two to Urbino. Other places nearby that I would suggest researching are Ancona and Rimini. Urbino is cute but I dont know if I'd reccomend it as a home base.