Lessons in Renaissance Cool in Urbino, Italy

WHERE TO STAY AND EAT Albergo San Domenico in Urbino (Piazza Rinascimento, 3; 39-0722-2626; www.viphotels.it), in a converted convent, is steps away from the Ducal Palace. Double rooms from 180 euros; breakfast not included.

Is this the next Tuscany?

New York Times May 22, 2005, Sunday Late Edition - Final Section 5 Page 1 Column 2 Desk: Travel Desk Length: 3962 words Is This The Next Tuscany? By CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON writes frequently about travel for The Times. ... ... From Urbino, we spend several days driving a rough circle through the agricultural center of Le Marche -- often in second gear, on roads that at times seemed too pinched to accommodate even a center line. We pass green fields of durum soon to turn golden, for this is Italy's macaroni bowl, home to much grain production. These hills have been cultivated hard for millenniums, and sometimes power lines and roads zipper across them. But nonetheless there is a gentleness to the landscape, and a tranquillity in the pattern of rectangles and squares. Every six or eight miles, the fields crest and another impossibly picturesque medieval hill town appears in a shaft of Annunciation light, its brick ramparts now only under siege by olive trees, its palisades now only defended by dandelions: Serra de' Conti. Cupramontana. Staffolo. Ostra. Wandering through these towns, barely mentioned in any guidebook, becomes a highlight of the trip, with the midmorning torpor of their tidy town squares, the proud butcher shops hung with homemade salami, the deliciously crooked little streets that lead nowhere that we're headed -- and so we take them. In every town, matrons in headscarves and support hose and cardigans waddle up the cobbles with grocery bags, as if they're leaving central casting instead of the negozio di alimentari. Surprised by visitors, they return our smiles with smiles, and a ''Salve!''... ... WHERE TO STAY Summer is high season, even in Le Marche, so it's best to make reservations as early as possible. But this is also the Italian countryside, and much of the region shuts down in August as innkeepers and shopkeepers go on vacation. ... ... Hotel Bonconte, Via delle Mura, 28, Urbino, (39-0722) 2463, www.viphotels.it, is a comfortable, air-conditioned establishment with 25 rooms in an old villa within the old city walls. In summer, doubles are $102 to $175, not including breakfast. WHERE TO EAT In Urbino, which is home to several good restaurants, Taverna degli Artisti, Via Bramante, 52, (39-0722) 2676, serves excellent traditional Marchigiani dishes like passatelli, a fresh pasta of egg, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese ($8); or strozzapreti (''priest chokers'') -- chunky strips of pasta -- in a cream sauce with spinach ($8). Open daily in summer. ... ... WHAT TO DO Much of the pleasure of the Marches is simply wandering its towns and stumbling upon its vineyard tasting rooms, but a few places are worth scheduling a visit to see. Here are just two: The Ducal Palace of Urbino, (39-0722) 322-625, a classic Renaissance palace with works by Raphael among others, is open Monday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday through Sunday until 7:15 p.m. Admission, $5.25. ...