Raphael Brings Le Marche to the Met
- Tara Busch
- Jun 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 29
A travel guide to Italy's Le Marche region and Urbino, the Renaissance hill town home to artist Raphael, whose first-ever US exhibition is taking place at the Met now.
The first-ever United States art exhibition dedicated exclusively to the work of Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, Raphael: Sublime Poetry, is taking place right now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Over 500,000 visitors have already lined up to see the show, which places Raphael among his teachers and influences, highlighting Renaissance life among the elite and everyday alike, and tracing how it shaped the evolution of his art and the themes of his commissioned works.
The exhibition closes Sunday! The limited run is due to the fact that many of the works can only withstand limited light exposure before they need to return to storage for safekeeping, so they can last another 500 years.
The exhibition looks at the entire life of the artist, starting in his hometown of Urbino, with drawings and masterworks that span a 20-year period, from age 17 to his death at 37. Many pieces are being shown from the Met's private collection for the first time, but this exhibition represents a coming together of a vast international community, including 12 museums from Italy alone, and icons of the art world like the Louvre, the Prado, and the British Museum in London.
I had the chance to preview the exhibition before it opened to the public, as part of a small group hosted by the Italian National Tourist Board. Some of the photos included are from that visit.
Raphael of Urbino
Raphael was born on April 6, 1483, in Urbino, a hill town set in a spectacular, rugged landscape in the region of Le Marche (lay MAR-kay) in central Italy.
Urbino experienced a golden age in the 15th century under the direction of Duke Federico III da Montefeltro, who ruled from 1444 to 1482. As wall text from Raphael: Sublime Poetry describes it, Montefeltro "brought peace, wealth, and fame to the Duchy of Urbino. A formidable general, scholar, and patron of art and architecture, Federico transformed his court into an internationally celebrated center for the arts and humanist learning. He founded a fabled library and rebuilt Urbino's imposing Palazzo Ducale, whose rhythmic arcades and harmonic geometry embodied the humanist dedication to mathematics that distinguished the culture of Urbino." Those same ideals are evident in the precision Raphael strived for in his earliest works. It's likely not a coincidence that Raphael arrived at this time and went on to break the mold in Renaissance art when considering the remarkable period that preceded his birth.
Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and arguably the cultural capital of the Marche, Urbino sits far from the crowds of mainstream travelers. Remarkable considering the richness that awaits visitors here. Home to one of Europe's oldest universities, the city caters far more to its student population than to tourists. A classic walled hill town, its two main roads intersect at Piazza della Repubblica, the main square. Visitors will enjoy resting with a cappuccino or aperitivo and watching city life go by after a day spent visiting local sites.
Where to go in Urbino:
One of Italy's most beautiful Renaissance palaces, the Palazzo Ducale, with fairytale spires and a grand courtyard designed for perfect symmetry.
Marche National Gallery, where you'll find one of the most important collections of Renaissance paintings in the world.
View Urbino from the Fortress.
The Oratory of St. John (San Giovanni), for its remarkable 14th-century frescoes, painted before the Renaissance.
Visit the home of Raphael, now a museum.
It's impossible to detach Raphael from a visit to Urbino. As the exhibition notes, "The artist's roots in Urbino, with its refined court life and unique intellectual heritage, played a defining role in his life and career." As a testament to his hometown pride, throughout his life Raphael proudly identified with his birthplace by signing many of his paintings with "Raphael Vrbinas."
The Region of Le Marche
The Marche region is bordered by Tuscany and Umbria to the west, with the Apennine mountains forming a natural demarcation; to the north lie the valleys of Emilia-Romagna, and the Adriatic Sea marks its eastern shore.
It's truly remarkable that the region is so underappreciated by visitors to Italy when you consider that within its small territory, it contains many of the qualities that are attracting people to the country. Verdant rolling hills, preserved hilltop towns that witness rural village life in its most sincere form, traditional cuisine not often found beyond its borders, a beautiful coastline, mountains, and fertile valleys.
"I think of traveling to Le Marche today as chasing a kind of nostalgia, as close as I can get to feeling what it must've been like to travel to Tuscany in the 1960s. Being met in rural villages by locals who are still unfamiliar when hearing my American accent. Drinking fantastic but unfamiliar wine varieties. Visiting villages that feel preserved in a cultural sense, retaining their character unencumbered by outsiders. It really does encapsulate so much of what we want when we travel to Italy." Tara, CTC founder
Le Marche is home to much of what many have come to expect from Italy; there's rich wine and olive production (both offering exquisite, lesser-known varietals), precious sheep's milk cheese, unique pastas, some of the best white truffles found in Europe, and fresh seafood from the Adriatic.
Outdoor enthusiasts will find centers for equestrian activities, stunning road cycling routes, and sailing and fishing along the Adriatic coastline.
The Macerata Opera Festival is one of Italy's most distinctive summer events. Founded in 1967, the festival takes place in the monumental open-air Arena Sferisterio during parts of July and August.
Connoisseurs of quality handmade goods will be delighted to find authentic "Made in Italy" goods. Unknown even to many Italians, nearly a third of Italy's footwear companies are based in the Marche. Shoppers will find outlets, workshops, and specialty shops dedicated to locally made footwear.
Practical Information for Visiting Le Marche Region
Airport: Ancona
Trains: via Bologna or Bari
Getting around: Good to have a car
When to visit: year-round
Terrains of Le Marche: Coast, mountains, and countryside
Events: Frequent religious and folklore festivals, the annual Macerata Opera in the open-air Arena Sferisterio (summer), Urbino's Festa del Duca /Duke's Festival (August), and the White Truffle Fair in Acqualagna (October)
Accommodations: No big five-star hotel chains, no mass tourism. Instead, you'll find small villages, charming boutique properties, and agritourismo's.
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The author of this blog is the Founder of Conscious Travel Collective, Tara Busch.
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