We're going to be in Tuscany and Umbria for two weeks this spring and we're contemplating doing a day trip to Gubbio. We will have spent a week in Val d'Orcia/Montepulciano and we have an apartment in Spello. By that time we'll have seen plenty of hill towns and medieval architecture. Is Gubbio unusual or different enough to warrant the drive? Any worthwhile stops along the way? I'd love to hear your experiences and suggestions. If it makes any difference, we'll obviously have a car, have been to Italy a few times before, like beautiful landscapes and towns and aren't museum or large city people.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Gubbio has some interesting sights, not the least of which is the Roman arena a few hundred meters outside the town.
The Sanctuary of Sant' Ubaldo is reached by car or funivia. There is a festival on May 16 to celebrate his feast day.
During the Middle Ages, ceramics developed a red color that could not be found anywhere else.
It has a beautiful centro storico with a drop-off view of the valley at one end of the min road in town.
Disclaimer: I cannot get enough of Umbria.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
792 posts
Not only is it charming, the drive to get there is beautiful
Posted by
OP
Kansas City
454 posts
Its looking like Gubbio is a go! A few questions:
What's this beautiful drive you speak of getting there? I'm seeing a few different ways of getting there.
Also, we're coincidentally going to be in Umbria on the feast day of St. Ubaldo. Is it better to go then or just pick a day a few days earlier/later, ie does it get so chaotic that it'll be impossible to see the sights? When I used to live in Switzerland, that was my experience with some festivals in the smaller towns and cities there.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
792 posts
I drove SS219 , loved it
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16395 posts
I have a dear friend in Germany who has spent a lot of time in Gubbio. It's very definitely worth the time.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I would try to be there on the 26th or the day before.
Oh, another thing: the street fighting scenes in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet were shot in Gubbio.
Posted by
Green Bay
20977 posts
On the Via Fossa going up the mountain northeast of town, there is a small marker indicating the K-T boundary, the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the rock layers. That is evidence of an asteroid impact that is theorized to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Just a little geological point of interest.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
The main event of the festival, the Corsa dei Ceri, occurs on May 15. Events take place throught the day, highlighted by the racing of the ceri in the afternoon. The town will be extremely crowded, more so in the afternoon than in the morning. It's a great event (I really enjoyed it), but not the day to go to Gubbio for casual sightseeing. On the other hand, it's a family event and parents and children will be dressed in the colors of their neighborhood. Just inside the walls at the bottom of town, I recall there being an area with rides and such that the children might enjoy. Hopefully this will give you enough background to decide when to go. You can also Google "Corsa dei Ceri" to get a feel for what the festival is like. The official website www.ceri.it includes video from prior years and describes the history of the festival.
Posted by
Perugia, Italy
211 posts
Gubbio's just beautiful to walk around. Here's a silly but fun thing to do. Umbrians tease the people there, saying they're "matti," or crazy. I think it has to do with the race of the ceri, which is pretty intense--young guys running with these huge things. So a touristy but fun thing to do is find the Bargello fountain, near the main piazza. You walk 3 times around the fountain, then splash your face with the water of the fountain. Go to the nearby souvenir shop and get yourself a "patente di matto," or a license to be crazy. It's a good keepsake; hang it on a wall at home. On the main road from Perugia to Gubbio, about two-thirds of the way there, is a restaurant called Il Panaro. It's on the left, you'll see a sign or two before getting there. It looks like a truck stop, but it's THE place in the area for torta al testo, an Umbrian flatbread that's stuff with good things like prosciutto, greens, cheeses, mushrooms, even black truffles. You won't be sorry, and you'll be amazed at the reasonable tab.
Enjoy! (I confess, I'm an Umbria addict, and live there part of the year.)
Posted by
OP
Kansas City
454 posts
Just came back from Italy. Umbria and Gubbio was awesome! I'd also HIGHLY recommend Spello as a low key, really beautiful town to visit or better, use as a base (which we did). Loved our accommodations and ability to do short daytrips to a ton of great places in Umbria from there.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Thanks for letting us know, Marcus!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11658 posts
So glad you liked Spello! It is a refreshing change from the hustle elsewhere. Heading to Umbria this fall and can't wait to revisit Spello and I have added Gubbio to our list.
Posted by
OP
Kansas City
454 posts
Laurel, if you need info on an AWESOME accommodation in Spello, let me know. In a nutshell, we stayed in an old manor house from the 1700s, with a private chapel and filled with antiques and frescos, five minutes walk into Spello all for a whopping $560 for 8 days! Probably the best place I've stayed at in all my travels in Europe.