Discover Gubbio, known as Umbria’s City of Stone, which is one of the oldest towns in central Italy.
Elevators and a cable car to the upper levels
Wonderfully preserved over the centuries, Gubbio is a true architectural masterpiece of the medieval city-states of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its steep cobbled streets - there are public elevators to reach the town’s two upper levels - lead to monumental constructions. There is also a cable car (with standup birdcage-like cabins with railings to chest level) up Mount Ingino to the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo, work on which began in 1513 and which holds the remains of the town’s patron saint.
The Fountain of the Madmen
The Palazzo dei Consoli, on a lower level than the magnificent Cathedral dedicated to Saints Marian and James, is the symbol of the city and now a museum, while the Palazzo Pretorio is the seat of the Town Hall. Also worthy of note is the Palazzo del Bargello and one of Gubbio’s most famous monuments, the Fountain of the Madmen. Tradition has it that by running three times around the fountain, one can obtain a madman's licence, but this has to be done in the presence of a citizen of Gubbio!
A medieval marketplace and a Roman theatre
The handsome Renaissance Ducal Palace was almost certainly designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and documents the reign of the Montefeltro lords over the town. In the lower town the Piazza Quaranta Martiri was an important market area in the Middle Ages. A visit to the remains of the Roman theatre is a way to understand the social organization of the Roman city of Iguvium, revealing the tastes, customs and habits of that period. Completed around 20 B.C., it was built with large rusticated limestone blocks and could seat about 6,000 spectators, making it among the largest of its time.
Local flatbreads and truffles
Among the local dishes crescia is a flatbread of flour, water and salt eaten with cooked greens and local cured meats, while pan caciato is made by adding small pieces of pecorino or caciotta cheese to the bread dough. In season the black and white truffles found in the area are used in a variety of pasta and meat dishes.
