Rocca Ubaldinesca di Sassocorvaro

The fortress was built from 1474 for Ottaviano Ubaldini della Carda, adviser and right-hand man to Federico da Montefeltro, and is attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini. It is one of the most original military buildings of the fifteenth century: curved masses, round towers and a profile that, seen from above, resembles a turtle.

The shape is no accident. Ottaviano was passionate about astrology and alchemy, and the turtle, symbol of strength and long life, is read as a hermetic seal hidden in the plan. Inside you will find the Renaissance courtyard, a small theatre and the museum rooms.

During the Second World War the fortress became the Ark of Art. The superintendent Pasquale Rotondi hid thousands of works here that arrived from the museums and churches of Venice and all the Marche, including masterpieces by Giorgione, Giovanni Bellini, Piero della Francesca, Titian and Raphael, saving them from bombing and looting. One room tells this story.

Below the fortress is Lake Mercatale, on the River Foglia, with a park and paths along the water. Sassocorvaro is half an hour by car from Urbino: a trip that combines well with Piandimeleto and Carpegna.