Mercatello is a small, delicate town. It reminds me of Cortona in a small way, without tourists. It had been given as a wedding gift to Federico da Montefeltro by the very delicate Gentile Brancaleoni, daughter of Giovanna Alidosi who also acted as mother to little Federico.
It is a place on the edge of the Marche and yet in the center of what was once a duchy, a place of passage between Urbino and Florence, between the leader duke and the Medici.
The square is beautiful even if the focal point of the Renaissance style remains the ducal palace designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini who acted as court architect for all the buildings and fortresses of Montefeltro and also participated in the creation of that wonderful building example which was the Palazzo Ducale of Urbino.
A small village to visit on foot, stop at the bakery bar under the loggias, or eat a nice dish based on mushrooms or truffles at Uto.
This area north of the Marche is always an enchantment of beauty and harmony. To visit calmly. Also beautiful is Castello della Pieve, a tiny village a few km from Mercatello, where Dante Alighieri's exile from Florence was decided.
