My Trip Report - Urbania 2003

Introduction

Have you ever considered a study vacation? Improving your lexicon beyond “pizza,” “grazie,” and “ciao”? What better way to become part of Italian society and learn the language while on an extended vacation! The government of Italy offers U.S. citizens scholarships to study Italian in wonderful and delicious Italy.

I fell in love with Italy after my first visit there in summer 2000. After that trip, I became a bona fide Italophile: taking Italian language classes at the local community college, cooking Italian, watching Italian films, etc. Fortunately for me, the regional Italian Cultural Institute was literally right around the corner from where I was living at the time – and through them I found out about the Italian Foreign Ministry’s Scholarships. I was awarded a scholarship to study Italian in a small town of Urbania at Centro Studi Italiani.

I decided not to study in Italy right after I had received word of the scholarship. Instead, I was busy with school and work. Lucky for me the Italian government was flexible, as it allowed me to defer the scholarship for a year. The following year I decided to take time out my schedule and take off to a town I had never heard of, let alone this region I had never explored.

Already, I started to ask myself all these rhetorical questions: What was I getting myself into? Why did I choose not to study in Rome, Florence or even Siena? What possessed me to select a small town in a region I had never heard of? Would I, a person who needs constant background noise and stimulation, go crazy and lose my mind in a quaint town after a few days? Well, it was too late to back out now, as the next day I would board my plane for Milan.

Other than that all my flight connections were delayed and rerouted, and I arrived a day late, I think everything went fine! No plane crashes, no plane malfunctions, no mean airline staff, etc. I don’t want to dwell on the past, I mean they could have bumped me up to first or business class, but hey! Anyway, I did enjoy London Heathrow Airport while I was there, and was there for quite some time.

(If it hadn’t been for the fact that I was “living” in Italy for a month, I think I still brought too much luggage. Most of my friends who know me think I travel light. However, I think I brought too much, and traveling on the train solo definitely hammered that fact in. Next time, instead of bringing a carry-on suitcase, I am opting for an oversized backpack, even though it’s not as fashionable, it’s easier to walk up and down the stairs of the train station – and a lot of those train stations don’t have escalators, or if they do sometimes they have power outages!)

Anyway, after being rerouted a couple of times, I finally arrived in Milan. I then recall taking the shuttle bus to the train station and then a train to Pesaro; however, I had missed the last bus to either Urbania or Urbino by several hours. So I was stuck in Pesaro for the night and had a taxi driver recommend me a hotel. (Even though it was rather late when I arrived in Pesaro, 11 p.m., there were plenty of taxis.)

To this day, I still recall the communication between the driver and me, as my Italian was pretty limited back then. I had asked him to drop me off at a mid-priced hotel, not too expensive, but I don’t think he had understood; perhaps he had confused me as some rich single tourist and drove me to the most expensive hotel in Pesaro. I could tell, even though it was dark outside that this particular hotel was out of my budget, so I asked him in my Italian, “Quanto costa?” and he responded “300 Euro.” I had an immediate knee-jerk response that could be understood in any language, “Nnnnnnoooo! E’ troppo caro! Mi dispiace.” (It’s too expensive! I’m sorry.) Fortunately, he understood and knew of another hotel, Hotel Gala (a perfectly nice and clean hotel that cost me 40 Euros, easily would cost 2 to 4 times that in Milan; I’m sure the prices have increased since I have stayed there, also the prices increase during the summer peak season), which is where I spent the night.

Usually I dislike staying in hotel rooms, but after being cooped up in airplanes, trains, buses, and taxis, this warm and toasty hotel room was paradise. Each section of my room in Hotel Gala was heated; it was such utter perfection, especially during the cold month of March near the Adriatic coast. (...to be continued)

DETAILS (NOTE: Italy's Country Code is 39)
Centro Studi Italiani
Via Boscarini, 1 - 61049 Urbania
(Pesaro e Urbino) Italia
tel. 0722.318950
fax 0722.317286
e-mail: urbania@centrostuditaliani.org
www.centrostuditaliani.org

Hotel Gala ***
Viale Trieste, 49
61100 - PESARO (PS)
tel. 0721.35114
fax 0721.68384

My review of Hotel Gala

(Update: Contact your local IIC for the scholarship application.)

Urbania - Where, Eat, Sleep, Activities (not necessarily in this order)

U r b a n i a - (Il Palazzo Ducale, right)










Where is Urbania?
It's in the Le Marche region of Italy. The closest newly discovered hill-town is Urbino, birthplace of Raphael. It is in the Pesaro-Urbino province (one of 5), the northern corner of this region. The clear crystal Metauro River flows through this town, known for its ancient ceramic tradition and medieval history. Urbania was the residence of the Dukes of Urbino.

What to Do in Urbania
Visit the former residence of the Dukes of Urbino.
Situated a nice walk (toward Sant'Angelo, 1km) outside the city center, Il Barco Ducale (Ducal Park), was once the the hunting residence of the dukes.

Once in town, peruse the collection at the Civic Museum and Palazzo Ducale.
The Palazzo Ducale houses il Museo Civico (Civic Museum), la Biblioteca (Library), and la Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery). Urbania's Il Palazzo Ducale is a work of art of the Duke of Federico Montefeltro. In the Cavalieri Room there are rare mercantile maps from the Renaissance. Don't leave without visiting the Cellars (le Cantine), where there is a Museum on the History of Agriculture -- where you will gain an appreciation of the Metauro River Valley and the cycle of of wheat and importance of wine. Afterwards, view the ceramics collection in the Civic Museum. There are both ancient and modern pieces on display. INFO: tel. 0721/370.956, fax 0721/377.105

Make your way to Il Museo Diocesano (Diocesan Museum).
This museum, another Renaissance work of art, is located in a beautiful building, the Palazzo Vescovile. Museo Diocesano- Palazzo Vescovile, Via Urbano VIII. Contact: Prof. Raimondo Rossi Tel. 0722/ 319.555.

If your up for it, check out the Le Mummie (Church of the Dead).
You can only view the mummies with a guide inside this small church. Closed Monday. Contact: Giovanni Maestrini for a visit. 349.8195469 (cell)

Stroll through the Market (Il Mercato)
Visit the town market Thursday mornings. Nearby Urbino's market is Saturday mornings and larger, however if you are not in Urbino on Saturday, check out Urbania's market - especially the produce, meat and seafood (varies with season). Buy fresh fried calamari or in season vegetables. If you want a quick bite, order a mortadella panino.

Rent a bike and ride the hills of Urbania. Seek out the local monastery.
Rent from Happy Bike and explore the area on your own. Via Leopardi 28. 61040 Urbania. Cell: 0368.416546 and 0338.2921709, Tel. 0722/319010 and 0722/318763, email: happybike@supereva.it

Learn Italian in this small town.
There are two language schools I know of; I attended Centro Studi Italiani. There is another school Scuola Italia. In the summer, I believe they CSI offers art and opera offerings, as the town has a lovely theater and performing arts center.


Da Mangiare - Where to Eat (These are all places I frequented in 2003.)
Bar Centrale
Bar Centrale is where everybody hangs out. There is a pool table in the back room... and I am not sure if two brothers run the joint. Anyway, in Italy a "bar" is a different concept. It sells mostly a bit of everything: coffee, sandwiches, snacks, alcoholic drinks, chocolate, etc. People don't usually loiter. I think it is open till 1am or so. The staff is friendly. My usual order was caffe' latte or the mixed drinks. L. Della Rovere. (In the Piazza, across from Caffe' Teatro)
Tel. 0722/317.319. Closed Tuesday.

Big Ben
Ristorante e Enoteca Big Ben serves up a variety of Italian food--primi e secondi e pizze. The owner is very accomodating and has lots of pasta, meat, and pizza on the menu. Good homemade pasta. Corso Vittorio Emanuele 61, 61049 Urbania. Tel. 0722/319.795. Closed Lunch/Wednesday.

Caffe' Teatro
Caffe' Teatro is a coffeeshop located next to the performing arts center/theater, which is in full-bloom during the summer opera session. There is an outdoor patio in the back and it has a gelateria. It has great desserts, sandwiches and coffee. The staff is friendly, as is in most of Urbania. I usually ordered a caffe' latte e un cornetto con ciocolatto (Nutella). Yummy. Or gelato, but the gelato in Urbino is actually better. Piazza San Cristoforo 4, 61049 Urbania.
Tel. 0722/318.738. Closed Monday.

Enoteca - Vin Itali di Zeno
You can taste wine in the comfort of your own hotel, restaurant or at this enoteca near the Duomo. It closes rather early, at 7:30 p.m., as you are to taste prior to going to dinner. Each taste is about 2-3 Euros. There is a lot of selection for this small town. If you take the bus to Urbino, there's even more selection! But you might not make the return bus back!
Via del Duomo 10, 61049 Urbania. (Near the Duomo, further back.) Tel. 0722/317.784.

La Loggia
La Loggia is where you feel like the Italians go out to eat... there and Il Buon Gustaio. Because it's not too expensive. It has a lot of pizza selection, there is a pizzeria in town, which has really really thin crust pizza, I LOVE IT!!! Anyway, I ate here at least 3 or 4 times while in Urbania, because it's just good grub, and very inexpensive. My favorites were pizza one day, pasta another or fish the next... it's really your call. Food is much more inexpensive in Urbania than in Milan or Rome, that's for sure. A can of soda will be more expensive than a bottle of wine. I liked the penne with vodka sauce. Via Bramante 5, 61049 Urbania. (Near the Duomo)
Tel. 0722/317.608. Closed Monday.

Pizzeria La Volpe
It's the thinnest pizza I have ever had--and I think it's quite good. Their menu is like a book, pages and pages long. All in Italian, of course! I always ordered the funghi or the primavera, because they are so fresh like everything in Italia! The price depends whether or not you have something to drink (vino or l'acqua) with it--because the pizza itself is quite cheap. And from what I recalled, they didn't charge a coperto (cover charge). Via Betto de' Medici 14, 61049 Urbania. Tel. 0722/317.660 (Take-out too!)

New Inn Pub
Paolo's underground pub is where all the young Urbanians hang out late at night. He's a real nice man, who serves good drinks and snacks. Paolo's got an extensive menu. Try something different. Via Gigli, 61049 Urbania. (It's on a side street, behind Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Ask around.)

Osteria del Cucco
For about 25 Euros each, we had many antipasti (including meat) and 3 pasta dishes, wine, coffee and dessert. Osteria del Cucco is a small, intimate restaurant where you may at times share the table with other patrons, if your party is not large. She has a house liqueur, licorice flavored that she offered at the end of the meal. If anyone is familiar with "slow food"--that is what she is known for. Urbania has several restaurants for its relatively small size, and they're all pretty decent. Cucco is probably one of the more expensive, along with Big Ben, which is also quite good. Everything was great, especially the dessert--house made cassata!
Via Betto de Medici 9, 61049 Urbania (On a side street; near the piazza where Caffe' Teatro and Bar Centrale are located.) Tel. 0722/317.412. Closed Sunday night and Monday.

Trattoria del Buongustaio
I remember this restaurant was packed the first time we went, in Urbania! So we were turned away! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, is that possible in a small town? Are there Italians who are poor cooks? Are there Italians who eat out that much, especially in small towns? My friends and I were in shock. We finally were able to eat here, it was good. There's no menu, they just tell you your choices. I remember coming here another night, buying a bottle of wine from them for 4 euros. They even opened it for us! That would never happen in the U.S.! They are so great! Via delle Cererie, 4. 61049 Urbania. Tel. 0722/319.411.

Supermarkets in Urbania (Mercati ed alimentari)
Conad 11 - Via Roma ang. Tasso. 61049 Urbania. 0722/318.576 (The largest of the supermarkets in central Urbania.)
Punto SMA - Piazza Martiri della Liberta' 6. 61049 Urbania. The owner, Franco, is very friendly to the students of CSI and inhabitants of Urbania.
Ugo & Ivana (Specialita Alimentari) - 0722/319.905. Very friendly couple who runs a small mom and pop shop. I failed to write down their address (their address was never on any of their receipts). It was near my apartment in Urbania and close to Conad.
Supermercati SMA - Via Cattaneo 28. 61049 Urbania. 0722/319.190. This supermarket is not in the city center, it is across the bridge, near some apartment dwellings and an artist's workshop. Very friendly, I don't think they were used to seeing the students this far out.

Where to Sleep in Urbania
Agriturismo Cal Terrazzano - Via Dei Fangacci 7. Tel. 0722/319.529.
Hotel Bramante - Via Roma 92. Tel. 0722/318.915. (2-star hotel)
Hotel Meeting - Via S. Maria del Piano 34. Tel. 0722/318.915. (3-star hotel)
For more information on where to sleep in Urbania, click here (Italian site).


Visit Official Site of Urbania (mi dispiace, Italian only).