View of hill top town of Gubbio.
Do you want to fall in love with Umbria ? Visit Gubbio! It will do the trick. ❤️
This summer our family spent a week touring Umbria. It was a first for me and like everywhere I visit in Italy, I fell in LOVE with Umbria.
Gubbio was our first stop. a perfect small town to visit in an afternoon. It gave me a taste of what my week would be like. Spectacular views and thousands of years of history.
For such a small country, Italy never ceases to amaze me. In 3 hours we changed climate, landscape, culture, and food.
Check back in for more posts of our Umbrian adventure!
Have a great day!
Michelle
Views of Piazza Grande and the Civic Museum
What to do in Gubbio:
First stop, Piazza Grande.
Parking is at the bottom of the hill so, the first thing is to decide if you want to walk up to the main square which is about a 10-15 minute walk. It isn’t extremely strenuous but if you arent in the mood, don’t worry! there are elevators to get you to each level of the town.
Visit the Civic Museum in Piazza Grande.
Like most small towns, nothing is extremely time-consuming. Definitely visit the museum. It has some interesting Roman artifacts found when excavating the Roman amphitheater. There are also medieval toilets and plumbing and Ancient bronze tablets from th2 2nd century BC that are fascinating.
Hop on the Funivia Colle Eletto
This was super fun! The funivia is a 2 person metal basket that takes you to the top of Monte Ingino. The views from the top are magnificent and totally worth the trip.
Here you will find the Basilica Saint ‘Ubaldo where you will see the glass sarcophagus of the patron saint of Gubbio and a cute place to grab a snack or drink.
Other cool things to see
Palazzo Ducale and Duomo. Built during the Renaissance directly across from the Duomo.
Visit the Roman Amphitheater
Built in 20 B.C when when this town was called “Iguvium”. It still is in use today. Every year in August, the town holds the No Borders Jazz festival where jazz lovers from around the world enjoy some of the best Jazz artists of today.
Stroll along the streets and notice the strange doors known as Porte dei Morte.
You will notice that many 14th and 15th century residences in Umbria have often had a second door next to the main door that is narrower and a foot higher than the main door. This door is called “Porta dei Morti” At this time, it was common to use these doors to remove bodies that died inside the house. It was considered bad luck for a live person to go through these little doors.
Read more about it here: All about “doors of the dead “
Links for Gubbio and Umbrian Tourism:
The Funivea to Mount Ubaldo! FUN being the optimal word!
Courtyard of Basilica Saint Ubaldo
Famous Medieval Doors of the Dead
Roman Ampheatre where the No Borders Jazz Festival takes place in August.