Urbino (485 m above sea level, with 15,000 inhabitants) has ancient origins and is located between the Foglia River basin to the northwest and the Metauro River basin to the southeast, in a geographically complex area.
It was inhabited by the Umbrians, followed by the Etruscans and the Senonian Gauls. Roman presence in the area is linked to the colonization of trans-Apennine and Adriatic regions, following Rome’s victory over the Senonian Gauls at the Battle of Sentinum (295 BC). With the foundation of Ariminum (268 BC), the construction of the Via Flaminia (around 220 BC), and the colony of Pisaurum (184 BC), Urbino gained commercial and strategic importance. In 46 BC, it became a Roman municipium under the Lex Julia Municipalis. Roman Urbino was located on the southern hill, in the area of today’s Via Veneto, Piazza Rinascimento, and the upper part of Via Saffi. The Lapidary Museum preserves epigraphic material providing insights into the city’s political organization.
The Roman walls were likely built between the late 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, enclosing the Porta Maia area. The city was crossed by a main cardo and two decumani (Porta Posterla and Porta Occidentale), dividing it into four sections.
The Theater (1st century AD) was located near the decumanus of Porta Posterla with a cistern nearby. The only access to the city, Porta Maia, came from the north.