Barco Ducale, Renaissance hunting villa in Urbania, Italy
Barco Ducale is a villa standing near the Metauro River, with a church shaped like a Latin cross at its core and former convent rooms arranged around it. The structure spreads across multiple wings and courtyards, creating a self-contained complex that once served both residential and religious purposes.
Federico da Montefeltro founded this hunting lodge in 1465, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini helped design several of its architectural features. The building rose during a time when this region flourished under the rule of this powerful family.
Inside, a wooden crucifix from the 1500s hangs above the main altar, with stone doorways framing the wooden choir behind it. These religious elements show how important spiritual life was to those who lived here.
Today the building works as a museum and crafts center, so it helps to check with the Urbania Tourist Office beforehand about when you can visit and what to expect. The river nearby offers a good place to walk around before or after you go inside.
A footpath called Sentiero del Duca runs for about a mile and a half, connecting this villa to the Ducal Palace and following the old route where boats once carried knights and noblemen. Walking this path today lets visitors trace the same journey that noble residents once made.
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