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Le Marche, Italy and Urbania: Travel Off the Beaten Track
Sunday July 29, 2007
Le Marche is one of Italy's less touristed regions but it has many attractive hidden gems. The lively town of Urbania, near the better known city of Urbino, is one of them. I was invited to visit Urbania by Marianne Pruiksma, director of Italian Operatic Experience, a summer program for opera students held in conjunction with Scuola Italia Italian Language School.
Urbania's Ducal Palace, now a museum, was once the summer residence of the Duke of Urbino bringing art and culture to the small town of Urbania. Today, summers are filled with festivals and music events of all kinds and the main square is always full of people. Urbania is also one of Italy's top towns for producing handmade ceramics.