Gubbio tour

Is there a more beautiful city in Italy than Gubbio? This is one of the most beautiful cities not only in Italy, but also in the whole world and the purpose of our excursion is to see this firsthand.

Until December 22, 1960, the city belonged to the Marche region (the provinces of Pesaro and Urbino), so its history and culture are inextricably linked with this region. The distance from Fano to Gubbio is 75 km and it is best to get to the place of our excursion by rented vehicles.

In this city was born and lived the famous codotière and philanthropist Federico di Montefeltro (Federico di Montefeltro), who can rightly be called the founder of the Marche region, his son Guidobaldo was born here, died his wife Battista Sforza, one of the most intelligent women of his time.

Here, after his exile from Assisi, lived with the poor and leprosy sick Saint Francis (San Francesco), the patron saint of all Italy. It was this city that he saved from a huge bloodthirsty wolf by negotiating peace with him in the name of Jesus. After that, the residents of Gubbio considered the reconciliation a real miracle, and the brave and virtuous Francis began to be revered as a saint.

All places associated with St. Francis and St. Francis. Ubaldo, patron of the city of Gubbio, is visited by pilgrims all year round.

One such place, the Basilica of St. George. Ubaldo, where his miraculous remains are also kept, must be visited. It rises on Mount Ingino, which offers stunning views of the city, the mountains, and the Roman theater (55-27 BC).

The theater, restored in the XIX century, is still used for its intended purpose and gathers lovers of classical music in the summer. The capacity of the theater is 6000 seats.

In the temple dedicated to St. Ubaldo (Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo), are the attributes for the festival of candles (Festa Cerri), which is held here annually on May 15, since the XII century. In 2014, this event was listed by UNESCO as one of the most ancient, bright and colorful. To enjoy the views of this city and follow the route of pilgrims, you can walk the mountain road from the basilica to the Consular Palace (Palazzo dei Consoli) and back (2.4 km one way). There is a funicular on the route.

The Consular Palace was built by the city authorities in 1332-1338. Its height is 60 m, it rises above the square, called the Great (piazza Grande) or Suspension (piazza Pendente), as a symbol of the power and greatness of the city. An interesting fact is that it stores Iguvinskaya tables (Tavole eugubine) - evidence of ancient Umbrian writing, which was so fond of the character of Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina", the husband of the main character - Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin.

On the way to the Consular Palace, you should not miss the no less famous building - the Ducal Palace (Palazzo Ducale), built by the genius of architecture Francesco di Giordio Martini (Francesco di Giordio Martini) commissioned by Federico di Montefeltro. The Duke of Urbino himself lived in this palace and worked in his office. Only a copy of his office remains in Gubbio. The original of this masterpiece was bought by the Metropolitan Museum in New York. But, if you want to see the original, you do not need to fly to New York, just visit another palace – Palazzo Ducale in Urbino.

From the Great Square, you can go down Via dei Consoli, the central street of the city, where benches with various delicacies (cheese, sausages, pasta, truffles, olive oil) alternate with workshops making ceramics, art products made of wood and wrought iron, to the square with the Bargello fountain.

There is a belief that if you run around the fountain 3 times, then after the rite of baptism with water from the fountain, you can safely count yourself as a madman from the city of Gubbio and even get a special patent for a madman. Why do the people of this city think they are strange? Because they still live in accordance with ancient traditions and values, and by their nature – unpredictable cheerful, dreamers and idealists.

The special spirit of antiquity is especially noticeable in the ancient quarter of St. Martin (quartiere di San Martino), which can be reached by crossing the bridge over the river Samignano (corrente Samignano). This part of the city, located at the foot of the Ingino and Foce mountains, beloved by the ancient Romans, is now a labyrinth of medieval streets with arched ceilings, with numerous aristocratic palaces, with quiet charming courtyards and green gardens. Even bars with modern coffee machines are more like taverns.

I would like to mention another highlight of the city. Walking through the old streets of Gubbio, you can see houses with two doors typical for some cities of Umbria and Tuscany. It is one of them, lower in location and already in size, designed only for the removal of the dead.

If we talk lastly about the fun, then on New Year’s Eve in Gubbio, at the foot of Mount Ingino, the largest Christmas tree in the world is lit with a height of more than 350 m, consisting of 12 km of electric wires and 450 light bulbs.