Looked at the city. Our hotel is a former convent for the Dominicans and next door is the Dominican church.

And another church, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

Raphael was born in Urbino and his family house is a museum.

The historic centre of Urbino was built on a hill top and almost all the streets are steep.

The Oratorio of St John the Baptist, in late International Gothic style, shows the art becoming more relatable to common people.

The National Gallery of the Marches is in the Ducal palace in Urbino.

It houses two important, yet small-sized works, by Piero: The Flagellation and the Madonna di Senigallia.

Both works raise issues about their interpretation. I noted other works when I visited here in 2023. The museum is in the process of rehanging works so things are being moved around and it looks like more seating will be available.

Urbino does not have a Raphael painting but there is one on more or less permanent loan from the Uffizi.

The view towards the “hanging garden”; hanging because it is on an upper level of the palazzo.

Federico Montefeltro’s studiolo or study has incredibly intricate wood intarsia or marquetry.

A Piero timeline: