Residenza Ambrogi

The Residenza Ambrogi is at Piazzale Roma 1/A, that is to say inside the public gardens that open up in front of Porta Valbona, the monumental entrance to the old centre of Urbino, in the province of Pesaro and Urbino. It is a villa with pale shutters and palms in front, fifty metres from the walls and a few steps from the monument to Raphael that gives the square its name. The Duomo is five hundred metres away, the Palazzo Ducale about ten minutes uphill on foot. The portal classifies it as an aparthotel and gives it the adults only badge; the property presents itself as a luxury bed and breakfast. The park around the house is its best card: lawn, hedges, tall trees, white benches, hydrangeas and roses, and a terracotta terrace that looks over the hills of the Montefeltro.

How it is made up

There are three bookable units and they all look onto the garden: a Suite, a Queen Room and a Double Room. The interiors keep the register of a family house rather than that of a hotel, with floral wallpaper, period mirrored wardrobes, lamps with shades and terracotta floors; the bathrooms have been redone recently, some in white marble with a flush shower, others in light blue with a coloured glass window. In the room there are air conditioning, a TV, a minibar, a balcony in some units and a private bathroom with bidet, shower, bathrobes, slippers and a courtesy set. The wifi is free and the private parking is on site, a detail that counts for a good deal in Urbino.

Wellness and pools, said for what they are

There is nothing equipped: the house has no spa, no sauna or Turkish bath, no hydromassage tubs and no pool. What it offers in that direction is the garden, with sun loungers in the shade of the palms, and the panoramic terrace where you sit in the evening: the rest on offer is that of an enclosed park two steps from the city gate.

The access rules

The threshold is stated and leaves no margin: the portal writes in so many words that young people of at least sixteen years are welcome, and the same age applies to extra beds, at twenty-five euros per person per night. There are no cots. Under sixteen you do not get in, so the restriction is a blanket one. A practical point should be added: the portal indicates eighteen years as the minimum age to hold the check-in, and anyone younger must be accompanied by a parent or a legal guardian. The official website today serves to check nothing, because it is being rebuilt: it shows only a notice with the telephone number and the email address, and publishes no age. Pets are not allowed. Smoking is not permitted, parties are not organised and quiet hours are to be respected between 22.00 and 8.00. Arrival is possible twenty-four hours a day, but for arrivals outside the hours a supplement of fifteen euros applies. Departure is between 10.00 and 11.00. The stay has to be settled before arrival by bank transfer.

Who it suits

It suits a couple who want to visit Urbino on foot without giving up parking and greenery, and who are happy to accept a house of few rooms with period furnishings instead of a hotel. It suits anyone travelling with an older child, because at sixteen you get in, which is rare in this category. It suits less anyone looking for a spa or a pool, anyone travelling with a dog, anyone who wants to pay on site by card and anyone who needs to leave very early: check-out does not open before 10.