GORGACCE

Gubbio is a wonderfully preserved medieval town. The town in Roman times was down in the plain and there is a fairly well preserved Roman amphitheatre there (the car park here is a good place to leave your vehicle). The town has a less “touristy” feel than many other medieval towns due to it’s location in Northern Umbria. Along with Deruta, Gubbio is known for maiolica ceramics and there are several shops in the old town.

Gubbio is also famous for a race held on the 15 May each year, the Corsa dei Ceri. The route is up Monte Ingino, the mountain behind the town and relay teams carry huge wooden “candles” up to the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo, the church of the town’s patron saint.
The hills behind Gubbio have some great walks, you can download pdfs from the following link: http://www.tuscanyumbriawalks.com/buy-walking-book.html

Things to See:

Palazzo dei Consoli

Easily the most impressive building in Gubbio, it’s worth paying to enter the medieval town hall. There’s an interesting art collection (but no masterpieces) and the Eugubine Tablets, bronze tablets with various instructions in the Umbrian language written in the Etruscan and Roman alphabets. The main attraction is the interior of the building itself, the ceiling of the ground floor is an enormous barrel vault, also look for the medieval toilets at the back of the top floor. At the back of the building there is an archaeological museum that you can visit on the same ticket. The huge piazza in front of the Palazzo is supported by enormous arches to create a level space.

Duomo (Cathedral)
Unusually for an Umbrian town, the Duomo is not built on the main piazza, this is probably because of the steep gradient that Gubbio is built on. It is of architectural note for it’s strangely vaulted ceiling, but children will probably be more fascinated by the blackened bodies of various bishops kept in glass coffins.

Palazzo Ducale
When Gubbio lost it’s independence it came under the influence of the Dukes of Urbino, the most famous of whom was Federico di Montefeltro, a famous mercenary and Renaissance Man. This is a smaller version of the Duke’s Renaissance palace in Urbino and often houses modern art shows.

Funivia Ride and Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo
It’s fun to take a ride to the top of Monte Ingino on the funivia. This is a slightly scary ski lift / cable car, the cages take two people at a time and you hop on and off while it is still moving! At the top you can enjoy the views, visit a bars and go to the Basilica di Sant Ubaldo. Sant’Ubaldo was a bishop of Gubbio who used his negotiating skills to stop the town being sacked by Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor. His blackened corpse is on display in a glass coffin behind the altar. Look out for the Ceri, the wooden “candles” used in the race, they are kept in the church.