Urbe lies on the northern side of the Ligurian Apennines, scattered across the upper valley of the Olba stream. Once a possession of the Abbey of Tiglieto, it was donated to the Bishop of Acqui in the eleventh century and shared the fortunes of Sassello until 1798.
The hamlet of San Pietro d'Olba is a popular mountain resort with restaurants serving typical local cuisine. It draws visitors in summer and is famous for its mushroom picking in the surrounding forests. The seventeenth-century parish church of San Giacomo, in the locality of Martino d'Olba, contains decorations and a marble altar from the eighteenth century.
The valley sits below some of the best ridge walks in the Ligurian Apennines — Passo del Faiallo has one of the great views of the Ligurian coast, and the peaks of Bric del Dente and Monte Reixa are both reachable on day hikes from the village.