Urbania

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For the 2000 film, see Urbania (film)

Comune di Urbania
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Marche
Province	Province of Pesaro e Urbino (PU)
Mayor

Elevation	273 m
Area	77.8 km²
Population
- Total (as of Dec. 2004)	6,804
- Density	87/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°40′N 12°31′E
Gentilic	Urbaniesi, Durantini
Dialing code	0722
Postal code	61049
Frazioni	Barca, Campi Resi, Campolungo, Gualdi, Muraglione, Orsaiola, Ponte San Giovanni, San Lorenzo in Torre, San Vincenzo in Candigliano, Santa Maria del Piano, Santa Maria in Campolungo, Santa Maria in Spinaceti
Patron	St. Christopher
- Day	July 25
Location of Urbania in Italy
Website: www.comune.urbania.ps.it/

Urbania is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about 80 km west of Ancona and about 40 km southwest of Pesaro, next to the river Metauro.

Urbania borders the following municipalities: Acqualagna, Apecchio, Cagli, Fermignano, Peglio, Piobbico, Sant'Angelo in Vado, Urbino.

It is famous a ceramics and majolica production centre.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Demographic evolution
4 External links

[edit] History

Originally known as Castel delle Ripe, it was a free commune of the Guelph party. In 1277 it was destroyed by the Ghibellines: rebuilt by the Provençal Guillaume Durand (1284), in that occasion it was christened Casteldurante. Later it was ruled by the Brancaleoni family. When the latter were ousted, the city offered itself to the Dukes of Urbino, which used the palace in the city as summer residence and had it restored by architects such as Francesco di Giorgio Martini. the last della Rovere duke, Francesco Maria II, is buried in the Ducal Palace of Urbania.

In 1631 it became part of the Papal States. Five years later it changed again name to the current one, in honor to Pope Urban VIII.

After World War II Urbania received the Bronze Medal for Military Valour for the deeds of its citizens during the partisan warfare.

[edit] Main sights

Ducal Palace, housing a museum and a library with maps by Mercator.
Chiesa dei Morti (Church of the Dead), with natural mummies from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The medieval walls.