Urbino

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historic city in Italy known for its Renaissance art and architecture
2. A town renowned for its cultural heritage and artistic significance during the Renaissance period
3. An important center in the Marche region famous for its historical landmarks and artistic contributions

Etymology: Urbino is a proper noun, the name of a hill town in the Marche region of central Italy, and its name is older than its Renaissance fame. The town was the Roman "Urbinum Metaurense," a name meaning roughly "Urbinum on the Metaurus," distinguishing it from other places called Urbinum, with the second part tied to the nearby river Metauro. The root "urbs," meaning "city," is the same word that gives English "urban," so the name is essentially a diminutive-style form meaning "little city" or "town." The town's great moment came in the fifteenth century under the Montefeltro dukes, especially Federico da Montefeltro, who ruled from about 1444 to 1482 and built the Ducal Palace, one of the finest Renaissance palaces in Italy. The painter Raphael was born there in 1483, and the palace's studiolo and collections helped make the town a centre of humanist learning and art.