11 May 2019: Pesaro to Urbino (Mileage: 24/30)

We had a hilly and beautiful ride into Urbino, with wonderful villages and great views along the way. Weather was perfect, fairly light wind and 55-60 F temperatures with occasional thin cloud cover. Our maps.me app worked well, routing us on quiet small roads. We saw lots of cyclists on the main roads but few after leaving the direct route to Urbino. Yes, we did get passed by a few guys on mountain bikes, (but they were not pulling a trailer).

As for food, it was a decent breakfast, one stop for coffee, a panini for lunch, and early gyro dinner. No one opens for dinner before 7 pm, few people even show before 8 pm, and after a several hour walk about Urbino and visit to the Ducal Palace. We climbed the tower, only open on Saturdays, and strolled multiple galleries with fantastic displays.

Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast, so we made some adjustments to Christopher's bike, mounted our fenders, and pulled out our rain gear. Breakfast was left in the room, so we can depart any time.

Here is a brief overview of Urbino and the Ducal Palace.
Urbino (Italian: [urˈbiːno] (listen)) is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482. The town, nestled on a high sloping hillside, retains much of its picturesque medieval aspect. It hosts the University of Urbino, founded in 1506, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Urbino. Its best-known architectural piece is the Palazzo Ducale, rebuilt by Luciano Laurana.

The Ducal Palace (Italian: Palazzo Ducale) is a Renaissance building in the Italian city of Urbino in the Marche. One of the most important monuments in Italy, it is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.^[1]

The Ducal Palace houses the National Gallery of the Marche.
The Galleria Nazionale delle Marche is one of the most important collections of Renaissance art in the world. It includes important works by artists such as Raphael, Van Wassenhove (a Last Supper with portraits of the Montefeltro family and the court), Melozzo da Forlì, Piero della Francesca (with the famous Flagellation), Paolo Uccello, Timoteo Viti, and other 15th century artists, as well as a late Resurrection by Titian.

Our Hosts Wave Goodbye. We cycled out of Pesaro about 9 am. Christopher is ready for his first day of bike touring in Italy.

After cutting the steep roadside ditch, how many Americans, or anyone, would bother to gather up the cut grass? Yes, on their lawn, but not the roadside.

Steep, rolling terrain.

Why have two wheels when one will suffice.

Dog of the Day #1. Very friendly.

Incredible landscapes.

Roadside Chapel.

Vallefoglia

Entering Vallefoglia

Roadside Sculpture

Promoting general physical fitness and health, I liked Granny leading the peloton.

Clever design for 7 units on a steep hillside, each with separate entrances and private yards in back.

Urbino, Quiet time between a late lunch and evening cocktails.

Rear entrance to B & B Albornoz.

Nadia was returning from shopping just as we arrived at her back gate. B & B Albornoz had a front entrance on the main street and a back gate with stairs down to a pleasant enclosed Patio. While the patio seemed to be secure, we stashed our bikes in our room to avoid the forecast of rain.

Looking south from the Ducal Palace tower.

Urbino Rooftops

Urbino's Ducal Palace Tower Stairs

Ducal Palace's National Gallery of the Marche features an amazing collection of inlaid wood art. A few are included here.

Dog of the Day #2 at the Last Supper. It seems that one of the two disciples was feeding the dog from table scraps. The original Duke died without a heir, so ownership passed to the Catholic Church before public ownership.

Urbino. I watched this car carefully exit.

No niche should remain unfilled.

Urbino shop specializing in a variety of wood objects, including this vintage motorcycle.