Gubbio

Gubbio

What to see in Gubbio

Vista della cavea e di alcune mura del Teatro Romano sovrastato da un grande cielo azzurro.

The Roman Theater in Gubbio

South of Gubbio's Medieval quarters the Guastuglia Plain (pron. goo-ast-oo-Leah) lies, delimited west by the so-called vallum (military defense line), and east by a river called
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Vista della Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo, a cui piedi si trova un prato con una stradina che porta alla grande scalinata e all’ingresso.

Saint Ubaldo’s Basilica – Gubbio

A Brief Biography The personage of young Ubaldo – who was officially declared a saint on March 5, 1192 – cannot be divided from Gubbio and the great love the town's inhabitants
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Vista aerea di una porzione di Gubbio, con San Francesco ben visibile sulla sinistra. Sullo sfondo le campagne umbre e il Teatro Romano.

Saint Francis’ Church in Gubbio

Francis, the Man; and Gubbio The story of Gubbio and Francis of Assisi means the discovery of an intense relationship, interwoven with travels, friendship, and feelings. Francis'
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Piazza Grande (The Main Square)

A Decentralized Center Gubbio rises at the foot of Mount Ingino with a strong self-consciousness. Framed within a luxuriant Nature, rich in woods and trails, it is considered one
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Vista panoramica di Palazzo dei Consoli, incorniciato da rami in primo piano e con i boschi eugubini sullo sfondo.

Palace of Consuls

A Giant in the Square The Palace of Consuls (Palazzo dei Consoli), built in the years 1332-49, rises dramatically on the background of Piazza Grande, the Main Square. It is more
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The Ducal Palace

At the Court of the Duke of Urbino The Ducal Palace was built by decision of Federico da Montefeltro in a town area called Corte Vecchia (the Old Court) – right in front of the
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Explore the city

Discover Gubbio

A city marked by its history

On the slopes of Mount Ingino lies Gubbio, an ancient city whose origins date back to the Umbrians, who inhabited it as early as the 7th century BC. An ally of Rome, it became a municipality in the 1st century BC; then, after the invasions of the Heruli and the Goths, it was rebuilt by the Byzantines in a higher and more defensible position.
However, it was in the Middle Ages that Gubbio found its most recognizable form, the one that still surprises visitors today: a maze of quiet alleys that suddenly open onto bright squares in the neighborhoods of San Martino, Sant’Andrea, San Pietro, and San Giuliano, to be explored slowly, step by step.

 

Living Monuments

The scenic heart of the city is Piazza Grande, suspended between sky and plain like a stone terrace. Here, the Palazzo dei Consoli stands out with its Campanone bell: when the ancient bell, weighing 114 kg, is rung by the strength of legs and arms by courageous bell-ringers suspended 60 meters above the ground, its deep toll reverberates throughout the valley, like an echo uniting past and present.
The Palazzo dei Consoli houses one of the most precious testimonies of antiquity: the Eugubine Tablets, seven bronze plates engraved in the Umbrian language using the Etruscan and Latin alphabets, dating between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC. The texts contain ritual prescriptions and were originally intended to be displayed to the public at the Roman Theater, where they were rediscovered in the 15th century, almost as if resurfacing from history.

The town and the Roman Theater at sunset, Gubbio, Umbria, Italy, Europe
A beautiful shot of a street between old medieval buildings in Gubbio center, Umbria region, Italy with blue sky
Gubbio Vicolo Sotterraneo

Through remote geological eras

A short walk from the city center, the Bottaccione Gorge tells an even more remote story. Its rocks are an open chapter in prehistory and theories linking the extinction of the dinosaurs to the fall of a gigantic meteorite: layers rich in iridium, a rare metal on Earth but abundant in meteorites, have been identified here, a silent trace of an impact that occurred approximately 66 million years ago.

 

A unique and strong identity

Gubbio is also a city of deep traditions and a shared identity. For centuries, it has relied on the protection of Saint Ubaldo (1084-1160), bishop and patron saint, whose remains rest in the Basilica dedicated to him on Mount Ingino. Every May 15th, the city lights up for the Corsa dei Ceri: a unique celebration of faith, adrenaline, and belonging, which passes through the streets in the yellow, blue, and black colors of the ceraioli of Saint Ubaldo, Saint George, and Saint Anthony, ancient protectors of the medieval guilds. More than a spectacle, it's an experience: here the motto is truly "seeing is believing."
Every year on December 8th, Gubbio lights up Mount Ingino with the world's largest Christmas tree: hundreds of colored lights form a silhouette visible from afar on the slope, culminating in a large comet.
And when autumn approaches, at the end of October, the air fills with the intense scent of truffles: the Truffle Exhibition celebrates one of the Apennines' most prized products, transforming the city into a melting pot of flavors, traditions, and conviviality.

GUBBIO, ITALY. MAY 15, 2016- The famous festa dei Ceri of Gubbio. Photo of three ceri in the square.

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